White Collar

  • November 21, 2024

    Phillips 66 Charged With Dumping Wastewater In LA County

    A federal grand jury has indicted Phillips 66 on charges of violating the Clean Water Act by illegally discharging hundreds of thousands of gallons of wastewater into the Los Angeles County sewer system without reporting the violations to authorities, the U.S. Justice Department announced Thursday.

  • November 21, 2024

    NBA Veteran Who Cooperated In $5M Fraud Case Avoids Jail

    A Manhattan federal judge on Thursday allowed former NBA center Melvin Ely to avoid prison for taking $36,000 of illegal payouts in pro basketball's $5 million health billing fraud ring, crediting his decision to cooperate in the sprawling criminal case.

  • November 21, 2024

    Experts Cool On 'Chill' Defense In NJ RICO Case

    Former prosecutors and academics are doubtful two of New Jersey's most politically connected attorneys can convince a judge that the racketeering case against them will have a chilling effect on lawyering, given that prosecutors only have to show they knew the end game of the notorious Democratic power broker they're accused of helping.

  • November 21, 2024

    Connecticut Politician Gets Probation In Ballot Fraud Case

    A former city councilor in Bridgeport, Connecticut, will serve probation for his role in a ballot fraud scheme that affected four elections from 2017 to 2018, prosecutors in his federal criminal case said Thursday.

  • November 21, 2024

    4th Circ. Tells Judge To Try Again After 'Vindictive' Sentence

    A federal judge has been given a third chance to impose a proper sentence on a man who pled guilty to a drug-trafficking conspiracy charge, with the Fourth Circuit finding the judge erred when, after the defendant successfully appealed his initial sentence, he handed down an even harsher one.

  • November 21, 2024

    SEC Chair Gensler To Step Down When Trump Takes Office

    U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Gary Gensler said Thursday that he will be leaving the agency on Jan. 20, clearing the way for new leadership under an incoming Trump administration that is expected to dismantle Gensler's climate disclosure regulation and open the SEC's door to more crypto-friendly policies.

  • November 21, 2024

    Gaetz Ends AG Bid, Citing 'Distraction' To Trump Transition

    Former U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration Thursday as President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for attorney general amid allegations of sexual misconduct and drug use.

  • November 20, 2024

    SEC Cooperators More Likely To See Pay Reprieve In 2024

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recent emphasis on cooperation seems to have paid off for both the agency and some of the entities it regulates, according to a report released Thursday, which found that more public companies entered into nonmonetary settlements with the SEC in fiscal year 2024 than in any year over the previous decade.

  • November 20, 2024

    Adani Group Chairman Charged In Sprawling Bribery Case

    Prosecutors unsealed a sprawling criminal indictment in New York federal court Wednesday, accusing Adani Group Chairman Gautam S. Adani and seven others of orchestrating a $250 million bribery scheme to secure lucrative Indian government renewable energy contracts, while misleading investors about the Adani Group subsidiary's dealings.

  • November 20, 2024

    5 Charged For 'Scattered Spider' Phishing Hacks, Crypto Theft

    California federal prosecutors unveiled a criminal case Wednesday accusing five alleged members of the "Scattered Spider" cybercrime group of using a phishing scheme to access the confidential data of media and technology companies and steal $11 million worth of cryptocurrency from digital wallets.

  • November 20, 2024

    'Fat Leonard' To Appeal 15-Year Sentence Over Navy Bribery

    A Malaysian defense contractor and ex-fugitive who pled guilty nearly 10 years ago to a bribery scheme that authorities said cost the U.S. Navy over $20 million has indicated in California federal court that he will appeal his 15-year sentence to the Ninth Circuit.

  • November 20, 2024

    US Called Upon To Lead Cross-Border Payment Overhaul

    A senior official with the U.S. Department of the Treasury has warned that wide adoption of a poorly designed, cross-border payment system could threaten international financial stability and economic security, advising the U.S. to take the lead in developing and governing such systems.

  • November 20, 2024

    Ex-Wells Fargo Adviser Admits To Stealing $3M From Clients

    A former Wells Fargo broker and investment adviser admitted on Wednesday to stealing more than $3 million from his clients and customers and using the money for, among other things, buying gold coins, New Jersey federal prosecutors said.

