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White Collar
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August 21, 2024
Ex-Vitol Oil Trader Pleads Out To Texas FCPA Case In NY
A former Vitol oil trader on Wednesday admitted in New York federal court to charges brought in Texas accusing him of bribing Mexican officials to obtain business for the energy and commodities company, months after he was convicted in New York over similar conduct with Ecuadorian officials.
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August 21, 2024
TD Bank Designates $2.6B For Anti-Money Laundering Fines
A U.S. subsidiary of Canada's Toronto-Dominion Bank said Wednesday that it has designated an additional $2.6 billion to cover the fines it expects to pay by the end of the year to resolve civil and criminal investigations into its compliance with anti-money laundering regulations.
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August 21, 2024
Judge Skeptical Ex-Murder Suspect Can Sue Embattled DA
A Colorado federal judge appeared to have doubts Wednesday about the prospects of a malicious prosecution lawsuit brought by a man initially charged with the murder of his wife, asking how the lawsuit can defeat immunity for police and prosecutors.
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August 21, 2024
NY Metal Shredder Will Pay $555K Over Feds' Air Claims
A Long Island, New York, metal shredder will pay $555,000 to settle the federal government's claims that it failed to install required pollution controls at its facility, which caused the release of excessive volatile organic chemicals.
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August 21, 2024
Fla. Real Estate Co.'s Assets Frozen After $56M Ponzi Claims
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has secured an asset freeze in its suit against a Florida-based real estate investment company whose managers misused tens of millions of investor proceeds, including by paying investors "in a Ponzi-like fashion."
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August 21, 2024
Western Asset Exec Takes Leave Of Absence Amid SEC Probe
Western Asset Management's co-chief investment officer, Ken Leech, has taken an immediate leave of absence from the global fixed-income manager after receiving a so-called Wells notice from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and as the company faces parallel government investigations.
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August 21, 2024
Hedge Fund Priest Sues SEC Over Proposed Industry Ban
A Greek Orthodox priest and hedge fund founder who beat most civil claims brought by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission at a 2021 trial sued the agency Wednesday, claiming it is unconstitutionally trying to implement a lifetime ban from the securities industry through an administrative case.
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August 21, 2024
Judge Accused Of Locking Up Girl Who Dozed In Courtroom
A teenage girl filed a lawsuit Wednesday in Michigan federal court against a state judge who she says had her handcuffed and detained after she fell asleep during a class presentation in his courtroom and berated her in a mock version of the reality show "Scared Straight" that played out on the court's YouTube platform.
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August 21, 2024
Scrap Metal Dealer Cops To Converter Theft Conspiracy
A North Carolina scrap metal dealer has pled guilty to theft and tax charges associated with a catalytic converter theft conspiracy spanning several states, the Department of Justice announced Tuesday.
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August 21, 2024
How AI Could Shake Up Federal Evidence Rules
Judges, lawyers and academics say it's only a matter of time before the breakneck development of artificial intelligence collides with a cautious, slow-moving judicial system and gives rise to a thorny array of evidentiary issues. They're just not sure what to do about it.
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August 21, 2024
Oath Keepers Atty Pleads Guilty In Jan. 6 Case
A former attorney for the far-right Oath Keepers group pled guilty Wednesday to charges connected to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, copping to entering restricted Capitol grounds and advising Oath Keepers affiliates to delete incriminating digital evidence following the riot.
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August 21, 2024
Paxton Issues Warrants To Texas Counties In Election Inquiry
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said Wednesday that his office had executed multiple search warrants in Frio, Atascosa, and Bexar counties as part of an ongoing investigation into election integrity.
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August 21, 2024
Travelers Settles With Pa. Firm Over Stealing $1M From Client
A Pennsylvania federal judge dismissed an insurance coverage dispute Wednesday, in light of a settlement between Travelers Insurance and a closed Pennsylvania law firm whose principal attorney was disbarred after he pled guilty to stealing almost $1 million from clients.
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August 21, 2024
Alleged WeWork Fraudster Fires Dickinson Wright Before Trial
Lawyers from Dickinson Wright PLLC told a New York federal judge on Wednesday that they have been discharged by the former CEO of real estate investment firm ArciTerra ahead of his October trial for issuing a bogus $77 million offer for WeWork shares.
