White Collar

  • January 21, 2025

    SEC Says 'Hotspot' Crypto Miners Broke Registration Laws

    Technology company Nova Labs Inc. faces U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission allegations that it attempted an "end-run" around federal securities laws with its unregistered sale of investment contracts in the form of its "hotspot" crypto asset mining devices.

  • January 21, 2025

    SEC Sues Ex-Investment Firm Reps, GC Over 'Sham' Energy Co.

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has accused former representatives of a wealth management firm of selling shares of a "sham" oil and gas company, and separately accused the firm's general counsel and chief compliance officer of playing an "active role" in the alleged misconduct by drawing up liability releases for the firm.

  • January 21, 2025

    SEC Says Engineering Prof To Pay $785K For Insider Trading

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Tuesday told a California federal court that an electrical engineering professor has agreed to pay about $785,000 to settle a lawsuit accusing him of improperly trading shares of a radio technology company at which he previously served as an advisory committee member.

  • January 21, 2025

    4th Circ. Won't Undo Doctor's Conviction For Reusing Devices

    A former North Carolina ear, nose and throat doctor staring down 25 years in prison for healthcare fraud lost an appeal Tuesday seeking to overturn her conviction, with the Fourth Circuit finding that the lower court did not commit any reversible error that would favor a shot at redemption.

  • January 21, 2025

    Block Hit With Shareholder Suit Over Cash App AML Protocols

    Jack Dorsey's fintech company Block Inc. touted its anti-money laundering protocols designed to prevent criminals from using Cash App and Square for illicit purposes, but in reality, the company's lack of even basic protocols created a "haven for criminal and illicit activities," a California federal lawsuit alleges.

  • January 21, 2025

    Calif. AG Warns 200 Landlords, Hotels About Price Gouging

    California Attorney General Rob Bonta has sent more than 200 warning letters to Southern California landlords and hotels accused of price gouging as fires ravaged communities in the Los Angeles area, according to an announcement made Friday.

  • January 21, 2025

    Colo. High Court Says Personal ID Theft Limited To People

    The Colorado Supreme Court on Tuesday threw out a charge of identity theft against a man convicted of running a fraudulent nursing class, saying that while parts of the state's identity theft statute can apply to businesses, the portion concerning personal identifying information applies only to individuals.

  • January 21, 2025

    Trump Names Interim Top Prosecutors In Manhattan, Brooklyn

    President Donald Trump named two high-ranking prosecutors to be interim U.S. attorneys in the Southern and Eastern districts of New York while his long-term picks for the posts await Senate confirmation, spokespeople for the offices confirmed Tuesday.

  • January 21, 2025

    Biden Commutes Sentence For Native Activist Leonard Peltier

    In one of his final acts as president, Joe Biden commuted the life sentence of Native American activist Leonard Peltier after decades of calls from figures such as Pope Francis, Mother Teresa, Nelson Mandela, the Dalai Lama and Coretta Scott King.

  • January 21, 2025

    Trump Installs New Prisons Chief, Revives Private Facilities

    President Donald Trump made sweeping changes to the criminal justice system in his first hours in office, including replacing the Federal Bureau of Prisons director brought in under the Biden administration and ending former President Joe Biden's plan to phase out privately run federal prisons.

  • January 21, 2025

    Crypto Firm To Plead Guilty In Market Manipulation Case

    A financial services firm based in the United Arab Emirates has agreed to plead guilty to a fraudulent "wash trading" scheme and will stop working in the U.S. cryptocurrency industry as part of a deal announced Tuesday by Boston federal prosecutors.

  • January 21, 2025

    Ex-Cannabis Exec Hit With Insider Trading Charges

    A former executive of cannabis giant Verano Holdings and friends from his country club have been hit with both criminal charges and a civil lawsuit for insider trading, with the government alleging they bought stock in a rival cannabis company Verano had planned to acquire based on nonpublic information.

  • January 21, 2025

    Trump Taps Pot Legalization Opponent As Acting DEA Head

    A stalled effort to loosen federal restrictions on marijuana will be overseen, at least temporarily, by a former U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agent who has previously spoken out against marijuana reform and specifically criticized the former administration's bid to recategorize the drug.

