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White Collar
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August 19, 2024
Crypto Owners Sue Binance Over Allegedly Lax Theft Controls
Three cryptocurrency owners claimed Friday that Binance and founder Changpeng Zhao enabled hackers and thieves to use the exchange to launder millions of dollars stolen from their accounts, activity they say hasn't stopped after the company's blockbluster guilty plea.
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August 19, 2024
Second Pharmacist To Avoid Meningitis Murder Trial
A pharmacist charged with murder in a deadly fungal meningitis outbreak that killed dozens of people is expected to plead no contest to involuntary manslaughter charges this week, averting a Michigan trial that had been set for November.
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August 19, 2024
CFTC's Pham Wants More Credit For Firms In Wash Trade Deal
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission on Monday ordered two Raizen units to pay $750,000 to settle charges they carried out illegal wash sales on sugar contracts worth more than $1 billion, but Commissioner Caroline Pham said the companies should have gotten more credit for self-reporting and remediating.
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August 19, 2024
Fair Use Dooms Santos Suit Over Jimmy Kimmel's Prank Videos
A New York federal judge said Monday that the fair use exception to copyright law is fatal to former U.S. Rep. George Santos' suit against ABC and Jimmy Kimmel over video clips that the late-night TV show host tricked the ex-congressman into making.
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August 19, 2024
Prisoner Gets 20 Years For Serial Threats To Federal Judges
A man who sent letters from prison expressing a desire to kill "as many U.S. marshals as possible" and threatening to kill a federal judge got 20 years tacked on to his sentence Monday by a Florida federal judge who said he was troubled by the level of detail in the threats and the recurring nature of the man's actions.
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August 19, 2024
DC Council Member Charged With Bribery
Federal prosecutors are accusing a Washington, D.C., councilmember of accepting more than $150,000 in bribes and kickbacks in exchange for pressuring government employees to extend city contracts, according to a complaint unsealed Monday in D.C. federal court.
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August 19, 2024
Ex-McElroy Execs' Theft, Bias Cases Paused Amid Ch. 11
A New Jersey state court has sided with McElroy Deutsch and stayed all litigation between the law firm and two former executives, including both the firm's fraud claims and discrimination counterclaims made against it, while a related bankruptcy case plays out.
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August 19, 2024
Atty Faces Contempt Bid In Fla. Forex Trading Firm Case
The court-appointed receiver of an investment company at the center of a U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission lawsuit over the firm's $75 million foreign currency trading fraud has asked for the company's now-imprisoned CEO's appeals attorney to be held in contempt of court for allegedly failing to comply with a subpoena.
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August 19, 2024
Santos Admits Fraud: 'Betrayed The Trust Of My Constituents'
Former U.S. Rep. George Santos pled guilty in New York federal court Monday to juicing his election fundraising reports with fake donations to qualify for Republican Party support, charges that carry a minimum of two years in prison.
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August 19, 2024
A&O Shearman Hires Ex-Morgan Stanley Exec In New York
A former executive director at Morgan Stanley has returned to private practice at Allen Overy Shearman Sterling in New York.
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August 19, 2024
Trump's Immunity Appeal May Delay Sentencing, DA Says
Prosecutors will not oppose Donald Trump's request to delay sentencing in his New York hush money case, currently set for next month, while he seeks to dismiss his conviction in light of the U.S. Supreme Court's presidential immunity ruling, agreeing that an immediate appeal may upend the proceedings anyway.
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August 17, 2024
George Santos To Plead Guilty Before Campaign Fraud Trial
Former U.S. Rep. George Santos has agreed to plead guilty to multiple criminal charges just weeks before his scheduled campaign finance fraud trial in New York federal court, Law360 learned Saturday.
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August 16, 2024
NJ Agency Nixes City's 3rd Police Firing For Cannabis Use
Another New Jersey police officer who was fired for off-duty marijuana use must be reinstated, a state commission has ordered, finding it doesn't matter that the officer failed to disclose reliance on cannabis for medical purposes before a screening or that the usage at issue was technically recreational.