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August 21, 2024
6th Circ. Rules Man Can Pay Restitution To Himself
The Sixth Circuit ruled that a Kentucky man who pled guilty to defrauding his mother can pay $332,000 in restitution to her estate even though he is the sole beneficiary, disagreeing with a lower court judge who tried to amend the judgment after her death so the money would go to the federal Crime Victims Fund.
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August 21, 2024
Judge To Mull Recusal In Boston Marathon Bombing Case
A Boston federal judge said Wednesday he will allow briefing on whether he should recuse himself from the case of convicted Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who is seeking a new sentencing trial over claims of possible jury bias.
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August 21, 2024
Nonprofit Can Step Into Ex-CFO's $40M Embezzlement Case
A Michigan federal judge said Tuesday that the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy can intervene in the federal government's embezzlement case against its former chief financial officer, who is alleged to have stolen $40 million from the nonprofit tasked with revamping Detroit's riverfront.
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August 21, 2024
Ex-Venezuelan Oil Employee Pleads Guilty To Sanctions Plot
The former procurement head at Petróleos de Venezuela SA, Venezuela's state-owned oil company, pled guilty to conspiring to obtain millions of dollars' worth of U.S. aircraft parts for the business, in violation of U.S. sanctions.
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August 20, 2024
Girardi Jury Hears Of Ex-CFO's Alleged Bahama Hideout Plan
The former fiancee of ex-Girardi Keese executive Chris Kamon told a California federal jury in Tom Girardi's criminal trial Tuesday about a dramatic call she received from Kamon, during which he told her he was about to be "pinned" for the firm's crimes and wanted her to flee to the Bahamas with him.
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August 20, 2024
FDIC Challenged Over 'Kafkaesque' Enforcement Proceeding
A former small business financier battling Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. enforcement claims has asked a D.C. federal court to issue an emergency order staying the agency's "Kafkaesque" administrative proceeding against him, arguing that it deprives him of his constitutional right to a jury trial.
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August 20, 2024
Co. Says No License Needed To Dispute $1B DOD Fuel Deal
A company alleging a $1 billion Defense Logistics Agency African fuel supply contract effectively requires bribery to secure has told the Court of Federal Claims it can protest the deal despite lacking a local license, saying the license wasn't necessary for the contracted work.
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August 20, 2024
Ex-Goldman Analyst's Stepbro Ducks Prison For Inside Trades
A Long Island man on Tuesday was spared time in prison for his role in an insider scheme in which he traded on tips gleaned from his stepbrother and ex-Goldman Sachs analyst, largely due to his prompt cooperation with the FBI.
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August 20, 2024
Pastor Gets 2 Years For Bible-Themed Amusement Park Fraud
A Virginia pastor was sentenced Tuesday to 27 months in prison after he was convicted on charges of defrauding investors out of $800,000 with trumped-up promises of building a Bible-themed amusement park called Miracle Mansion, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of North Carolina said.
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August 20, 2024
Mich. Man To Face Loan, Wire Fraud Charges Despite Mistrial
A Michigan business owner already accused of COVID-19 loan fraud cannot have a superseding wire fraud charge tossed even though a mistrial was declared in the loan fraud case, a Michigan federal judge has ruled.
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August 20, 2024
Feds Want 20 Years For Backpage Trio In Prostitution Case
Prosecutors asked an Arizona federal judge Monday to sentence two former executives of the defunct classifieds service Backpage.com and the site's co-founder to 20 years in prison after they were found guilty of several counts over an alleged $500 million prostitution scheme.
Expert Analysis
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Trump's Best Hush Money Appeal Options Still Likely To Fail
The two strongest potential arguments former President Donald Trump could raise in appealing his New York hush money conviction seem promising at first, but precedent strongly suggests they will still ultimately fail — though, of course, Trump's unique position could lead to surprising results, says former New York Supreme Court Justice Ethan Greenberg, now at Anderson Kill.
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2 Vital Trial Principles Endure Amid Tech Advances
Progress in trial technologies in the last 10 years has been transformative for courtroom presentations, but two core communication axioms are still relevant in today's world of drone footage evidence and 3D animations, say Adam Bloomberg and Lisa Walters at IMS Legal Strategies.
