White Collar

  • August 13, 2025

    Former Probate Judge Gives Up Conn. Law License After DUIs

    A onetime Connecticut probate judge convicted of multiple counts of driving while intoxicated has agreed to permanently hand over his license to practice law in the state.

  • August 13, 2025

    Crypto Casino CEO Charged With $4M Fraud Amid Plea Talks

    The founder of a cryptocurrency casino previously arrested on suspicion of defrauding investors out of $4 million and transferring large sums to an online gambling site was formally charged on Wednesday amid ongoing plea talks.

  • August 13, 2025

    NY AG Says Zelle Parent Enabled $1B In Customer Losses

    New York Attorney General Letitia James on Wednesday sued the big bank-controlled parent company of popular electronic payments platform Zelle, alleging in state court that lax security measures allowed scammers to make off with over $1 billion of user funds.

  • August 13, 2025

    Mass. Loan Biz Morphed Into $7.6M Ponzi Scheme, State Says

    A Massachusetts woman turned her family's small auto financing business into a $7.6 million Ponzi scheme, the state's Securities Division alleged in a complaint.

  • August 12, 2025

    Accountant, Firm Settle SEC's Fintech Fraud Suit For $200K

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has settled claims in New York federal court against a Nigerian accountant and his firm accused of helping the operator of the Tingo fintech businesses conceal fake audit reports that inflated the value of the firms to further the "massive" fintech fraud.

  • August 12, 2025

    Boeing Must Give Up 737 Max Docs In Jet Purchase Dispute

    A Washington federal judge said Tuesday that Boeing must hand over a decade of internal documents about the safety of the 737 Max to Norwegian Air Shuttle subsidiaries that claim the aerospace giant duped them into a jet purchase deal.

  • August 12, 2025

    OneTaste Execs Lose Acquittal Bid In Forced Labor Case

    A Brooklyn federal judge has refused to grant OneTaste's founder and sales director a judgment of acquittal following their conviction for a forced labor conspiracy at the "orgasmic meditation" company, saying the trial evidence against them was abundant.

  • August 12, 2025

    Terraform Founder Cops To $40B Crypto Fraud Scheme

    The founder and former CEO of Terraform Labs on Tuesday admitted to perpetrating a multibillion-dollar fraud by deceiving investors about its decentralized finance-based ecosystem of crypto products, a scheme that wiped out $40 billion in market value when it collapsed.

  • August 12, 2025

    Texas Says Eli Lilly Offered Nursing Services As Kickbacks

    Texas sued Eli Lilly & Co. Inc. on Monday in state court, accusing the drugmaker of offering kickbacks in the form of administrative services to healthcare providers via illegal marketing and quid pro quo arrangements to push its most popular drugs.

  • August 12, 2025

    3rd Circ. Spurns Perrigo Investor's Bid To Avoid $97M Deal

    A major shareholder in Perrigo Co. PLC has been barred from opting out of a $97 million securities class action settlement, after the Third Circuit held in a precedential opinion on Tuesday that the investor must bear the consequences of its counsel's failure to timely request exclusion.

  • August 12, 2025

    Guo Ch. 11 Trustee Seeks Additional Time Chasing Relatives

    The Chapter 11 trustee overseeing Miles Guo's estate on Tuesday asked a Connecticut bankruptcy judge for six additional months to file potential clawback claims against six of the Chinese exile's relatives and business associates, saying he's examining money transfers from Australia and China and "bags of cash" for Guo's daughter.

  • August 12, 2025

    Feds Say High Court Case Supports Discord Trader Indictment

    Federal prosecutors and a group of men accused of running a $114 million pump-and-dump stock scheme over Discord have made their case for whether a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision means a judge was correct in tossing a 21-count indictment against the men.

  • August 12, 2025

    No New Foreign Bribery Trial For Ex-Connecticut Oil Trader

    A former Connecticut oil trader faces sentencing Nov. 4 after a federal judge declined to overturn a jury's verdict finding him guilty of paying bribes to an official at Brazilian oil giant Petroleo Brasileiro SA and laundering money.

  • August 12, 2025

    NM School Board Sues Feds Over Native American Bias Probe

    A New Mexico school board is suing the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and acting Chair Andrea Lucas, arguing they overstepped their authority by lodging an "overly broad and vague" Native American discrimination charge and probe against it.