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August 16, 2024
Deutsche, Ex-Trader End 2nd Libor Malicious Prosecution Suit
Deutsche Bank and a former U.K. derivatives trader who accused the bank of scapegoating him to U.S. authorities investigating interest rate-rigging have resolved his $30 million malicious prosecution lawsuit in New York state court.
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August 16, 2024
Feds To Appeal Platinum Win Over Zero Loss, Count Toss
Federal prosecutors have notified the Second Circuit that they'll appeal a judge's findings that the loss amount in the case of Platinum Partners co-founder Mark Nordlicht was zero and the wire fraud conspiracy counts against Nordlicht and another would be dismissed, despite Nordlicht's conviction.
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August 16, 2024
Feds Drop Extortion Case Against Convicted Ex-Labor Leader
Federal prosecutors want to dismiss their extortion case against former International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 98 business manager John Dougherty, who was convicted of bribery and embezzlement and sentenced to six years in prison, but whose trial on charges related to allegedly threatening a contractor ended with a hung jury.
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August 16, 2024
Drexel Accounting Prof Convicted Of Evading Tax On $3.3M
New Jersey federal jurors have convicted a Drexel University accounting professor on charges of tax evasion and filing false tax returns after the government accused him of failing to report $3.3 million in income from a Trenton pharmacy.
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August 16, 2024
Baltimore Inks $152.5M Opioid Deal With Cardinal Health
Baltimore announced Friday that it settled claims for $152.5 million with Cardinal Health over its alleged role in helping fuel the city's opioid crisis, reaching the deal with the pharmaceutical distributor ahead of a September trial against five remaining defendants and following separate $45 million settlements with Allergan and CVS.
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August 16, 2024
SEC Gets Default Entry Against Crypto Ponzi Scheme Aides
A Washington federal court entered an order of default against two accused Ponzi scheme promoters on Friday, after the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said the pair failed to address its allegations that they helped the creator of a purported cryptocurrency trading bot service scam investors out of $295 million.
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August 16, 2024
Developer's Widow Sues For Control Of Century Homebuilders
The widow of Sergio Pino, the late founder and CEO of Century Homebuilders Group LLC, has filed suit asking a Florida state court to declare her the sole owner of the company and "to finally put an end to unlawful efforts" by his estate and his brother to claim otherwise.
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August 16, 2024
Convicted Crypto Mixer Says Feds' 30-Year Ask Too High
The convicted operator of the Bitcoin Fog crypto mixing service urged a Washington, D.C., federal judge to disregard federal prosecutors' 30-year recommendation and instead levy a below-guidelines sentence, arguing the scale of his money laundering operation isn't indicative of harm done.
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August 16, 2024
Atty Gets 32 Months In Prison For Bribing Chicago Alderman
An Illinois federal judge on Friday sentenced an immigration attorney and real estate developer convicted of bribing former Chicago Alderman Ed Burke to two years and eight months in prison, maintaining prison time is warranted because the lawyer initiated the bribe and tried to hide it from federal agents and the grand jury.
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August 16, 2024
'Brazen' Plot To Steal Graceland From Presleys Nets Charges
A woman was charged in Missouri federal court Friday with attempting a wild scheme to defraud the family of Elvis Presley by auctioning the late singer's iconic Graceland estate and pocketing the proceeds, a plot that was only foiled when suspicious minds raised red flags.
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August 16, 2024
Ex-CEO Wants Verdict In COVID Test Kit Fraud Case Tossed
A former healthcare software executive found guilty of securities fraud for publicly touting a $670 million COVID test kit deal that ultimately collapsed wants his conviction thrown out, telling a New Jersey federal judge the government failed to establish every element of the crime.
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August 16, 2024
Jury Says Lin Wood Must Pay $750K In Defamation Case Fees
A day after returning a $3.75 million verdict against retired Atlanta defamation attorney Lin Wood in the defamation case brought against him by three of his former law partners, a Georgia federal jury on Friday said he must also pay $750,000 toward their attorney fees and costs.