  • November 20, 2024

    11th Circ. Says No Coverage For Holding Co. In $11.7M Row

    The Eleventh Circuit unanimously affirmed Wednesday that an insurer doesn't have to cover underlying litigation against a holding company by investors who wanted to revoke an $11.7 million buy-in, because claims were made before the policy was active.

  • November 20, 2024

    DEA Accused Of Colluding With Reform Foes In Pot Row

    Cannabis reform advocates have alleged that the Drug Enforcement Administration "stacked the deck" by colluding with anti-legalization interests and giving them improper opportunities to participate in upcoming hearings on a proposal to loosen federal restrictions on the drug.

  • November 20, 2024

    Cross-Border Sales Were Unlawful Monopoly, Feds Say

    Prosecutors have urged a Texas federal judge to deny a dismissal bid from two people accused of using violence to monopolize cross-border sales of used cars, saying the individuals were not operating the lawful clerical service they claimed to be running.

  • November 20, 2024

    Wells Fargo Must Turn Over E-Docs In TelexFree Litigation

    A Massachusetts magistrate judge on Wednesday ordered Wells Fargo Advisors LLC to hand over electronic files maintained by a compliance manager who investigated potential misconduct by an employee handling accounts of TelexFree associates under investigation in a $3 billion Ponzi scheme.

  • November 20, 2024

    Insurance Mogul Seeks Transfer To Fla. Halfway House

    A billionaire businessman embroiled in a host of criminal and civil suits centered on his crumbling insurance empire wants to relocate to a halfway house in Florida as he awaits sentencing on federal bribery charges, saying restrictions at the county jail have hamstrung his ability to talk to his defense attorneys.

  • November 20, 2024

    Fla. Tax Preparer Gets 4 Years For Tax Fraud Scheme

    A barred Florida tax preparer was sentenced to four years in prison for falsifying returns to trigger inflated refunds for participants in a three-year tax fraud scheme called the "note program," the U.S. Department of Justice said Wednesday.

  • November 20, 2024

    Feds Want 1 Year In Prison For Accountant Who Hid $1.4M

    An accountant who hid $1.4 million from the IRS should be sentenced to at least a year in prison despite his stated mental health issues, the government told a Connecticut federal court, saying he seemed driven at least partly by greed and thought he wouldn't get caught.

  • November 20, 2024

    Trump Seeks Dismissal Of Central Park Five Defamation Suit

    President-elect Donald J. Trump has told a Pennsylvania federal judge that a lawsuit brought by the Central Park Five should be dismissed, calling their allegations that he defamed them with comments about their criminal case "meritless" and saying his statements are protected as public expression under the state's anti-SLAPP statute.

  • November 20, 2024

    Irish Social Democrats Run On Wealth Tax For Millionaires

    Ireland's Social Democrats are campaigning for this month's general election on a 0.5% tax on individuals' assets over €1 million ($1.1 million) — excluding homes, family businesses, art and pensions — and 1% for assets over €2 million, according to its manifesto.

  • November 20, 2024

    Girardi Pushes For New Trial Over Competency Claims

    Counsel for Tom Girardi told a federal judge the disbarred attorney is plainly mentally incompetent and deserves a new trial over charges he defrauded clients of $15 million worth of settlement money.

  • November 20, 2024

    NJ Power Broker, Attys Demand Wiretap Docs In RICO Case

    George E. Norcross III, a politically influential insurance executive in New Jersey, and others accused alongside him of a massive racketeering scheme demanded Wednesday that state prosecutors turn over complete wiretap application information dating back to 2016, arguing that those details form the core of the state's case against them.

  • November 20, 2024

    Archegos Founder Gets 18 Years For Massive Market Fraud

    Bill Hwang, the founder of collapsed hedge fund Archegos, was sentenced Wednesday to 18 years in prison after he was convicted of lying to banks in order to secure billions of dollars in loans used to manipulate the market.

Expert Analysis

  • Perspectives

    Protecting Survivor Privacy In High-Profile Sex Assault Cases

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    Multiple civil lawsuits filed against Sean "Diddy" Combs, with claims ranging from sexual assault and trafficking to violent physical beatings, provide important lessons for attorneys to take proactive measures to protect the survivor's anonymity and privacy, says Andrea Lewis at Searcy Denney.

