White Collar

  • October 30, 2024

    Ex-Takeda Exec. Gets Nearly 4 Years For Fake Invoice Scam

    A former Takeda Pharmaceuticals executive was sentenced Wednesday to 46 months in prison for stealing millions from the drug company through a fake invoice scam that a Boston federal judge characterized as "utterly unnecessary and pointless" and carried out for no other reason than to fund a luxurious lifestyle.

  • October 30, 2024

    Jury Finds Importer Didn't Report $17M On Tax Returns

    A Los Angeles jury found an importer of Chinese clothing guilty of skirting more than $8 million in customs duties and failing to report more than $17 million in cash transactions on tax returns, federal prosecutors in California announced Wednesday.

  • October 30, 2024

    Crypto Platform Founder Pleads Guilty To Illegal Wash Trading

    The founder of cryptocurrency market-making platform MyTrade pled guilty in Massachusetts federal court Wednesday to orchestrating millions of dollars worth of daily wash trades to illegally inflate the prices of digital tokens.

  • October 30, 2024

    Mich. Justices To Mull Reviving Diminished Capacity Defense

    Michigan's highest court announced Wednesday that it will hold arguments in a case that could reinstate the diminished mental capacity defense in the Great Lakes State.

  • October 30, 2024

    Animal Med Distributor To Pay $1.1M For Lax Opioid Oversight

    Veterinary supplier Covetrus North America will pay $1.125 million to settle allegations that it ignored warning flags on 35 suspicious orders of opioids from a Cape Cod veterinarian's practice and shipped the drugs anyway, the Massachusetts U.S. Attorney's Office announced Wednesday.

  • October 30, 2024

    North Carolina Attorney General Race: 4 Things To Know

    A defamation lawsuit is just the latest clash in the contentious race to become North Carolina's attorney general, a contest that's already drawn the spotlight on one candidate's TikTok use and his opponent's denial of the results of the 2020 election.

  • October 30, 2024

    NY Construction Exec Avoids Jail For Commercial Bribery

    A construction executive dodged jail time Wednesday after pleading guilty in New York state court to his role in a sprawling bribery scheme involving $100 million in contracts linked to New York high-rise buildings.

  • October 30, 2024

    BCLP Adds Ex-Seattle Mayor, US Atty As US White Collar Head

    After a short break focused on pro bono work and chairing a Washington State Bar Association task force on emerging technologies and the practice of law, former Seattle mayor Jenny A. Durkan is returning to private practice at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP.

  • October 30, 2024

    FTX Witness Who Saw Bankman-Fried's 'Evil' Avoids Prison

    A Manhattan federal judge allowed FTX's former chief engineer to avoid prison Wednesday, crediting his trial testimony against the crypto exchange's founder Sam Bankman-Fried, his ongoing cooperation and his relatively small role in the $11.2 billion fraud.

  • October 30, 2024

    Ohio Justices Say Attorney In Prison Should Not Be Disbarred

    The Ohio Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that an attorney in federal prison for his participation in a tax fraud scheme should not be disbarred, and should have a chance to reapply for his law license in the future

  • October 30, 2024

    Gibson Dunn Lands Trump Impeachment Prosecutor, 4 Others

    Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP announced Wednesday that it had hired away former President Donald Trump's impeachment prosecutor from Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP to co-chair its global litigation practice group in New York, as well as four other former federal prosecutors from that firm.

  • October 30, 2024

    Anadarko Seeks Win In Kickback Defense Coverage Suit

    Anadarko Petroleum Corp. urged a Texas federal court to hand it an early win in its suit seeking defense and indemnity from an environmental remediation company in a decade-old Louisiana kickback lawsuit.

  • October 29, 2024

    Ex-Texas Prosecutor Gets 3 Years For Extortion

    A Texas federal judge sentenced a former elected Starr County, Texas, prosecutor to more than three years behind bars after he pled guilty to accepting tens of thousands of dollars in bribes in exchange for dropping charges in criminal cases, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Tuesday.

