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White Collar
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August 02, 2024
Investors Say Water Vending Co. Ran $100M Ponzi Scheme
A group of investors alleges that a Washington water-vending machine company bilked them out of more than $100 million in a Ponzi scheme by promising double-digit returns from a growing franchisee network serving Family Dollar stores and other locations.
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August 02, 2024
2nd Circ. Backs Conviction Over Fake-Therapy Scheme
The Second Circuit on Friday refused to overturn the conviction of a therapist who was found guilty of bilking a New York state program for developmentally disabled children, saying the trial court didn't err in declining to excuse a juror who had loose ties to a government witness.
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August 02, 2024
Wells Fargo's AML, Sanctions Programs Facing Investigation
Wells Fargo & Co. has said it is facing scrutiny from "government authorities" over issues with its anti-money laundering and sanctions compliance programs, further noting it is in talks with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to settle an investigation into its investment account cash sweep offerings.
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August 02, 2024
Adviser Wants Fraud Settlement Nixed, Says Fla. Broke Deal
A retirement financial adviser is urging a Florida state court to overturn a settlement with the state's Office of Financial Regulation in an unregistered-securities lawsuit, saying the agency breached the confidential agreement by disclosing why a receiver demanded nearly $800,000 in clawbacks over alleged fraudulent transfers.
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August 02, 2024
Feds Want 30 Years For Bitcoin Fog Crypto Mixer Operator
Federal prosecutors asked a Washington, D.C., federal judge to sentence the convicted operator of the Bitcoin Fog crypto mixing service to 30 years and impose a $100,000 fine given he allegedly knowingly profited from a privacy service that "catered to criminals."
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August 02, 2024
SDNY Brass Looks To Future After String Of Courthouse Wins
A series of high-profile convictions won by federal prosecutors from the Southern District of New York shows the office is pursuing justice for a diverse community without regard for politics, its senior leaders told Law360, adding they intend to continue on that path.
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August 02, 2024
Boeing's New CEO To Steer Daunting Safety Culture Rebound
Boeing's selection of an engineer and longtime aerospace industry executive as its next CEO demonstrates an eagerness to correct course amid daunting legal and regulatory troubles, as victims' families relentlessly press for Boeing to face a criminal trial over the two 737 Max 8 crashes.
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August 02, 2024
3rd Circ. Backs Ex-NJ Firefighter's $50M Drug Fraud Sentence
The Third Circuit backed the eight-year prison sentence handed to a former New Jersey firefighter convicted for his role in a $50 million healthcare fraud scheme, rejecting his argument he was wrongly punished for taking his case to trial.
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August 02, 2024
HFZ Capital Cops To $86M Fraud Charges, Blames Ex-Chief
Defunct real estate firm HFZ Capital Group pled guilty in an $86 million criminal case Friday, admitting that its former top executive Nir Meir evaded New York City property taxes and stole funds from commercial and residential building projects.
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August 02, 2024
2nd Circ. OKs 33 Months For Ex-DOJ Paralegal's Video Leaks
In an unpublished opinion Friday, the Second Circuit upheld a former U.S. Department of Justice paralegal's 33-month sentence for helping her gang-affiliated son expose two associates who cooperated with a law enforcement probe into a 2018 robbery.
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August 02, 2024
Fla. Atty Cops To Attempted DC Bombing, Explosion In Texas
A Florida criminal defense attorney pled guilty on Friday to federal charges stemming from an attempted bombing outside the Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C., in 2023 and the bombing of a satirical sculpture of communist leaders in San Antonio, Texas, in 2022.
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August 02, 2024
Cognizant Bribery Trial Delayed Again — Until 2025
Trial in a five-year-old case alleging two former Cognizant executives authorized a bribe to a government official in India has been delayed again, this time by six months, so prosecutors can complete necessary depositions in that country, according to a federal court order handed down Friday.
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August 02, 2024
Mich. Judge DQ'd Over 'Disdain' Of Ineffective-Counsel Claims
A Michigan state judge showed bias in favoring a criminal defendant's trial counsel who had previously clerked for the court, a state appeals court found Thursday, disqualifying the judge from presiding over the defendant's ineffective-assistance of counsel hearing.