  • August 12, 2025

    DOJ Demurs On Lawsuit Seeking Emil Bove Docs

    The U.S. Department of Justice is contesting a watchdog's lawsuit seeking to obtain public records requests on now-Third Circuit Judge Emil Bove, who was formerly President Donald Trump's criminal attorney and a top DOJ official.

  • August 12, 2025

    Pa. Guilty Plea Means Nothing To Malpractice Case, Atty Says

    An ex-chief financial officer suing his former attorney for allegedly coercing him into a consent agreement that landed him with an over $12 million judgment has urged a Florida federal court to keep his malpractice case against the attorney on track.

  • August 12, 2025

    Uber's Tip Led FBI To $5M 'Grandparent Scam' Ring, Feds Say

    A suspicious pattern of Uber trips to banks by older people led the company to contact the FBI, uncovering a multinational "grandparent scam" operation that stole $5 million from at least 400 people, Massachusetts federal prosecutors said Tuesday.

  • August 12, 2025

    AI Staffing Co. Joonko Gets OK To Wind Down In Ch. 11

    A Delaware bankruptcy judge on Tuesday approved Joonko Diversity Inc.'s Chapter 11 liquidation plan after the debtor resolved objections from shareholders and others, letting the artificial intelligence-powered recruitment firm wind down its business and repay creditors.

  • August 11, 2025

    5th Circ. Backs Mexican Banks' Subpoena For Fraud Case

    The Fifth Circuit on Monday refused to revive a Mexican businessman's motion to quash a subpoena stemming from major Mexican financial institutions' efforts to obtain discovery as they pursue claims that the businessman absconded with $32 million in loans, saying it detected "no error" in a lower court's denial.

  • August 11, 2025

    9th Circ. Affirms SEC Win In Life Insurance Investment Row

    The Ninth Circuit ruled in a published opinion Monday that fractional interests in life settlements are investment contracts and thus securities, backing the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's win against Pacific West Capital Group agents, who the SEC alleged sold unregistered securities and didn't properly register as broker-dealers.

  • August 11, 2025

    Feds Charge Mexican Businessmen In Pemex Bribery Scheme

    Two Mexican businessmen living in the U.S. are accused of taking part in a bribery scheme to secure at least $2.5 million in business with Mexico's state-owned oil company, Petróleos Mexicanos, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Monday.

  • August 11, 2025

    'Flipping NJ' Developer Fights Charges, Citing Habba's Role

    A New Jersey real estate developer and influencer, who is accused of running a Ponzi-like investment fraud scheme and laundering drug money, on Monday became the latest defendant to seek dismissal of his indictment over what he says was the illegal appointment of Alina Habba as acting U.S. attorney for the Garden State.

  • August 11, 2025

    11th Circ. Nixes Ineffective-Counsel Claim In Salmonella Case

    Peanut Corp. of America's former president and a food broker convicted for their roles in a salmonella outbreak that killed nine people and sickened more than 700 cannot throw out their prison sentences, the Eleventh Circuit ruled Monday, rejecting their assertion of ineffective counsel.

  • August 11, 2025

    GE, UNC Agree To $63M Uranium Mine Cleanup In New Mexico

    The United Nuclear Corp. and General Electric Co. agreed to a consent decree with the federal government, New Mexico and the Navajo Nation to spend $63 million on environmental cleanup at a decades-old uranium mine, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Monday.  

  • August 11, 2025

    How A Nonexistent Bar Unraveled A California Bribery Case

    The criminal case against Palm Springs, California, developer John Wessman hinged on a cooperating witness's testimony that Wessman hatched a plan with him at a bar to bribe the city's then-mayor, but his defense counsel from Keker Van Nest & Peters LLP blew up that story on cross-examination by demonstrating the bar hadn't even opened at that time, helping to obtain an acquittal.

Expert Analysis

  • New FCPA Guidance Creates 5 Compliance Imperatives

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    In light of new Foreign Corrupt Practices Act guidelines that mark a fundamental shift in enforcement priorities, companies should consider several specific steps to ensure compliance, from enhanced due diligence to robust whistleblower protections, says Andrew Wirmani at Reese Marketos.

  • How Justices' Ruling Limits Options To Challenge DHS Orders

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    In Riley v. Bondi, the U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled that a 30-day deadline for challenging deportation orders begins when the U.S. Department of Homeland Security issues a final administrative review order, opening the door for the government to effectively bar circuit court review in future similar cases, says Kevin Gregg at Kurzban Kurzban.

