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White Collar
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August 02, 2024
HFZ Capital Cops To $86M Fraud Charges, Blames Ex-Chief
Defunct real estate firm HFZ Capital Group pled guilty in an $86 million criminal case Friday, admitting that its former top executive Nir Meir evaded New York City property taxes and stole funds from commercial and residential building projects.
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August 02, 2024
2nd Circ. OKs 33 Months For Ex-DOJ Paralegal's Video Leaks
In an unpublished opinion Friday, the Second Circuit upheld a former U.S. Department of Justice paralegal's 33-month sentence for helping her gang-affiliated son expose two associates who cooperated with a law enforcement probe into a 2018 robbery.
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August 02, 2024
Fla. Atty Cops To Attempted DC Bombing, Explosion In Texas
A Florida criminal defense attorney pled guilty on Friday to federal charges stemming from an attempted bombing outside the Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C., in 2023 and the bombing of a satirical sculpture of communist leaders in San Antonio, Texas, in 2022.
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August 02, 2024
Cognizant Bribery Trial Delayed Again — Until 2025
Trial in a five-year-old case alleging two former Cognizant executives authorized a bribe to a government official in India has been delayed again, this time by six months, so prosecutors can complete necessary depositions in that country, according to a federal court order handed down Friday.
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August 02, 2024
Mich. Judge DQ'd Over 'Disdain' Of Ineffective-Counsel Claims
A Michigan state judge showed bias in favoring a criminal defendant's trial counsel who had previously clerked for the court, a state appeals court found Thursday, disqualifying the judge from presiding over the defendant's ineffective-assistance of counsel hearing.
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August 02, 2024
St. Louis Attys Can't Get Acquittal In $4M Tax Avoidance Case
Two Missouri-based attorneys, a father and daughter duo found guilty of participating in a $4 million tax avoidance scheme, will not be granted a new trial or an acquittal, despite their assertions that a number of errors tainted their trial, a North Carolina federal judge ruled Friday.
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August 02, 2024
Manhattan DA Slams Trump's 'Regurgitated' Recusal Bid
The Manhattan district attorney pilloried Donald Trump's renewed request for the judge overseeing his hush money case to recuse himself, branding it a "regurgitated" attempt to rehash issues the court already decided without any new facts — besides Kamala Harris' presidential bid.
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August 02, 2024
Sister-In-Law Ordered To Testify In Hunter Biden Tax Case
A California federal judge ordered Hunter Biden's sister-in-law, with whom he was romantically involved, and her sister to testify at his upcoming criminal trial in which he is accused of scheming to avoid paying $1.4 million in taxes.
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August 02, 2024
Judge Snuffs Out Collectibles Exec's Bid For New Fraud Trial
A New York federal judge has spurned the efforts of a collectibles entrepreneur convicted of fraud to get a new trial, saying notes the defendant believes would have swayed the outcome are not as important as he thinks and probably inadmissible.
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August 02, 2024
Alec Baldwin's Prosecution Ripped In 'Rust' Order
A New Mexico judge who dismissed the "Rust" shooting case against Alec Baldwin has issued a scathing order finding that the lead prosecutor "intentionally and deliberately" withheld evidence from the defense, gave "inconsistent" testimony during an evidentiary hearing and elicited false testimony from a witness.
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August 02, 2024
3 Real Estate Investors Cop To $119M Mortgage Fraud Scheme
A trio of real estate investors has admitted to running an extensive, multiyear conspiracy to defraud Fannie Mae by getting the company to purchase or fund $119 million worth of mortgage loans so they could acquire residential and commercial properties, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Thursday.
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August 01, 2024
Avantor Will Pay $5M To Settle FCA Claims Against Subsidiary
Biotech company Avantor Inc. has agreed to shell out $5 million to resolve allegations its laboratory supplies subsidiary VWR International overcharged federal agencies for goods despite agreeing to give discounts, a federal prosecutor announced on Thursday.
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August 01, 2024
GPB Capital Execs Convicted Of Fraud For $1.8B Scheme
A New York federal jury on Thursday convicted former GPB Capital executives of wire and securities fraud charges stemming from allegations they ran the private equity fund like a $1.8 billion Ponzi scheme, according to an announcement from the U.S. Department of Justice.