Expert Analysis
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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.
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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.
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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.
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New FARA Letters Offer Insight Into DOJ's Approach
The U.S. Department of Justice's recently released batch of 15 advisory opinions from the Foreign Agents Registration Act Unit provides important guidance on FARA registration triggers and exemptions, underscoring the breadth of FARA's scope, says Tessa Capeloto at Wiley.
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Series
Rock Climbing Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Rock climbing requires problem-solving, focus, risk management and resilience, skills that are also invaluable assets in my role as a finance lawyer, says Mei Zhang at Haynes and Boone.
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Think Like A Lawyer: Dance The Legal Standard Two-Step
From rookie brief writers to Chief Justice John Roberts, lawyers should master the legal standard two-step — framing the governing standard at the outset, and clarifying why they meet that standard — which has benefits for both the drafter and reader, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.
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Recent Settlement Shows 'China Initiative' Has Life After Death
Though the U.S. Department of Justice shuttered its controversial China Initiative two years ago, its recent False Claims Act settlement with the Cleveland Clinic Foundation demonstrates that prosecutors are more than willing to civilly pursue research institutions whose employees were previously targeted, say attorneys at Benesch.
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DOJ Innovasis Settlement Offers Lessons On Self-Disclosure
The recent $12 million settlement with Innovasis and two of its executives demonstrates the U.S. Department of Justice's continued prioritization of Anti-Kickback Statute enforcement amid the growing circuit split over causation, and illustrates important nuances surrounding self-disclosure, say Denise Barnes and Scott Gallisdorfer at Bass Berry.
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Opinion
OFAC Sanctions Deserve To Be Challenged Post-Chevron
The U.S. Supreme Court's Loper Bright decision opens the door to challenges against the Office of Foreign Assets Control's sanctions regime, the unintended consequences of which raise serious questions about the wisdom of what appears to be a scorched-earth approach, says Solomon Shinerock at Lewis Baach.
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Opinion
After Jarkesy, IRS Must Course-Correct On Captive Insurance
The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent Securities and Exchange Commission v. Jarkesy decision has profound implications for other agencies, including the IRS, which must stop ignoring due process and curtailing congressional intent in its policing of captive insurance arrangements, says Peter Dawson at the 831(b) Institute.
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Congress Quietly Amends FEPA: What Cos. Should Do Now
Last week, Congress revised the Foreign Extortion Prevention Act — passed last year to criminalize demand-side foreign bribery — to address inconsistencies and better harmonize the law with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and companies should review their compliance programs accordingly, say Mark Mendelsohn and Benjamin Klein at Paul Weiss.
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NYSE Delisting May Be The Cost Of FCPA Compliance
ABB’s recent decision to delist its U.S. depository receipts from the New York Stock Exchange, coupled with having settled three Foreign Corrupt Practices Act enforcement actions, begs the question of whether the cost of FCPA compliance should factor into a company's decision to remain listed in the U.S., says John Joy at FTI Law.
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CFTC Action Highlights Necessity Of Whistleblower Carveouts
The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission's novel settlement with a trading firm over allegations of manipulating the market and failing to create contract carveouts for employees to freely communicate with investigators serves as a beacon for further enforcement activity from the CFTC and other regulators, say attorneys at Davis Wright.
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Avoiding Legal Ethics Landmines In Preindictment Meetings
U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez's recent bribery conviction included obstruction charges based on his former lawyer's preindictment presentation to prosecutors, highlighting valuable lessons on the legal ethics rules implicated in these kinds of defense presentations, say Steve Miller and Hilary Gerzhoy at HWG.
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Series
Being A Luthier Makes Me A Better Lawyer
When I’m not working as an appellate lawyer, I spend my spare time building guitars — a craft known as luthiery — which has helped to enhance the discipline, patience and resilience needed to write better briefs, says Rob Carty at Nichols Brar.