Try our Advanced Search for more refined results
White Collar
-
November 22, 2024
Fed Bans Ex-CEO Of Bank Felled By Crypto Scam
The former CEO of Kansas' now-shuttered Heartland Tri-State Bank has been banned by the federal government from being a part of the banking industry after stealing $47.1 million from the bank to give to cryptocurrency scammers, leading his bank to fail.
-
November 22, 2024
Medicaid Fraud Nets 11-Year Sentence For NC Social Worker
A clinical social worker in North Carolina has been sentenced to more than 11 years behind bars on charges of defrauding South Carolina's Medicaid program and falsely obtaining COVID-19 relief checks, prosecutors said.
-
November 22, 2024
UPS To Pay SEC $45M For Improperly Valuing Freight Biz
UPS has agreed to pay a $45 million civil penalty to resolve U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission claims that the shipping giant improperly valued one of its business units and misrepresented its earnings after failing to follow generally accepted accounting principles.
-
November 22, 2024
Adviser Charged With $2.1M Sports Star Investment Fraud
A Florida investment adviser has been hit with civil and criminal charges in New York alleging he defrauded private lenders and borrowers out of $2.1 million in a scheme in which he lied to private lenders about the creditworthiness of borrowers, often professional athletes and sports agents.
-
November 22, 2024
Trump Sentencing Halted To Weigh President-Elect's Immunity
The New York state judge who oversaw Donald Trump's hush money trial officially canceled his Nov. 26 sentencing date Friday to weigh the impact of his new status as president-elect, pushing briefing into December.
-
November 21, 2024
DOJ Fights High Court Review Of Kickback Law, Jury's Role
The U.S. Supreme Court need not review a Fifth Circuit decision upholding the convictions of three healthcare professionals accused of taking part in a $40 million kickback scheme, the federal government has told the justices in a brief.
-
November 21, 2024
9th Circ. Told $500K To Huizar Not Intended As Bribe
A real estate developer convicted of bribing former Los Angeles City Councilor José Huizar with $500,000 for help overcoming challenges to a downtown project asked the Ninth Circuit for a new trial, arguing Thursday the lower court erroneously excluded evidence showing the developer didn't know the money would be used as a bribe.
-
November 21, 2024
FirstEnergy Investors Slam Ex-Execs' Info 'Bogeyman' Story
FirstEnergy shareholders have accused two former executives of the energy company of exploiting confidentiality rules by seeking to shield documents relevant to their suit over a stock plummet that followed a massive bribery scheme, telling an Ohio federal judge he should reject the executives' "informational bogeyman" story.
-
November 21, 2024
Feds Coined 'Catchphrase' To Convict LA Pol, 9th Circ. Told
Mark Ridley-Thomas' attorney on Thursday urged the Ninth Circuit to overturn the former California politician's bribery conviction for scheming to indirectly donate $100,000 to his son's nonprofit and secure him a university position, saying prosecutors coined the "catchphrase" "funneling" to obfuscate that no bribe actually occurred.
-
November 21, 2024
Forex Trader Gets 23 Years For $93M Investor Fraud
A Colorado federal judge on Thursday sentenced a retired Marine convicted of wire fraud and conspiracy to 23 years in prison for his role in a scheme that swindled investors out of $93 million.
-
November 21, 2024
Texas Doctor Gets 190 Years For Poisoning IV Bags
A Texas anesthesiologist was sentenced to 190 years in federal prison after being found guilty of injecting a potent cocktail of drugs into IV bags at a Baylor Scott & White surgical center, resulting in one death and several serious medical emergencies, the U.S. Department of Justice said.
-
November 21, 2024
Fla. Insurance Broker Pleads Guilty To Defrauding Ga. Bank
A Florida insurance broker has pled guilty to bank fraud for defrauding a Georgia bank out of $6 million through loans to commercial borrowers for insurance premiums.
