White Collar

  • October 09, 2024

    Disbarred Calif. Atty To Pay $14M Over Crypto Ponzi Scheme

    A disbarred California attorney has been ordered by a Nevada federal judge to pay nearly $14 million in restitution for his role in promoting a $9.5 million cryptocurrency Ponzi scheme.

  • October 09, 2024

    Feds Seek 16 Months For Ex-BigLaw Partner's Tax Dodging

    Prosecutors told a Wisconsin federal judge that a former Husch Blackwell LLP and Dykema Gossett PLLC partner who pled guilty to tax evasion should be sentenced to 16 months in prison, saying he lied to IRS revenue officers to keep them at bay while spending lavishly on private planes, jewelry and golf club memberships.

  • October 09, 2024

    Lead Test Maker Vows Compliance As $42M Deal Approved

    The general counsel of Magellan Diagnostics promised Wednesday that the medical device maker "will be better," as a Boston federal judge officially sentenced the company for hiding flaws in its lead-testing kits, signing off on a $42 million plea agreement.

  • October 09, 2024

    'Ghost' Florida Atty Left Long Trail Of Irked Judges, Clients

    A Florida lawyer accused in a state court suit of ignoring and defrauding dozens of clients who paid nonrefundable retainers has faced a series of similar allegations in federal court, drawing the ire of judges and opposing counsel.

  • October 08, 2024

    Ex-Girardi Keese CFO Inks Plea Deal Over Firm Embezzlement

    Girardi Keese's former Chief Financial Officer Christopher K. Kamon reached a plea agreement Tuesday with Los Angeles federal prosecutors, who allege he spearheaded a "side fraud" that bilked millions of dollars from the embattled law firm's accounts behind disbarred attorney Tom Girardi's back.

  • October 08, 2024

    PetroSaudi Says US Not Entitled To All Of $380M Award

    A PetroSaudi unit said it wants a California federal court to make clear that only 5% of funds should go to the Biden administration in a dispute over the proceeds of a nearly $380 million arbitral award allegedly tied to embezzled 1Malaysia Development Berhad funds.

  • October 08, 2024

    $424M Medicare Fraud Suspect Asks NJ Court To Modify Bail

    The lead suspect charged in a $424 million international telehealth fraud scheme has asked a New Jersey federal judge for more freedom while out on house arrest in Florida, requesting to attend religious services, go to a gym, have unmonitored communications with his counsel, and to work.

  • October 08, 2024

    Ex-Uber Exec's Actions Smell Like Cover-Up, 9th Circ. Judge Says

    A Ninth Circuit panel appeared skeptical Tuesday of Uber's ex-security chief's effort to overturn his convictions for obstructing an investigation into an Uber data breach, with one judge saying the defendant's abrupt changes to Uber's policies "does smell to me like a cover-up."

  • October 08, 2024

    Military Health Plans Deny They Were Overpaid On DOD Deal

    Five military healthcare plan providers have asked the Maine federal court to dismiss the U.S. Department of Justice's claims that they were overpaid for healthcare services, arguing they were paid exactly what they were owed under their fixed-price contracts.

  • October 08, 2024

    Dem Rep. Reintroduces Death Row Appeal Bill

    U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Ga., has announced that he is reintroducing a bill that would ensure inmates on death row would have the opportunity to present new evidence pointing to their innocence.

  • October 08, 2024

    Ropes & Gray Attys Chided For Wielding Excessive Footnotes

    A D.C. federal judge on Tuesday struck a summary judgment motion penned by Ropes & Gray LLP lawyers representing Vertex Pharmaceuticals in a challenge to the government's interpretation of the Anti-Kickback Statute, finding that the filing improperly employed "excessive" footnotes to circumvent page limitations.

  • October 08, 2024

    Ex-Cop Guilty Of Excessive Force After Officers Testify

    A federal jury in Indianapolis has convicted a former New Castle, Indiana, police officer of excessive force and witness tampering after a series of incidents in which prosecutors said he assaulted a suspect and two imprisoned persons, then lied to a state police detective.

  • October 08, 2024

    OneCoin Co-Conspirator Wants No Prison For Laundering Plea

    A business consultant and investor who pled guilty to laundering approximately $35 million as part of the global OneCoin cryptocurrency scam has asked a New York federal judge for a probationary sentence and a minimal fine, arguing that he had a minor role in the scheme compared to other defendants and has lived an otherwise law-abiding life.

  • October 08, 2024

    FTX's Ellison To Give Up 'Substantially All Of Her Assets'

    Former FTX insider Caroline Ellison agreed to give up "substantially all of her assets" and cooperate with the FTX bankruptcy estate in a deal to resolve the claims against her in an adversary proceeding that sought to recover hundreds of millions of dollars from the collapsed crypto exchange's former leadership.

  • October 08, 2024

    Neb. Officials Cast Doubt On Medical Pot Legalization Effort

    Nebraska state officials are alleging that signatures gathered by activists trying to put medical marijuana legalization on the ballot may be invalid because of purported irregularities and have asked a state judge to determine whether to void the legalization effort.

  • October 08, 2024

    Exporting Chips To China Doesn't Merit 7 Years, 9th Circ. Told

    Counsel for a former UCLA electrical engineering professor urged the Ninth Circuit on Tuesday to reduce his seven-year prison sentence for illegally exporting high-powered semiconductor chips to China, saying the conduct did not amount to an evasion of national security controls.

  • October 08, 2024

    Convicted Fla. Atty Suspended Over Theft In Court Clerk Post

    The Florida Supreme Court has suspended the law license of the onetime clerk of courts for Jefferson County after he was convicted of grand theft and sentenced to 18 months behind bars.