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August 02, 2024
St. Louis Attys Can't Get Acquittal In $4M Tax Avoidance Case
Two Missouri-based attorneys, a father and daughter duo found guilty of participating in a $4 million tax avoidance scheme, will not be granted a new trial or an acquittal, despite their assertions that a number of errors tainted their trial, a North Carolina federal judge ruled Friday.
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August 02, 2024
Manhattan DA Slams Trump's 'Regurgitated' Recusal Bid
The Manhattan district attorney pilloried Donald Trump's renewed request for the judge overseeing his hush money case to recuse himself, branding it a "regurgitated" attempt to rehash issues the court already decided without any new facts — besides Kamala Harris' presidential bid.
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August 02, 2024
Sister-In-Law Ordered To Testify In Hunter Biden Tax Case
A California federal judge ordered Hunter Biden's sister-in-law, with whom he was romantically involved, and her sister to testify at his upcoming criminal trial in which he is accused of scheming to avoid paying $1.4 million in taxes.
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August 02, 2024
Judge Snuffs Out Collectibles Exec's Bid For New Fraud Trial
A New York federal judge has spurned the efforts of a collectibles entrepreneur convicted of fraud to get a new trial, saying notes the defendant believes would have swayed the outcome are not as important as he thinks and probably inadmissible.
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August 02, 2024
Alec Baldwin's Prosecution Ripped In 'Rust' Order
A New Mexico judge who dismissed the "Rust" shooting case against Alec Baldwin has issued a scathing order finding that the lead prosecutor "intentionally and deliberately" withheld evidence from the defense, gave "inconsistent" testimony during an evidentiary hearing and elicited false testimony from a witness.
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August 02, 2024
3 Real Estate Investors Cop To $119M Mortgage Fraud Scheme
A trio of real estate investors has admitted to running an extensive, multiyear conspiracy to defraud Fannie Mae by getting the company to purchase or fund $119 million worth of mortgage loans so they could acquire residential and commercial properties, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Thursday.
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August 01, 2024
Avantor Will Pay $5M To Settle FCA Claims Against Subsidiary
Biotech company Avantor Inc. has agreed to shell out $5 million to resolve allegations its laboratory supplies subsidiary VWR International overcharged federal agencies for goods despite agreeing to give discounts, a federal prosecutor announced on Thursday.
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August 01, 2024
GPB Capital Execs Convicted Of Fraud For $1.8B Scheme
A New York federal jury on Thursday convicted former GPB Capital executives of wire and securities fraud charges stemming from allegations they ran the private equity fund like a $1.8 billion Ponzi scheme, according to an announcement from the U.S. Department of Justice.
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August 01, 2024
SEC Wants Win In Suit Over Ex-Morgan Stanley Rep's Scam
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has asked a North Carolina federal judge for a win in a lawsuit against an ex-Morgan Stanley representative serving time for running a $4.8 million Ponzi scheme, arguing summary judgment is proper given the seven-year prison sentence and penalties issued against the defendant in the parallel criminal case.
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August 01, 2024
Ex-Philly Union Leaders On The Hook For Union's Legal Fees
Former Philadelphia union leader and convicted felon John "Johnny Doc" Dougherty will have to pay 90% of the attorney fees that the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 98 incurred while participating in the government's public corruption and embezzlement cases against him, a federal judge said Thursday.
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August 01, 2024
DOJ Unveils Whistleblower Pilot, But Garners Atty Criticism
The U.S. Department of Justice on Thursday officially launched its pilot program to reward whistleblowers who alert prosecutors to significant corporate misconduct, although some whistleblower attorneys decried the program's award caps and what they described as its lack of enforceability.
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August 01, 2024
BNY's Pershing Hit With $1.4M FINRA Recordkeeping Fine
BNY subsidiary Pershing will pay the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority a $1.4 million fine to resolve claims that it misstated interest rates for variable rate securities on millions of account statements for more than 12 years.
Expert Analysis
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How Cannabis Rescheduling May Alter Paraphernalia Imports
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.