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August 01, 2024
SEC Wants Win In Suit Over Ex-Morgan Stanley Rep's Scam
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has asked a North Carolina federal judge for a win in a lawsuit against an ex-Morgan Stanley representative serving time for running a $4.8 million Ponzi scheme, arguing summary judgment is proper given the seven-year prison sentence and penalties issued against the defendant in the parallel criminal case.
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August 01, 2024
Ex-Philly Union Leaders On The Hook For Union's Legal Fees
Former Philadelphia union leader and convicted felon John "Johnny Doc" Dougherty will have to pay 90% of the attorney fees that the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 98 incurred while participating in the government's public corruption and embezzlement cases against him, a federal judge said Thursday.
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August 01, 2024
DOJ Unveils Whistleblower Pilot, But Garners Atty Criticism
The U.S. Department of Justice on Thursday officially launched its pilot program to reward whistleblowers who alert prosecutors to significant corporate misconduct, although some whistleblower attorneys decried the program's award caps and what they described as its lack of enforceability.
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August 01, 2024
BNY's Pershing Hit With $1.4M FINRA Recordkeeping Fine
BNY subsidiary Pershing will pay the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority a $1.4 million fine to resolve claims that it misstated interest rates for variable rate securities on millions of account statements for more than 12 years.
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August 01, 2024
Montenegro Court Affirms Kwon's Extradition To South Korea
Terraform Labs founder Do Kwon is set to face criminal charges over the crypto project's collapse in South Korea after the Appellate Court of Montenegro on Thursday upheld a lower court's decision to refuse an extradition request from the U.S.
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August 01, 2024
Chancery Denies Ex-InterMune CEO $6M Legal Fee Right
Delaware's Chancery Court rejected on Thursday a bid by former InterMune CEO W. Scott Harkonen to escape demands to repay nearly $6 million in legal fees covered by biotech venture InterMune Inc. and insurers during his unsuccessful defense against a 2009 wire fraud conviction, denying all claims for legal fee indemnification.
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August 01, 2024
Prisoner Swap Includes Russian Convicted Of Insider Trading
A Kremlin-linked Russian national serving nine years for the largest insider trading case ever prosecuted in the U.S. was among the 24 people freed Thursday in an elaborate prisoner swap that included American journalist Evan Gershkovich and former Marine Paul Whelan.
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August 01, 2024
Manhattan DA Charges Crypto Recovery Biz Owner With Fraud
Manhattan prosecutors announced fraud and larceny charges on Thursday against the New York owner of a purported asset recovery business that allegedly charged customers fees while making false promises to recover cryptocurrencies.
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August 01, 2024
Texas AG Paxton Promotes Deputies From Strategy, Appeals
The Texas Office of the Attorney General announced a series of promotions Thursday, appointing Ralph Molina as deputy first assistant attorney general, Joseph Mazzara as special counsel to the attorney general and to the first assistant attorney general, Ryan Baasch as associate deputy attorney general for civil litigation and Amy Hilton as chief of the Healthcare Program Enforcement Division.
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August 01, 2024
Feds Urge Against Steve Bannon's En Banc Rehearing Bid
The federal government is urging the D.C. Circuit not to revisit its long-standing precedent on the meaning of the contempt of Congress law as former Donald Trump aide Steve Bannon looks to undo his conviction under the statute.
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August 01, 2024
Former NC Paralegal Gets 30 Months For $2M Embezzlement
A former paralegal was sentenced to two and a half years in prison on Thursday for embezzling more than $2 million from the clients of a North Carolina law firm, with a federal judge agreeing to reduce the government's recommended 41-month prison sentence.
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August 01, 2024
NY Appeals Court Upholds Trump Gag Order
A New York appeals court on Thursday rejected Donald Trump's bid to strike down a gag order that bars him from threatening court and district attorney staff in his criminal hush money case ahead of his scheduled sentencing next month, as the former president renewed his bid to vacate his conviction following the U.S. Supreme Court's immunity ruling.
Expert Analysis
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Del. Bankruptcy Ruling Will Give D&O Insureds Nightmares
In Henrich v. XL Specialty Insurance, the Delaware Bankruptcy Court recently found that a never-served qui tam claim had been "brought" before a D&O policy's retroactive date, thereby eliminating coverage, and creating a nightmare scenario for directors and officers policyholders facing whistleblower claims, says David Klein at Pillsbury.