  • October 29, 2024

    Alameda Research Wants Crypto Exchange To Return $50M

    Alameda Research, the crypto trading affiliate of the bankrupt FTX digital asset empire, has sued the operators of KuCoin cryptocurrency exchange in Delaware bankruptcy court seeking the return of $50 million of assets that continue to be held on the platform despite the debtors' requests.

  • October 29, 2024

    Wells Fargo Fights To Ax Suit Over Identify Fraud Accounts

    Wells Fargo urged a California federal judge Tuesday to toss a proposed class action accusing the bank of violating the Fair Credit Report Act by accessing consumers' credit reports after fraudsters applied to open accounts with stolen information, saying Wells Fargo followed industry standards and the alleged damages are "conclusory."

  • October 29, 2024

    BofA Faces Scrutiny Of AML Program, Zelle Payment Handling

    Bank of America Corp. disclosed Tuesday that its anti-money laundering program is a focus of ongoing "discussions" with federal regulators and said it is mulling litigation with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau over a potential enforcement action related to digital payment network Zelle.

  • October 29, 2024

    'Breathtaking' Pentagon Leak Merits 16 Years, Feds Say

    Prosecutors urged a federal judge on Tuesday to sentence a former Massachusetts Air National Guardsman to more than 16 years in prison for posting top secret military documents to the social media platform Discord, calling the crimes a historic and "breathtaking" betrayal of national security.

  • October 29, 2024

    Ex-US Attorney Already Prepping To Be The Next Denver DA

    A former Colorado U.S. attorney and longtime civil litigator said running for the open Denver district attorney seat was a natural next step, as he prepares to lead an office with fewer resources than either of his past positions.

  • October 29, 2024

    NY Judge Says Law Sealing Illicit Pot Shops Unconstitutional

    A New York state judge ruled Tuesday that a newly enacted New York City law empowering municipal officials to shut down stores selling unlicensed marijuana products is unconstitutional.

  • October 29, 2024

    NYC Mayoral Straw Donor Scheme Sees Another Guilty Plea

    A bookkeeper enmeshed in a straw donor scheme to benefit New York City Mayor Eric Adams' 2021 campaign copped to a violation on Tuesday as part of a deal with the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, effectively closing out the case.

  • October 29, 2024

    Fla. Banker Agrees To Change Plea In Money Laundering Case

    A Miami banker who is the son of Ecuador's ex-comptroller on Tuesday agreed to change his plea to guilty in a federal case alleging that he helped launder money for his father, who was convicted for his role in a corruption scandal that involved canceling fines for a hydroelectric dam in exchange for millions in bribes.

  • October 29, 2024

    Ex-ComEd GC Calls Madigan's Interest In Law Firm 'Strange'

    A Jenner & Block LLP attorney and former Commonwealth Edison general counsel testified Tuesday that he found it "strange" to read ex-Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan was interested in the granular details of the utility's negotiations with Chicago law firm Reyes Kurson. Madigan's counsel, however, appeared to suggest a confidant and co-defendant had name-dropped the speaker in 2016 without actually talking to him. 

  • October 29, 2024

    Ex-Cleveland Councilman Can't Cut 6-Year Fraud Sentence

    An Ohio federal judge will not allow a former Cleveland city councilman to get out of jail on compassionate release, ruling the ex-politician "has never demonstrated any remorse for his criminal conduct" and should serve the remainder of his six-year fraud sentence.

  • October 29, 2024

    NBCU Wants Trump's Immunity Arguments Broadcast

    NBCUniversal is asking the D.C. federal court to provide a live feed of the "historic oral argument" over whether Donald Trump is immune from prosecution on charges that he conspired to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

  • October 29, 2024

    Sham Getty Stock Offer Lands Investor 10-Month Prison Term

    A former Massachusetts corporate executive will serve 10 months in prison for launching a sham takeover bid for Seattle-based Getty Images Holdings to drive up its share price and make hundreds of thousands of dollars in profit, a Boston federal judge said Tuesday.

Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • Unpacking State AG Approaches To Digital Asset Enforcement

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    Attorneys at Cozen O'Connor survey recent digital asset enforcement by attorneys general nationwide driven by concerns over regulatory gaps where technological developments and market changes have outpaced legislation.

  • 3 Takeaways From Navy Shipbuilder's Fraud Guilty Plea

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    Austal USA’s recent plea agreement over accounting fraud charges highlights for other companies the benefits of cooperating with government investigations, the challenges posed by senior executives’ involvement in misconduct, and the high stakes for defense contractors, say Michael DeBernardis and Shayda Vance at Hughes Hubbard.

  • Opinion

    Legal Institutions Must Warn Against Phony Election Suits

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    With two weeks until the election, bar associations and courts have an urgent responsibility to warn lawyers about the consequences of filing unsubstantiated lawsuits claiming election fraud, says Elise Bean at the Carl Levin Center for Oversight and Democracy.

  • How Cos. Can Build A Strong In-House Pro Bono Program

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    During this year’s pro bono celebration week, companies should consider some key pointers to grow and maintain a vibrant in-house program for attorneys to provide free legal services for the public good, says Mary Benton at Alston & Bird.

  • Series

    Home Canning Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Making my own pickles and jams requires seeing a process through from start to finish, as does representing clients from the start of a dispute at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board through any appeals to the Federal Circuit, says attorney Kevin McNish.

  • An Update On Legal Issues In The Drone Market

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    Marialuisa Gallozzi and Alex Slawson at Covington examine recent developments in the legal issues surrounding the growing drone market, including possible First Amendment protections, Fourth Amendment surveillance, and litigation involving criminal and civil penalties, evidentiary pursuits, and insurance.

  • Next Steps For FCA Defendants After Fla. Qui Tam Ruling

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    Because a Florida federal court's recent decision in Zafirov v. Florida Medical Associates could eventually prove to be a watershed event for False Claims Act suits, defendants should consider potential next steps to ensure that their litigation benefits from the court's reasoning and further developments, says Scott Gallisdorfer at Bass Berry.

  • Smith's New Trump Indictment Is Case Study In Superseding

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    Special counsel Jack Smith’s recently revised Jan. 6 charges against former President Donald Trump provide lessons for prosecutors on how to effectively draft superseding indictments in order to buttress or streamline their case, as necessary, says Jessica Roth at Cardozo Law School.

  • Use The Right Kind Of Feedback To Help Gen Z Attorneys

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    Generation Z associates bring unique perspectives and expectations to the workplace, so it’s imperative that supervising attorneys adapt their feedback approach in order to help young lawyers learn and grow — which is good for law firms, too, says Rachael Bosch at Fringe Professional Development.

  • Opinion

    Congress Can And Must Enact A Supreme Court Ethics Code

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    As public confidence in the U.S. Supreme Court dips to historic lows following reports raising conflict of interest concerns, Congress must exercise its constitutional power to enact a mandatory and enforceable code of ethics for the high court, says Muhammad Faridi, president of the New York City Bar Association.

  • What To Make Of Dueling Corporate Transparency Act Rulings

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    Although challenges to the Corporate Transparency Act abound — as highlighted by recent federal court decisions from Alabama and Oregon taking opposite positions on its constitutionality — the act is still law, so companies should comply with their filing requirements or face the potential consequences, say attorneys at Lowenstein Sandler.

  • Perspectives

    Pop Culture Docket: Justice Lebovits On Gilbert And Sullivan

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    Characters in the 19th century comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan break the rules of good lawyering by shamelessly throwing responsible critical thought to the wind, providing hilarious lessons for lawyers and judges on how to avoid a surfeit of traps and tribulations, say acting New York Supreme Court Justice Gerald Lebovits and law student Tara Scown.

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