White Collar

  • October 29, 2024

    Alameda Research Wants Crypto Exchange To Return $50M

    Alameda Research, the crypto trading affiliate of the bankrupt FTX digital asset empire, has sued the operators of KuCoin cryptocurrency exchange in Delaware bankruptcy court seeking the return of $50 million of assets that continue to be held on the platform despite the debtors' requests.

  • October 29, 2024

    Wells Fargo Fights To Ax Suit Over Identify Fraud Accounts

    Wells Fargo urged a California federal judge Tuesday to toss a proposed class action accusing the bank of violating the Fair Credit Report Act by accessing consumers' credit reports after fraudsters applied to open accounts with stolen information, saying Wells Fargo followed industry standards and the alleged damages are "conclusory."

  • October 29, 2024

    BofA Faces Scrutiny Of AML Program, Zelle Payment Handling

    Bank of America Corp. disclosed Tuesday that its anti-money laundering program is a focus of ongoing "discussions" with federal regulators and said it is mulling litigation with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau over a potential enforcement action related to digital payment network Zelle.

  • October 29, 2024

    'Breathtaking' Pentagon Leak Merits 16 Years, Feds Say

    Prosecutors urged a federal judge on Tuesday to sentence a former Massachusetts Air National Guardsman to more than 16 years in prison for posting top secret military documents to the social media platform Discord, calling the crimes a historic and "breathtaking" betrayal of national security.

  • October 29, 2024

    Ex-US Attorney Already Prepping To Be The Next Denver DA

    A former Colorado U.S. attorney and longtime civil litigator said running for the open Denver district attorney seat was a natural next step, as he prepares to lead an office with fewer resources than either of his past positions.

  • October 29, 2024

    NY Judge Says Law Sealing Illicit Pot Shops Unconstitutional

    A New York state judge ruled Tuesday that a newly enacted New York City law empowering municipal officials to shut down stores selling unlicensed marijuana products is unconstitutional.

  • October 29, 2024

    NYC Mayoral Straw Donor Scheme Sees Another Guilty Plea

    A bookkeeper enmeshed in a straw donor scheme to benefit New York City Mayor Eric Adams' 2021 campaign copped to a violation on Tuesday as part of a deal with the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, effectively closing out the case.

  • October 29, 2024

    Fla. Banker Agrees To Change Plea In Money Laundering Case

    A Miami banker who is the son of Ecuador's ex-comptroller on Tuesday agreed to change his plea to guilty in a federal case alleging that he helped launder money for his father, who was convicted for his role in a corruption scandal that involved canceling fines for a hydroelectric dam in exchange for millions in bribes.

  • October 29, 2024

    Ex-ComEd GC Calls Madigan's Interest In Law Firm 'Strange'

    A Jenner & Block LLP attorney and former Commonwealth Edison general counsel testified Tuesday that he found it "strange" to read ex-Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan was interested in the granular details of the utility's negotiations with Chicago law firm Reyes Kurson. Madigan's counsel, however, appeared to suggest a confidant and co-defendant had name-dropped the speaker in 2016 without actually talking to him. 

  • October 29, 2024

    Ex-Cleveland Councilman Can't Cut 6-Year Fraud Sentence

    An Ohio federal judge will not allow a former Cleveland city councilman to get out of jail on compassionate release, ruling the ex-politician "has never demonstrated any remorse for his criminal conduct" and should serve the remainder of his six-year fraud sentence.

  • October 29, 2024

    NBCU Wants Trump's Immunity Arguments Broadcast

    NBCUniversal is asking the D.C. federal court to provide a live feed of the "historic oral argument" over whether Donald Trump is immune from prosecution on charges that he conspired to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

  • October 29, 2024

    Sham Getty Stock Offer Lands Investor 10-Month Prison Term

    A former Massachusetts corporate executive will serve 10 months in prison for launching a sham takeover bid for Seattle-based Getty Images Holdings to drive up its share price and make hundreds of thousands of dollars in profit, a Boston federal judge said Tuesday.

  • October 29, 2024

    Building Co. Cops To Worker Scheme Tied To Tax Fraud

    A truss building company pled guilty to conspiring to hide its employment of dozens of unauthorized workers from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security with a former employee, who admitted to filing false tax returns as part of the scheme, according to Florida federal court documents.

