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White Collar
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August 21, 2024
FTX's Salame Says Feds Broke Deal Not To Probe Girlfriend
Former FTX executive Ryan Salame urged a New York federal judge Wednesday to either vacate his May conviction or stop federal prosecutors from investigating his domestic partner Michelle Bond for related political campaign-finance offenses, saying prosecutors induced his guilty plea by promising not to probe Bond.
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August 21, 2024
Hunter Biden Can't Link Trauma, Drug Abuse To Tax Charges
Hunter Biden can't tell jurors in his criminal tax trial that traumatic events like his brother's death caused his addiction, which led to a diminished mental capacity and his failure to pay taxes, a California federal judge said Wednesday, noting the information was irrelevant and not backed by expert opinion.
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August 21, 2024
Girardi Faked Dementia Symptoms, Neurologist Testifies
A neurologist with Vanderbilt University testified Wednesday in Tom Girardi's criminal fraud trial in California federal court that the disbarred attorney was likely exaggerating his cognitive problems in late 2020 just as his law firm imploded into bankruptcy and his legal problems mounted because he believed it would be "beneficial."
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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.
Expert Analysis
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.