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White Collar
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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.
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August 01, 2024
Defendant Dead After Jumping From Denver Courthouse
Denver police were investigating a death Thursday at the Lindsey-Flanigan Courthouse after a criminal defendant jumped from one of the building's upper floors, leading to the court's temporary closure.
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August 01, 2024
Mass. Could Be New Front In The Battle Over Jury Trial Right
Following the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling granting defendants facing administrative civil penalties the right to a jury trial, experts say a similar challenge in Massachusetts is likely, but may not find as receptive a judicial audience.
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August 01, 2024
Schumer And Senate Dem Bill Would Reverse Trump Immunity
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and more than 30 of his Democratic colleagues introduced a bill on Thursday to undo the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling that former President Donald Trump has immunity for official acts.
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July 31, 2024
Barr Chided Again, This Time For 'Chaotic' Protest Response
The U.S. Department of Justice's watchdog has again criticized former Attorney General William Barr for his actions during the Trump administration, this time focusing on his "chaotic and disorganized" response to protests and civil unrest in 2020 following the murder of George Floyd, according to a report issued Wednesday.
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July 31, 2024
DOD Says 9/11 'Mastermind,' 2 Accomplices Reach Plea Deals
The man accused of planning the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and two of his accused accomplices have reached plea agreements in their military commission cases, the U.S. Department of Defense announced Wednesday.
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August 01, 2024
CORRECTED: Estonians Extradited In $575M Crypto Fraud Case Win Bail
A Washington federal judge has allowed two Estonian men to be released on bail backed by $5 million bonds after they were extradited to Seattle to face criminal charges that they operated cryptocurrency and money laundering schemes worth $575 million.
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July 31, 2024
Ayahuasca Church Can't Get $2.1M For Atty Fees
Attorneys for a Phoenix-based church won't get their fees increased or have any part of their pay covered by the government, an Arizona federal judge has ruled, saying the church is not the winning party in its suit against several federal agencies because the court "never placed its stamp of approval" on a deal that allows the church to use ayahuasca.
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July 31, 2024
Guo Judge Wants To Know If $26.5M Mansion Will Be Safe
A Connecticut bankruptcy judge has ordered an alleged shell company to explain whether it will stop funding a security detail at an uninsured $26.5 million New Jersey mansion that federal prosecutors and a Chapter 11 trustee are eyeing as an asset that could reimburse a Chinese exile's creditors and fraud victims.
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July 31, 2024
Calif. Bar Says Atty Can't End Billing Scandal's Hacking Claim
A San Fernando Valley attorney cannot escape an ethics charge alleging he plotted to hack the email and phone of a judge overseeing a public utility class action, the California Bar has told the State Bar Court, urging the court to reject the attorney's argument that merely "discussing plans" for a hack is not an offense.
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July 31, 2024
Trade Secrets Cases To Watch In 2024: A Midyear Report
A Virginia appellate court reversed a historic $2 billion trade secrets verdict in a closely watched case, and the Seventh Circuit emphasized that the federal trade secrets law applies to conduct abroad, expanding the damages landscape. Here are some of the most notable trade secrets cases to watch for the rest of 2024.
Expert Analysis
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Opinion
After Jarkesy, IRS Must Course-Correct On Captive Insurance
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.
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Congress Quietly Amends FEPA: What Cos. Should Do Now
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.
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NYSE Delisting May Be The Cost Of FCPA Compliance
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.
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CFTC Action Highlights Necessity Of Whistleblower Carveouts
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.
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Avoiding Legal Ethics Landmines In Preindictment Meetings
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.
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Series
Being A Luthier Makes Me A Better Lawyer
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.
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Lead Like 'Ted Lasso' By Embracing Cognitive Diversity
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.
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3 Areas Of Enforcement Risk Facing The EV Industry
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.
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Boeing Plea Deal Is A Mixed Bag, Providing Lessons For Cos.
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.
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Justices' Criminal Law Decisions: The Term In Review
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.
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25 Years Of OECD's Anti-Bribery Convention
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.
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Challenging Prosecutors' Use Of Defendants' Jail Phone Calls
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.
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3 Policyholder Tips After Calif. Ruling Denying D&O Coverage
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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Playing The Odds: Probing Sports Betting Allegations
With gambling-related controversies becoming a mainstay of the athletics landscape, it's essential for in-house and outside counsel to stay abreast of best practices for conducting sports betting investigations, say attorneys at Steptoe.
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Opinion
Now More Than Ever, Lawyers Must Exhibit Professionalism
As society becomes increasingly fractured and workplace incivility is on the rise, attorneys must champion professionalism and lead by example, demonstrating how lawyers can respectfully disagree without being disagreeable, says Edward Casmere at Norton Rose.