-
November 21, 2024
Key Informant Who Recorded Madigan Takes The Stand
A former Chicago alderman who prosecutors have deemed one of their "most significant cooperators in the last several decades" took the stand Thursday afternoon and began what is expected to be multiple days of testimony in the racketeering trial of ex-Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, whom he secretly recorded while working with the government.
-
November 21, 2024
Ill. Justices Overturn Jussie Smollett's Conviction
Illinois' high court ruled Thursday that prosecutors violated Jussie Smollett's constitutional rights by trying the actor after earlier dismissing his charges for falsely reporting a hate crime, saying the "fundamentally unfair" conviction must be voided.
-
November 21, 2024
Ariz. AG Offers $6M To Aid Victims Of Sober Living Scam
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes says the state is offering $6 million in grant funding to tribal nations impacted by a sober home living scam that's estimated to have racked up an estimated $2 billion in fraudulent billing and potentially victimized thousands of Native Americans.
-
November 21, 2024
Texas AG Pushes For Preservation Of Jack Smith, DOJ Docs
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton urged a federal court Thursday to enter an order requiring the U.S. Department of Justice to preserve records connected to special counsel Jack Smith, accusing the agency of remaining "evasive" of Paxton's bid for records related to President-elect Donald Trump's hush money case.
-
November 21, 2024
Trump Selects Ex-Fla. AG Pam Bondi As New AG Pick
President-elect Donald Trump announced Thursday that he has selected Pam Bondi, a former attorney general of Florida, as his new pick for U.S. attorney general, just hours after former U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration amid allegations of sexual misconduct and drug use.
-
November 21, 2024
Health Exec Who Fled Gets 3 Years For $8M Medicare Scheme
A home healthcare executive who led a scheme to defraud Medicare of nearly $8 million through fraudulent billing practices and who fled the country after his indictment has been sentenced to more than three years in prison, according to a judgment filed in Michigan federal court Wednesday.
-
November 21, 2024
'Where Were You?': Judge Irked By Feds In $2B Fraud Case
A North Carolina magistrate judge said Thursday he was "appalled" by a system that left a convicted insurance mogul unable to communicate with his attorneys while he sat in a county jail for nearly a week following his guilty plea to a $2 billion fraud and money laundering scheme.
-
November 21, 2024
Jamaican Man Gets 7½ Years For Stealing Vehicles, PPP Scam
A Jamaican businessman previously accused of running a $200 million Ponzi scheme in Jamaica was sentenced Thursday in Florida to seven-and-a-half years in prison for his role in a vehicle theft and resale ring and for fraudulently obtaining $1.85 million from the Paycheck Protection Program.
-
November 21, 2024
Nurse Staffing Exec Can't Trim Fraud Charge In Antitrust Case
A Nevada federal court has refused to dismiss fraud charges against a home healthcare staffing executive accused of fixing nurses' wages and hiding a probe of the scheme when selling the business, and also refused to exclude statements the executive made during an FBI interview.
-
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.
Expert Analysis
-
What Cos. Should Note In DOJ's New Whistleblower Pilot
After the U.S. Department of Justice unveiled a new whistleblower pilot program last week — continuing its efforts to incentivize individual reporting of misconduct — companies should review the eligibility criteria, update their compliance programs and consider the risks and benefits of making their own self-disclosures, say attorneys at Skadden.
-
Series
After Chevron: New Lines Of Attack For FCA Defense Bar
Loper Bright has given defense counsel new avenues to overcome the False Claims Act elements of falsity and scienter, as any FCA claim based upon ambiguous statutory terms can no longer stand solely on agency regulations to establish the statute's meaning, which is itself necessary to satisfy the FCA's basic requirements, says Elisha Kobre at Bradley Arant.
-
Autonomy Execs' Acquittal Highlights Good Faith Instruction
The recent acquittal of two former Autonomy executives demonstrates that a good faith jury instruction can be the cornerstone of an effective defense strategy in white collar criminal cases, in part because the concept of good faith is a human experience every juror can relate to, says Sara Kropf at Kropf Moseley.