  • How Attorneys Can Break Free From Career Enmeshment

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    Ambitious attorneys can sometimes experience career enmeshment — when your sense of self-worth becomes unhealthily tangled up in your legal vocation — but taking the time to discover and realign with your core personal values can help you recover your identity, says Janna Koretz at Azimuth Psychological.

  • A Look At Insurance Coverage For Government Investigations

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    Attorneys at Jenner & Block discuss the quirks and potential pitfalls of insurance coverage for government claims and investigations, including those likely to arise from the U.S. Department of Justice's recently announced whistleblower program.

  • Ex-Chicago Politician's Case May Further Curb Fraud Theories

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    The U.S. Supreme Court recently agreed to hear Thompson v. U.S. to determine whether a statement that is misleading but not false still violates federal law, potentially heralding the court’s largest check yet on prosecutors’ expansive fraud theories, with significant implications for sentencing, say attorneys at the Law Offices of Alan Ellis.

  • Lawyers With Disabilities Are Seeking Equity, Not Pity

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    Attorneys living with disabilities face extra challenges — including the need for special accommodations, the fear of stigmatization and the risk of being tokenized — but if given equitable opportunities, they can still rise to the top of their field, says Kate Reder Sheikh, a former attorney and legal recruiter at Major Lindsey & Africa.

  • New Export Control Guidance Raises The Stakes For Banks

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    Recent guidance from the Bureau of Industry and Security alerts banks that they could be liable for facilitating export control violations, the latest example of regulators articulating the expectation that both financial institutions and corporations serve as gatekeepers to mitigate crime and aid enforcement efforts, say attorneys at Freshfields.

  • Opinion

    Judicial Committee Best Venue For Litigation Funding Rules

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    The Advisory Committee on Civil Rules' recent decision to consider developing a rule for litigation funding disclosure is a welcome development, ensuring that the result will be the product of a thorough, inclusive and deliberative process that appropriately balances all interests, says Stewart Ackerly at Statera Capital.

  • The Strategic Advantages Of Appointing A Law Firm CEO

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    The impact on law firms of the recent CrowdStrike outage underscores that the business of law is no longer merely about providing supplemental support for legal practice — and helps explain why some law firms are appointing dedicated, full-time CEOs to navigate the challenges of the modern legal landscape, says Jennifer Johnson at Calibrate Strategies.

  • The Ups And Downs Of SEC's Now-Dissolved ESG Task Force

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's Climate and ESG Enforcement Task Force, which was quietly disbanded sometime over the summer, was marked by three years of resistance from some stakeholders to ESG regulation, a mixed record in the courts and several successful enforcement actions, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

  • 7 Tips To Help Your Witness Be A Cross-Exam Heavyweight

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    Because jurors tend to pay a little more attention to cross-examination, attorneys should train their witnesses to strike a balance — making it tough for opposing counsel to make their side’s case, without coming across as difficult to the jury, says Ken Broda-Bahm at Persuasion Strategies.

  • Series

    Beekeeping Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    The practice of patent law and beekeeping are not typically associated, but taking care of honeybees has enriched my legal practice by highlighting the importance of hands-on experience, continuous learning, mentorship and more, says David Longo at Oblon McClelland.

  • Understanding New ACH Network Anti-Fraud Rules

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    Many of the National Automated Clearing House Association’s recent amendments to ACH network risk management rules went into effect this month, so financial institutions and corporations must review and update their internal policies as needed, says Aisha Hall at Taft.

  • The OIG Report: Bad Timing For FEC To Be Underresourced

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    With less than two weeks to the election, the Federal Election Commission’s job has never been more urgent, but a report from its Office of the Inspector General earlier this year found that the agency is facing a resource squeeze that will only get worse without corrective action, says Diana Shaw at Wiley.

  • Anticipating Jarkesy's Effect On Bank Agency Enforcement

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    Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission v. Jarkesy, federal courts may eventually issue decisions on banking law principles and processes that could fundamentally alter the agencies' enforcement action framework, and the relationship between banks and examiners, says Brendan Clegg at Luse Gorman.

  • CFTC Anti-Fraud Blitz Is A Warning To Carbon Credit Sellers

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    With its recent enforcement actions against a carbon offset project developer and its senior executives for reporting false information about the energy savings of the company's projects, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission is staking out its position as a primary regulator in the voluntary carbon credit market, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

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