  • October 29, 2024

    Cannon Won't Recuse In Trump Shooting Suspect's Fla. Case

    U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon declined Tuesday to recuse herself from overseeing the case of a man charged with attempting to shoot former President Donald Trump, saying Trump's praise of her and reports that he would consider her for attorney general if elected are not enough to disqualify her.

  • October 29, 2024

    Mich. Top Court Won't Halt Ethics Claims Against Trump Allies

    Michigan's Supreme Court has refused to stop disciplinary proceedings against Sidney Powell and other lawyers who advanced former President Donald Trump's election fraud claims.

  • October 29, 2024

    Bannon Released From Prison As Election, NY Trial Loom

    Former President Donald Trump ally Steve Bannon was released from federal prison Tuesday after serving a four-month sentence for contempt of Congress, a week before Election Day and a month and a half ahead of his next criminal trial in New York.

  • October 29, 2024

    Pa. DA Says ATF's Pot Patients Ban Doesn't Fit With Bruen

    A Pennsylvania district attorney is urging a federal judge not to throw out his suit challenging a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives policy blocking medical cannabis patients from buying or owning firearms, saying the U.S. Supreme Court's recent precedent preempts the restriction.

  • October 29, 2024

    EBay, Ex-Execs Deny Fault For Harassment Of Bloggers

    Online retailer eBay and a group of former executives say a 2019 harassment campaign against a pair of Massachusetts bloggers was solely the work of rogue employees, urging a Massachusetts federal court to rule they're not liable over the episode.

  • October 29, 2024

    Oil Trader's Brother Gets Probation, Fine For Brazilian Bribes

    An ailing Connecticut man who admitted to helping his brother pull off a scheme to bribe officials at Brazil's state-owned oil company has been sentenced to probation, a fine and asset forfeiture, federal court records showed Tuesday.

  • October 29, 2024

    NJ Judge Exits Disbarred Atty's Suits Over Ties To State Bar

    A disbarred New Jersey civil rights attorney persuaded a New Jersey federal judge to recuse herself from cases he has pending before her due to the "slim, but conceivable chance" of an appearance of impropriety stemming in part from her time as president of the New Jersey State Bar Association.

  • October 29, 2024

    2nd Circ. Says FBI Agents Immune From Suit Over No-Fly List

    The Second Circuit on Tuesday upheld a lower court's decision finding immunity for FBI agents who were accused of placing four Muslim men on a no-fly database after they declined to become informants.

  • October 29, 2024

    Ex-Jones Day Litigator Joins Honigman In Detroit

    Honigman LLP has brought on a former Jones Day business and tort litigation associate as a business litigation practice group partner.

  • October 29, 2024

    Navy Reservist Gets 30 Months For Visa Letter Bribe Scheme

    A Navy reserve commander was sentenced to 30 months in prison after being convicted of taking bribes from Afghan nationals in exchange for recommendation letters for visa applications.

  • October 28, 2024

    Crypto Co. Operator Faces Money Laundering, Tax Charges

    Federal prosecutors accused an Indiana property owner of laundering the proceeds of a crypto money transmitter — AurumXchange — that they say should have been licensed and of failing to file tax returns despite realizing six figure gains from investing the proceeds.

  • October 28, 2024

    Ontrak Founder Can't Wipe Novel Insider Trading Verdict

    A California federal judge has upheld Ontrak founder Terren Peizer's first-of-its-kind insider trading conviction, holding that jurors had "more than enough evidence" to determine he based a $20 million share sale on nonpublic information that the health tech company was about to lose its biggest client.

Expert Analysis

  • DOJ Innovasis Settlement Offers Lessons On Self-Disclosure

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    The recent $12 million settlement with Innovasis and two of its executives demonstrates the U.S. Department of Justice's continued prioritization of Anti-Kickback Statute enforcement amid the growing circuit split over causation, and illustrates important nuances surrounding self-disclosure, say Denise Barnes and Scott Gallisdorfer at Bass Berry.

  • Opinion

    OFAC Sanctions Deserve To Be Challenged Post-Chevron

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's Loper Bright decision opens the door to challenges against the Office of Foreign Assets Control's sanctions regime, the unintended consequences of which raise serious questions about the wisdom of what appears to be a scorched-earth approach, says Solomon Shinerock at Lewis Baach.