-
Series
Teaching Scuba Diving Makes Me A Better Lawyer
As a master scuba instructor, I’ve learned how to prepare for the unexpected, overcome fears and practice patience, and each of these skills – among the many others I’ve developed – has profoundly enhanced my work as a lawyer, says Ron Raether at Troutman Pepper.
-
3 Ways To Lower Insider Trading Risk After First 10b5-1 Case
In light of the U.S. Department of Justice's insider trading prosecution against the former CEO of Ontrack based on alleged abuse of a Rule 10b5-1 safe harbor plan — designed to allow executives to sell their companies' securities without liability — companies and individuals should take steps to avoid enacting similar plans in bad faith, say attorneys at Jenner & Block.
-
Lawyers Can Take Action To Honor The Voting Rights Act
As the Voting Rights Act reaches its 59th anniversary Tuesday, it must urgently be reinforced against recent efforts to dismantle voter protections, and lawyers can pitch in immediately by volunteering and taking on pro bono work to directly help safeguard the right to vote, says Anna Chu at We The Action.
-
New Russia Sanctions Law: Bank Compliance Insights
Financial institutions must familiarize themselves with the new reporting obligations imposed by the Rebuilding Economic Prosperity and Opportunity for Ukrainians Act, a recent law that authorizes seizures of Russian sovereign assets under U.S. jurisdiction, say attorneys at Seward & Kissel.
-
3 Healthcare FCA Deals Provide Self-Disclosure Takeaways
Several civil False Claims Act settlements of alleged healthcare fraud violations over the past year demonstrate that healthcare providers may benefit substantially from voluntarily disclosing potential misconduct to both the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, say Brian Albritton and Raquel Ramirez Jefferson at Phelps Dunbar.
-
Menendez Corruption Ruling Highlights Attorney Proffer Risks
The recent admission of slides used in a preindictment presentation as evidence during U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez’s corruption trial highlights the potential pitfalls of using visual aids in attorney proffers, and the increasing importance of making disclaimers regarding information presented at the outset of proffers, say Carrie Cohen and Savanna Leak at MoFo.
-
Opinion
Expert Witness Standards Must Consider Peer Review Crisis
For nearly two decades, the so-called replication crisis has upended how the scientific community views the reliability of peer-reviewed studies, and it’s time for courts to reevaluate whether peer review is a trustworthy proxy for expert witness reliability, say Jeffrey Gross and Robert LaCroix at Reid Collins.
-
Heading Off Officials' Errors When Awarded A Gov't Contract
Government contractors awarded state or local projects funded through federal programs should seek clarification of their compliance obligations, documenting everything, or risk having to defend themselves when they seek reimbursement months later, with only their word for support, says George Petel at Wiley.
-
Justices' Intent Witness Ruling May Be Useful For Defense Bar
At first glance, the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent Diaz v. U.S. decision, allowing experts to testify to the mental state of criminal defendants in federal court, gives prosecutors a new tool, but creative white collar defense counsel may be able to use the same tool to their own advantage, say Jack Sharman and Rachel Bragg at Lightfoot Franklin.
-
How To Grow Marketing, Biz Dev Teams In A Tight Market
Faced with fierce competition and rising operating costs, firms are feeling the pressure to build a well-oiled marketing and business development team that supports strategic priorities, but they’ll need to be flexible and creative given a tight talent market, says Ben Curle at Ambition.
-
High Court's Expert Ruling May Help Health Fraud Defendants
The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Diaz v. U.S. appears to give the government a powerful new tool in calling its own agents as expert witnesses, but it could also benefit defense counsel in criminal healthcare fraud and other white collar criminal cases that arise in complex legal or regulatory environments, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.
-
Jarkesy's Impact On SEC Enforcement Will Be Modest
Though the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission v. Jarkesy decision found that fraud defendants have a constitutional right to a jury trial, the ruling will have muted impact on the agency’s enforcement because it’s already bringing most of its cases in federal court, say Jeremiah Williams and Alyssa Fixsen at Ropes & Gray.