  • October 08, 2024

    Pa. Judge Misused COVID Funds To Pay Firm Staff, Feds Say

    A York County Common Pleas judge faces more than 30 federal counts, including fraud, witness tampering and obstruction of justice, over allegations of using federal unemployment benefits to pay staff members of his law office while they remained employed at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

  • October 08, 2024

    Calif. Tax Preparer Gets 6 Years For $28M Scheme

    The owner of a California tax preparation business who helped customers create sham companies was sentenced to six years in prison for a decadelong scheme that caused a tax loss of at least $28 million, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

  • October 08, 2024

    Mass. High Court Won't Loosen Bail Rules In Rape Cases

    Massachusetts' highest court ruled Tuesday that a provision in state law allowing judges to deny bail to defendants charged with crimes involving physical force applies to rape cases, rejecting an argument on behalf of an accused serial rapist seeking release from custody.

  • October 08, 2024

    Ex-FDNY Safety Chief Cops To Taking Bribes For Inspections

    A Staten Island firefighter who headed the New York City Fire Department's office tasked with fire prevention told a Manhattan federal judge on Tuesday he took thousands of dollars in exchange for speedier safety checks, pleading guilty to bribery conspiracy.

  • October 08, 2024

    Ex-Aide To NYC Mayor Charged With Witness Tampering

    Manhattan federal prosecutors on Tuesday charged a former aide to New York City Mayor Eric Adams with witness tampering and destroying evidence, alleging he told five witnesses to lie to FBI agents investigating his boss.

  • October 07, 2024

    9th Circ. Eyes 'Justiciability' Of Ex-Rabobank Exec's OCC Row

    A Ninth Circuit panel Monday signaled doubts about a former Rabobank executive's challenge to enforcement proceedings that the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency abruptly abandoned last year, flagging key mootness concerns while still expressing some unease with the agency's handling of the matter.

  • October 07, 2024

    Seinfeld-Inspired Investors Sue Bitwise Over $2M Crypto Losses

    A group of family-owned investment companies named after a gag from "Seinfeld" sued crypto asset manager Bitwise and its executives for allegedly duping them into staying invested in one of its funds as it sought a conversion to a less-preferable structure, causing them $1.9 million in losses.

  • October 07, 2024

    Activist Short Seller Blasts 'Preposterous' SEC Fraud Suit

    The founder of Citron Research, a newsletter for short sellers, has asked a California federal court to dismiss the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's fraud suit against him and his investment advisory firm, arguing the suit "strategically omits" the disclaimers it accused the founder of not making.

Expert Analysis

  • Money, Money, Money: Limiting White Collar Wealth Evidence

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    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.

  • How Associates Can Build A Professional Image

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    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.

  • Firms Must Rethink How They Train New Lawyers In AI Age

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    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.

  • Think Like A Lawyer: Always Be Closing

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    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.

  • Takeaways From Nat'l Security Division's Historic Declination

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    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.

  • Deciphering SEC Disgorgement 4 Years After Liu

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    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.

  • Wiretap Use In Cartel Probes Likely To Remain An Exception

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    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.

  • The OIG Report: DOD Review May Cause Contractor Dilemmas

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    Given a recent Office of Inspector General report finding that the U.S. Department of Defense awarded billions of dollars in contracts without performing the requisite financial responsibility reviews, contractors should prepare for a lengthier, more burdensome process and the possibility of re-review, says Diana Shaw at Wiley.

  • Playing The Odds: Criminal Charges Related To Sports Betting

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    In light of recent sports betting scandals involving MLB player Shohei Ohtani and NBA player Jontay Porter, institutions and individuals involved in athletics should be aware of and prepared to address the legal issues, including potential criminal charges, that sports gambling may bring to their door, say attorneys at Steptoe.

  • Series

    Playing Chess Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    There are many ways that chess skills translate directly into lawyer skills, but for me, the bigger career lessons go beyond the direct parallels — playing chess has shown me the value of seeing gradual improvement in and focusing deep concentration on a nonwork endeavor, says attorney Steven Fink.

  • Litigation Inspiration: Attys Can Be Heroic Like Olympians

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    Although litigation won’t earn anyone an Olympic medal in Paris this summer, it can be worthy of the same lasting honor if attorneys exercise focused restraint — seeking both their clients’ interests and those of the court — instead of merely pursuing every advantage short of sanctionable conduct, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.

  • Lean Into The 'Great Restoration' To Retain Legal Talent

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    As the “great resignation,” in which employees voluntarily left their jobs in droves, has largely dissipated, legal employers should now work toward the idea of a “great restoration,” adopting strategies to effectively hire, onboard and retain top legal talent, says Molly McGrath at Hiring & Empowering Solutions.

  • 9th Circ. Ruling Shows Lies Must Go To Nature Of Bargain

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    The Ninth Circuit’s recent U.S. v. Milheiser decision, vacating six mail fraud convictions, clarifies that the key question in federal fraud cases is not whether lies were told, but what they were told about — thus requiring defense counsel to rethink their strategies, say Charles Kreindler and Krista Landis at Sheppard Mullin.

  • How Cannabis Rescheduling May Alter Paraphernalia Imports

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    The Biden administration's recent proposal to loosen federal restrictions on marijuana use raises questions about how U.S. Customs and Border Protection enforcement policies may shift when it comes to enforcing a separate federal ban on marijuana accessory imports, says R. Kevin Williams at Clark Hill.

  • Opinion

    New Guidance On Guilty Plea Withdrawals Is Long Past Due

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    In light of the Sentencing Reform Act's 40th anniversary, adding a new section to the accompanying guidelines on the withdrawal of guilty pleas could remedy the lack of direction in this area and improve the regulation's effectiveness in promoting sentencing uniformity, say Mark H. Allenbaugh at SentencingStats.com and Alan Ellis at the Law Offices of Alan Ellis.

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