  • Series

    Playing The Violin Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Playing violin in a string quartet reminds me that flexibility, ambition, strong listening skills, thoughtful leadership and intentional collaboration are all keys to a successful legal practice, says Julie Park at MoFo.

  • DOJ Enforcement Trends To Watch In 2nd Half Of 2025

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    Recent investigations, settlements and a declination to prosecute suggest that controlling the flow of goods into and out of the country, and redressing what the administration sees as reverse discrimination, are likely to be at the forefront of the U.S. Department of Justice's enforcement agenda the rest of this year, say attorneys at Baker Botts.

  • Federal Regs Order May Spell Harsher FDCA Enforcement

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    A recent executive order aimed at reducing criminal prosecutions of those who unknowingly violate complex federal regulations may actually lead to more aggressive felony indictments under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, but companies and executives can mitigate risks by following several key principals, say attorneys at McGuireWoods.

  • DOJ's 1st M&A Declination Shows Value Of Self-Disclosures

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    The U.S. Department of Justice's recent decision not to charge private equity firm White Deer Management — the first such declination under an M&A safe harbor policy announced last year — signals that even in high-priority national security matters, the DOJ looks highly upon voluntary self-disclosures, say attorneys at Perkins Coie.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Practicing Self-Care

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    Law schools don’t teach the mental, physical and emotional health maintenance tools necessary to deal with the profession's many demands, but practicing self-care is an important key to success that can help to improve focus, manage stress and reduce burnout, says Rachel Leonard​​​​​​​ at MG+M.

  • ABA Opinion Makes It A Bit Easier To Drop A 'Hot Potato'

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    The American Bar Association's recent ethics opinion clarifies when attorneys may terminate clients without good cause, though courts may still disqualify a lawyer who drops a client like a hot potato, so sending a closeout letter is always a best practice, say attorneys at Thompson Hine.

  • 3rd-Party Audit Tactics To Improve Export Control Compliance

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    Companies should take a strategic approach to third-party audits in response to the Trump administration's ramp-up of export control enforcement with steps that strengthen their ability to identify the control weaknesses of distributors, dealers and resellers, say Michael Huneke at Hughes Hubbard, and John Rademacher and Abby Williams at Secretariat Advisors.

  • Evading DOJ Crosshairs As Data Security Open Season Starts

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    As the U.S. Department of Justice begins enforcing its new data security program — aimed at preventing foreign adversaries from accessing government-related and personal sensitive data — U.S. companies will need to understand the program’s contours and potential pitfalls to avoid potential civil liability or criminal scrutiny, say attorneys at Cohen & Gresser.

  • How Trump Admin Treasury Policies Are Reaching Banks

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    The Treasury Department has emerged as an important facilitator of the Trump administration's financial policies affecting banks, which are now facing deregulation domestically and the use of international economic authorities in cross-border trade and investment, say attorneys at Davis Polk.

  • Series

    My Opera And Baseball Careers Make Me A Better Lawyer

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    Though participating in opera and the world of professional baseball often pulls me away from the office, my avocations improve my legal career by helping me perform under scrutiny, prioritize team success, and maintain joy and perspective at work, says Adam Unger at Herrick Feinstein.

  • A Look At DOJ's Dropped Case Against Early Crypto Operator

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    The prosecution of an early crypto exchange operator over alleged unlicensed money transmission was recently dropped in Indiana federal court, showcasing that the U.S. Justice Department may be limiting the types of enforcement cases it will bring against digital asset firms, say attorneys at Greenberg Traurig.

  • Policy Shifts Bring New Anti-Money Laundering Challenges

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    In the second half of 2025, the U.S. anti-money laundering regulatory landscape is poised for decisive shifts in enforcement priorities, compliance expectations and legislative developments — so investment advisers and other financial institutions should take steps to prepare for potential new obligations and areas of risk, say attorneys at Linklaters.

  • 8 Ways Lawyers Can Protect The Rule Of Law In Their Work

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    Whether they are concerned with judicial independence, regulatory predictability or client confidence, lawyers can take specific meaningful actions on their own when traditional structures are too slow or too compromised to respond, says Angeli Patel at the Berkeley Center of Law and Business.

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