USA v. Giraudo et al

  1. May 08, 2018

    'Big 5' Investors Sentenced For Foreclosure Auction Rigging

    A California federal judge on Tuesday sentenced the so-called "Big Five," a group of real estate investors who rigged bids in Bay Area foreclosure auctions, handing out prison terms that were less than what prosecutors sought as he weighed personal stories against the need to deter crime.

  2. April 23, 2018

    Feds Want Prison For 5 Calif. Foreclosure Auction Riggers

    The U.S. Department of Justice wants up to three years' prison for five real estate investors who admitted to conspiring to rig bids in Bay Area foreclosure auctions, according to sentencing memorandums recently filed in California federal court.

  3. October 25, 2017

    Wiretapped Real Estate Investor Admits Guilt In Bid-Rigging

    The last of five real estate investors accused of bid-rigging foreclosure auctions tearfully pled guilty Wednesday to violating federal antitrust law, marking the end of a contentious court battle that included allegations the government's evidence relied on unconstitutional wiretaps.

  4. April 07, 2017

    Illegal Wiretaps Taint Foreclosure Bid-Rig Evidence, Court Told

    Five men charged with rigging foreclosure auctions asked a California federal court Thursday to suppress all evidence the U.S. Department of Justice collected after conducting wiretaps later found to be unconstitutional, saying the illegal recordings were intertwined with the rest of the investigation.

  5. February 17, 2017

    DOJ Must Hand Over Plea Docs In Foreclosure Bid-Rig Suit

    A California federal judge on Thursday ordered the U.S. Department of Justice to produce documents on plea negotiations in which the government played recordings obtained from wiretapping that was deemed unconstitutional in a case accusing five men of rigging bids at public foreclosure auctions.

  6. October 14, 2016

    Feds Drop Mail Fraud Charges In Calif. Bid-Rigging Case

    A California federal judge on Thursday granted the U.S. government's request to dismiss several claims of mail fraud against five men accused of conspiring to rig bids at real-estate foreclosure auctions in a case marked by disputes over the FBI's secret recording of courthouse conversations.

  7. August 01, 2016

    FBI's Courthouse Wiretapping Unconstitutional, Judge Rules

    A California federal judge on Monday said the federal government had "utterly failed" to justify the FBI's bugging of a courthouse to allegedly capture bid-rigging conversations at real-estate foreclosure auctions, and barred prosecutors from using recordings from the Fourth Amendment-violating eavesdropping as evidence.

  8. June 20, 2016

    FBI Fights Bid To Suppress Wiretaps In Bid-Rigging Case

    The FBI on Friday struck back against a bid to suppress wiretaps that allegedly captured bid-rigging conversations at real-estate foreclosure auctions, telling a California federal judge the audio recordings are legal because there's no expectation of privacy in public spaces where the potential to be overheard is ever-present.

  9. April 05, 2016

    Judge Slams DOJ Attys Arguing FBI's Courthouse Bugs Legal

    A California judge on Tuesday criticized federal prosecutors arguing to use FBI courthouse audio recordings of criminal defendants accused of rigging real estate foreclosure auctions, saying they were doing a better job supporting the defendants' claim that the FBI illegally bugged the building.