  • Opinion

    After Jarkesy, IRS Must Course-Correct On Captive Insurance

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent Securities and Exchange Commission v. Jarkesy decision has profound implications for other agencies, including the IRS, which must stop ignoring due process and curtailing congressional intent in its policing of captive insurance arrangements, says Peter Dawson at the 831(b) Institute.

  • Congress Quietly Amends FEPA: What Cos. Should Do Now

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    Last week, Congress revised the Foreign Extortion Prevention Act — passed last year to criminalize demand-side foreign bribery — to address inconsistencies and better harmonize the law with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and companies should review their compliance programs accordingly, say Mark Mendelsohn and Benjamin Klein at Paul Weiss.

  • NYSE Delisting May Be The Cost Of FCPA Compliance

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    ABB’s recent decision to delist its U.S. depository receipts from the New York Stock Exchange, coupled with having settled three Foreign Corrupt Practices Act enforcement actions, begs the question of whether the cost of FCPA compliance should factor into a company's decision to remain listed in the U.S., says John Joy at FTI Law.

  • CFTC Action Highlights Necessity Of Whistleblower Carveouts

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    The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission's novel settlement with a trading firm over allegations of manipulating the market and failing to create contract carveouts for employees to freely communicate with investigators serves as a beacon for further enforcement activity from the CFTC and other regulators, say attorneys at Davis Wright.

  • Avoiding Legal Ethics Landmines In Preindictment Meetings

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    U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez's recent bribery conviction included obstruction charges based on his former lawyer's preindictment presentation to prosecutors, highlighting valuable lessons on the legal ethics rules implicated in these kinds of defense presentations, say Steve Miller and Hilary Gerzhoy at HWG.

  • Series

    Being A Luthier Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    When I’m not working as an appellate lawyer, I spend my spare time building guitars — a craft known as luthiery — which has helped to enhance the discipline, patience and resilience needed to write better briefs, says Rob Carty at Nichols Brar.

  • Lead Like 'Ted Lasso' By Embracing Cognitive Diversity

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    The Apple TV+ series “Ted Lasso” aptly illustrates how embracing cognitive diversity can be a winning strategy for teams, providing a useful lesson for law firms, which can benefit significantly from fresh, diverse perspectives and collaborative problem-solving, says Paul Manuele at PR Manuele Consulting.

  • 3 Areas Of Enforcement Risk Facing The EV Industry

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    Companies in the EV manufacturing ecosystem are experiencing a boom in business, but with this boom comes increased regulatory and enforcement risks, from the corruption issues that have historically pervaded the extractive sector to newer risks posed by artificial intelligence, say attorneys at MoFo.

  • Boeing Plea Deal Is A Mixed Bag, Providing Lessons For Cos.

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    The plea deal for conspiracy to defraud regulators that Boeing has tentatively agreed to will, on the one hand, probably help the company avoid further reputational damage, but also demonstrates to companies that deferred prosecution agreements have real teeth, and that noncompliance with DPA terms can be costly, says Edmund Vickers at Red Lion Chambers.

  • Justices' Criminal Law Decisions: The Term In Review

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    Each of the 11 criminal decisions issued in the U.S. Supreme Court’s recently concluded term is independently important, but taken together, they reveal trends in the court’s broader approach to criminal law, presenting both pitfalls and opportunities for defendants and their counsel, says Kenneth Notter at MoloLamken.

  • 25 Years Of OECD's Anti-Bribery Convention

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    Marking its 25th anniversary this year, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's anti-bribery convention has advanced legislative reforms and reshaped corporate conduct in dozens of countries amid the persistent challenges of uneven enforcement and political pressure, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • Challenging Prosecutors' Use Of Defendants' Jail Phone Calls

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    Although it’s an uphill battle under current case law, counsel for pretrial detainees may be able to challenge prosecutors’ use of jail-recorded phone calls between the defendant and their attorney by taking certain advance measures, say Jim McLoughlin and Fielding Huseth at Moore & Van Allen.

  • 3 Policyholder Tips After Calif. Ruling Denying D&O Coverage

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    A California decision from June, Practice Fusion v. Freedom Specialty Insurance, denying a company's claim seeking reimbursement under a directors and officers insurance policy for its settlement with the Justice Department, highlights the importance of coordinating coverage for all operational risks and the danger of broad exclusionary policy language, says Geoffrey Fehling at Hunton.

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