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Opinion
New Guidance On Guilty Plea Withdrawals Is Long Past Due
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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Boeing Saga Underscores Need For Ethical Corporate Culture
In the wake of recent allegations about Boeing’s safety culture, and amid the U.S. Department of Justice’s new whistleblower incentives, business leaders should reinvigorate their emphasis on compliance by making clear that long-term profitability requires ethical business practices, says Maxwell Carr-Howard at Dentons.
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Key Takeaways From 2024 Accountants' Liability Conference
At the recent annual Accountants' Liability Conference, regulators provided important commentary on new Public Company Accounting Oversight Board rulemaking and standard-setting initiatives, and emphasized regulatory priorities ranging from the tone at the top to alternative practice structures, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.
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Why Jurors Balk At 'I Don't Recall' — And How To Respond
Jurors often react negatively to a witness who responds “I don’t remember” because they tend to hold erroneous beliefs about the nature of human memory, but attorneys can adopt a few strategies to mitigate the impact of these biases, say Steve Wood and Ava Hernández at Courtroom Sciences.
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Series
Fishing Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Atop the list of ways fishing makes me a better lawyer is the relief it offers from the chronic stress of a demanding caseload, but it has also improved my listening skills and patience, and has served as an exceptional setting for building earnest relationships, says Steven DeGeorge at Robinson Bradshaw.
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10 Tips To Build Trust With Your Witness During Trial Prep
Preparing a witness for deposition or trial requires more than just legal skills — lawyers must also work to cultivate trust with the witness, using strategies ranging from wearing a hat when conducting mock cross-examination to offering them a ride to court before they testify, say Faye Paul Teller and Sara McDermott at Munger Tolles.
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A Healthier Legal Industry Starts With Emotional Intelligence
The legal profession has long been plagued by high rates of mental health issues, in part due to attorneys’ early training and broader societal stereotypes — but developing one’s emotional intelligence is one way to foster positive change, collectively and individually, says attorney Esperanza Franco.
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To Make Your Legal Writing Clear, Emulate A Master Chef
To deliver clear and effective written advocacy, lawyers should follow the model of a fine dining chef — seasoning a foundation of pure facts with punchy descriptors, spicing it up with analogies, refining the recipe and trimming the fat — thus catering to a sophisticated audience of decision-makers, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.
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8 Steps Companies Should Take After An Internal Investigation
Given the U.S. Department of Justice’s increasing focus on corporate compliance and remediation of misconduct, companies must follow through in several key ways after an internal investigation to ensure history does not repeat itself, say Jonathan Aronie and Joseph Jay at Sheppard Mullin.
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Circuit Judge Writes An Opinion, AI Helps: What Now?
Last week's Eleventh Circuit opinion in Snell v. United Specialty Insurance, notable for a concurrence outlining the use of artificial intelligence to evaluate a term's common meaning, is hopefully the first step toward developing a coherent basis for the judiciary's generative AI use, says David Zaslowsky at Baker McKenzie.
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NY Public Campaign Funding May Attract Scrutiny From Feds
The upcoming elections across New York this year will be the first under the state’s public campaign finance program — which may broaden federal prosecutors' purview to target state election fraud and corruption, says Jarrod Schaeffer at Abell Eskew.
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Perspectives
Justices' Repeat Offender Ruling Eases Prosecutorial Hurdle
The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision last week in Brown v. U.S., clarifying which drug law applies to sentencing a repeat offender in a federal firearms case, allows courts to rely on outdated drug schedules to impose increased sentences, thus removing a significant hurdle for prosecutors, says attorney Molly Parmer.
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12 Keys To Successful Post-Trial Juror Interviews
Post-trial interviews offer attorneys an avenue to gain valuable insights into juror decision making and get feedback that can inform future litigation strategies, but certain best practices must be followed to get the most out of this research tool, say Alexa Hiley and Brianna Smith at IMS Legal.
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Perspectives
Trauma-Informed Legal Approaches For Pro Bono Attorneys
As National Trauma Awareness Month ends, pro bono attorneys should nevertheless continue to acknowledge the mental and physical effects of trauma, allowing them to better represent clients, and protect themselves from compassion fatigue and burnout, say Katherine Cronin at Stinson and Katharine Manning at Blackbird.