  • January 21, 2025

    4 Of 8 From Alleged Bronx Beer Heist Squad In Plea Talks

    The leader of an eight-man crew accused of carrying out a brazen scheme to steal Mexican beer from trains and resell it in the Bronx is in plea talks along with three co-defendants, a New York federal judge heard Tuesday.

  • January 21, 2025

    SDNY Prosecutor Returns To Debevoise In San Francisco

    Debevoise & Plimpton LLP announced the return of one of its litigators Tuesday after eight and a half years with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, most recently as deputy chief of the Criminal Division.

  • January 21, 2025

    Bondi Pledges To Consult DOJ Ethics Team On Trump Matters

    Following last week's hearing for President Donald Trump's attorney general nominee, Democrats further questioned Pam Bondi on how she would maintain independence from Trump due to her past relationships with him.

  • January 21, 2025

    Trump 2020 Electors, Criminally Charged, Can't Stop Civil Suit

    A state appellate panel said a civil lawsuit could proceed against Michigan Republicans who allegedly participated in a "false elector" plot in 2020, finding a judge did not abuse her discretion by refusing to stay the case for related criminal proceedings.

  • January 21, 2025

    Victors In Landmark Graft Case Want 2nd Top Court Review

    The defendants who won a landmark 2023 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that narrowed certain types of corruption prosecutions have asked the justices to intervene in their case again, claiming the Second Circuit had wrongly allowed the government to pursue new trials based on a different theory of fraud.

  • January 21, 2025

    BakerHostetler Adds Ex-ATF Director For 3rd Stint With Firm

    BakerHostetler is bringing back the recently departed head of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives as a partner in its litigation practice group in Cleveland and Washington, D.C., the firm announced Tuesday.

  • January 21, 2025

    Troutman Adds Former Ga. Middle District US Atty In Atlanta

    Troutman Pepper Locke LLP has expanded its white collar litigation and investigations practice in Atlanta with the addition of the former U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Georgia, making him the second former U.S. attorney for the district to join the firm since 2021.

  • January 21, 2025

    Weil Adds SEC's Asset Management Co-Chief To NY Group

    A more-than 12-year veteran of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, who most recently co-led the agency's Asset Management Unit, is joining Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP as the firm continues adding former regulators to begin the new year.

  • January 21, 2025

    Ga. US Atty's Offices Tap Acting Chiefs

    With the resignations this month of the top United States attorneys in Georgia, the Justice Department has announced their top deputies will step up to lead the offices of the Peach State's three judicial districts.

  • January 21, 2025

    Former DOJ Antitrust Leader Joins Cravath From Paul Weiss

    The former co-chair of Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison LLP's antitrust practice group, who previously served as the ranking deputy at the U.S. Department of Justice's Antitrust Division, has joined Cravath Swaine & Moore LLP as a New York-based litigation partner. 

  • January 21, 2025

    Trump Eyes Mass. Federal Prosecutor For US Atty In Boston

    President Donald Trump plans to nominate Leah Foley to be Massachusetts' next U.S. attorney, elevating a longtime prosecutor in the office to the top spot after she had sought the job during Trump's first administration, Law360 has learned.

  • January 21, 2025

    Sex-Shaming Murder Conviction To Be Reviewed

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday revived claims from a woman on death row in Oklahoma that prosecutors unfairly sex-shamed her and relied on gender-based stereotypes to convince a jury that she had killed her estranged husband for insurance money.

Expert Analysis

  • Vertex Suit Highlights Issues For Pharma Fertility Support

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    Vertex Pharmaceuticals' recent lawsuit challenging the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' interpretation of the Anti-Kickback Statute is influenced by a number of reproductive rights and health equity issues that the Office of Inspector General should address more concretely, including in vitro fertilization and fertility preservation programs, says Mary Kohler at Kohler Health Law.

  • 5 Lessons From Consulting Firm's Successful DOJ Disclosure

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    The Boston Consulting Group recently received a rare declination of prosecution from the U.S. Department of Justice after self-disclosing a foreign bribery scheme, and the firm’s series of savvy steps after discovering the misconduct provides useful data points for white collar defense attorneys, says Jonathan Porter at Husch Blackwell.