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Prejudicial Evidence Takeaways From Trump Hush Money Trial
The Manhattan District Attorney's Office's prosecution and conviction of former President Donald Trump on 34 felony counts provides a lesson on whether evidence may cause substantial unfair prejudice, or if its prejudicial potential is perfectly fair within the bounds of the law, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.
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Lower Courts May Finally Be Getting The Memo After Ciminelli
A year after the U.S. Supreme Court again limited prosecutors' overbroad theories of fraud in Ciminelli v. U.S., early returns suggest that the message has at least partially landed with the lower courts, spotlighting lessons for defense counsel moving forward, says Kenneth Notter at MoloLamken.
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After A Brief Hiccup, The 'Rocket Docket' Soars Back To No. 1
The Eastern District of Virginia’s precipitous 2022 fall from its storied rocket docket status appears to have been a temporary aberration, as recent statistics reveal that the court is once again back on top as the fastest federal civil trial court in the nation, says Robert Tata at Hunton.
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A Framework For Investigating Commercial Loan Fraud
As commercial loan transactions are increasingly subject to sophisticated fraud schemes, lenders must adopt dynamic strategies to detect, investigate and mitigate these schemes, say attorneys at Baker Donelson.
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Recruitment Trends In Emerging Law Firm Frontiers
BigLaw firms are facing local recruitment challenges as they increasingly establish offices in cities outside of the major legal hubs, requiring them to weigh various strategies for attracting talent that present different risks and benefits, says Tom Hanlon at Buchanan Law.
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Series
Glassblowing Makes Me A Better Lawyer
I never expected that glassblowing would strongly influence my work as an attorney, but it has taught me the importance of building a solid foundation for your work, learning from others and committing to a lifetime of practice, says Margaret House at Kalijarvi Chuzi.
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3 Surprising Deposition Dangers Attorneys Must Heed
Attorneys often do not think of discovery as a particularly risky phase of litigation, but counsel must closely heed some surprisingly strict and frequently overlooked requirements before, during and after depositions that can lead to draconian consequences, says Nate Sabri at Perkins Coie.
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Money, Money, Money: Limiting White Collar Wealth Evidence
As courts increasingly recognize that allowing unfettered evidence of wealth could prejudice a jury against a defendant, white collar defense counsel should consider several avenues for excluding visual evidence of a lavish lifestyle at trial, says Jonathan Porter at Husch Blackwell.
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How Associates Can Build A Professional Image
As hybrid work arrangements become the norm in the legal industry, early-career attorneys must be proactive in building and maintaining a professional presence in both physical and digital settings, ensuring that their image aligns with their long-term career goals, say Lana Manganiello at Equinox Strategy Partners and Estelle Winsett at Estelle Winsett Professional Image Consulting.
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Firms Must Rethink How They Train New Lawyers In AI Age
As law firms begin to use generative artificial intelligence to complete lower-level legal tasks, they’ll need to consider new ways to train summer associates and early-career attorneys, keeping in mind the five stages of skill acquisition, says Liisa Thomas at Sheppard Mullin.
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Think Like A Lawyer: Always Be Closing
When a lawyer presents their case with the right propulsive structure throughout trial, there is little need for further argument after the close of evidence — and in fact, rehashing it all may test jurors’ patience — so attorneys should consider other strategies for closing arguments, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.
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Takeaways From Nat'l Security Division's Historic Declination
The Justice Department National Security Division's recent decision not to prosecute a biochemical company for an employee's export control violation marks its first declination under a new corporate enforcement policy, sending a clear message to companies that self-disclosure of misconduct may confer material benefits, say attorneys at Perkins Coie.
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Deciphering SEC Disgorgement 4 Years After Liu
Since the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2020 decision in Liu v. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to preserve SEC disgorgement with limits, courts have continued to rule largely in the agency’s favor, but a recent circuit split over the National Defense Authorization Act's import may create hurdles for the SEC, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.
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Wiretap Use In Cartel Probes Likely To Remain An Exception
Although the U.S. Department of Justice's Antitrust Division has recently signaled interest in wiretaps, the use of this technology to capture evidence of antitrust conspiracies and pursue monopolization as a criminal matter has been rare historically, and is likely to remain so, say Carsten Reichel and Will Conway at DLA Piper.