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Inside OCC's Retail Nondeposit Investment Products Refresh
In addition to clarifying safe and sound risk management practices generally, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency's revised booklet on retail nondeposit investment products updates its guidance around certain sales practices in light of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's adoption of Regulation Best Interest, say attorneys at Debevoise.
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5 Defense Lessons From Prosecutors' Recent Evidence Flubs
The recent dismissal of Alec Baldwin’s involuntary manslaughter charges, and the filing of an ethics complaint against a former D.C. prosecutor, both provide takeaways for white collar defense counsel who suspect that prosecutors may be withholding or misrepresenting evidence, say Anden Chow at MoloLamken and Jonathan Porter at Husch Blackwell.
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Mirror, Mirror On The Wall, Is My Counterclaim Bound To Fall?
A Pennsylvania federal court’s recent dismissal of the defendants’ counterclaims in Morgan v. Noss should remind attorneys to avoid the temptation to repackage a claim’s facts and law into a mirror-image counterclaim, as this approach will often result in a waste of time and resources, says Matthew Selmasska at Kaufman Dolowich.
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Why The SEC Is Targeting Short-And-Distort Schemes
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recent crackdown on the illegal practice of short-and-distort trades highlights the urgent need for public companies to adopt proactive measures, including pursuing private rights of action, say attorneys at Baker McKenzie.
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6 Factors That Can Make For A 'Nuclear' Juror
Drawing from recent research that examines the rise in nuclear verdicts, Ken Broda-Bahm at Persuasion Strategies identifies a few juror characteristics most likely to matter in assessing case risk and preparing for jury selection — some of which are long-known, and others that are emerging post-pandemic.
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DOJ Paths To Limit FARA Fallout From Wynn's DC Circ. Win
After the D.C. Circuit’s recent Attorney General v. Wynn ruling, holding that the government cannot compel retroactive registration under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, the U.S. Department of Justice has a few options to limit the decision’s impact on enforcement, say attorneys at MoFo.
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Series
Playing Dungeons & Dragons Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Playing Dungeons & Dragons – a tabletop role-playing game – helped pave the way for my legal career by providing me with foundational skills such as persuasion and team building, says Derrick Carman at Robins Kaplan.
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Unpacking Executive Privilege, Contempt In Recent Cases
The U.S. House of Representatives’ recent move to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress is the latest example in a growing trend of executive privilege disputes, and serves as a warning to private citizens and corporate leaders who are in communication with the president, says Kristina Moore at Womble Bond.
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Bankruptcy Trustees Need More FinCEN Guidance
Recent FinCEN consent orders in two North Carolina bankruptcy cases show that additional guidance is necessary for most types of fiduciaries overseeing bankruptcy estates or other insolvency vehicles, say Brian Shaw and David Doyle at Cozen O’Connor.
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Jarkesy Ruling May Redefine Jury Role In Patent Fraud
Regardless of whether the U.S. Supreme Court’s Jarkesy ruling implicates the direction of inequitable conduct, which requires showing that the patentee made material statements or omissions to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the decision has created opportunities for defendants to argue more substantively for jury trials than ever before, say attorneys at Cadwalader.
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3 Leadership Practices For A More Supportive Firm Culture
Traditional leadership styles frequently amplify the inherent pressures of legal work, but a few simple, time-neutral strategies can strengthen the skills and confidence of employees and foster a more collaborative culture, while supporting individual growth and contribution to organizational goals, says Benjamin Grimes at BKG Leadership.
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The OIG Report: DOJ's Own Whistleblower Program Has Holes
A recent Office of the Inspector General memo found that the U.S. Department of Justice’s whistleblower program failed to protect federal employees whose security clearances were allegedly suspended in retaliation — a serious cause for concern that could have a potential chilling effect on would-be whistleblowers, says Diana Shaw at Wiley.
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Attorneys Can Benefit From Reverse-Engineering Their Cases
Trial advocacy programs often teach lawyers to loosely track the progression of a lawsuit during preparation — case analysis, then direct examination, then cross-examination, openings and closings — but reverse-engineering cases by working backward from opening and closing statements can streamline the process and also improve case strategy, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.