  • 5 Credibility Lessons Trial Attys Can Learn From Harris' Run

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    In launching a late-stage campaign for president, Vice President Kamala Harris must seize upon fresh attention from voters to establish, or reestablish, credibility — a challenge that parallels and provides takeaways for trial attorneys, says Ken Broda-Bahm at Persuasion Strategies.

  • 7 Takeaways For Investment Advisers From FinCEN AML Rule

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    With a new FinCEN rule that will require covered investment advisers to implement anti-money laundering programs and comply with extra recordkeeping requirements by 2026, companies should begin planning necessary updates to their policies and procedures by focusing on seven of the rule’s key requirements, identified by attorneys at Simpson Thacher.

  • A Look At UK, EU And US Cartel Enforcement Trends

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    The European Union, U.K. and U.S. competition agencies' recently issued joint statement on competition risks in generative artificial intelligence demonstrates increased cross-border collaboration on cartel investigations, meaning companies facing investigations in one jurisdiction should anticipate related investigations in other jurisdictions, say lawyers at Latham & Watkins.

  • Navigating A Potpourri Of Possible Transparency Act Pitfalls

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    Despite the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network's continued release of guidance for complying with the Corporate Transparency Act, its interpretation remains in flux, making it important for companies to understand potentially problematic areas of ambiguity in the practical application of the law, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • A Preview Of AI Priorities Under The Next President

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    For the first time in a presidential election, both of the leading candidates and their parties have been vocal about artificial intelligence policy, offering clues on the future of regulation as AI continues to advance and congressional action continues to stall, say attorneys at Mintz.

  • How Companies Are Approaching Insider Trading Policies

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    An analysis of insider trading policies recently disclosed by 49 S&P 500 companies under a new U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission rule reveals that while specific provisions vary from company to company, certain common themes are emerging, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.

  • How Methods Are Evolving In Textualist Interpretations

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    Textualists at the U.S. Supreme Court are increasingly considering new methods such as corpus linguistics and surveys to evaluate what a statute's text communicates to an ordinary reader, while lower courts even mull large language models like ChatGPT as supplements, says Kevin Tobia at Georgetown Law.

  • 5 Ways To Confront Courtroom Technology Challenges

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    Recent cybersecurity incidents highlight the vulnerabilities of our reliance on digital infrastructure, meaning attorneys must be prepared to navigate technological obstacles inside the courtroom, including those related to data security, presentation hardware, video playback and more, says Adam Bloomberg at IMS Legal Strategies.

  • ESA Ruling May Jeopardize Gulf Of Mexico Drilling Operations

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    A Maryland federal court's recent decision in Sierra Club v. National Marine Fisheries Service, vacating key Endangered Species Act analyses of oil and gas operations in the Gulf of Mexico, may create a gap in guidance that could expose operators to enforcement risk and even criminal liability, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • Navigating New Enforcement Scrutiny Of 'AI Washing'

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recent lawsuit against Joonko Diversity, its first public AI-focused enforcement action against a private company, underscores the importance of applying the same internal legal and compliance rigor to AI-related claims as other market-facing statements, say attorneys at Fried Frank.

  • Avoiding Corporate Political Activity Pitfalls This Election Year

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    As Election Day approaches, corporate counsel should be mindful of the complicated rules around companies engaging in political activities, including super PAC contributions, pay-to-play prohibitions and foreign agent restrictions, say attorneys at Covington.

  • Why Attorneys Should Consider Community Leadership Roles

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    Volunteering and nonprofit board service are complementary to, but distinct from, traditional pro bono work, and taking on these community leadership roles can produce dividends for lawyers, their firms and the nonprofit causes they support, says Katie Beacham at Kilpatrick.

  • 'Pig Butchering': The Scam That Exploits Crypto Confusion

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    Certain red flags can tip off banks to possible "pig-butchering," and with the scam's increasing popularity, financial institutions need to take action to monitor entry points into the crypto space, detect suspicious activity and provide a necessary backstop to protect customers, say Brandon Essig and Mary Parrish McCracken at Lightfoot Franklin.

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