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White Collar
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April 17, 2024
Panel Agrees Pot Investor's Deal In 2017 Suit Nixes 2019 Suit
A Washington state appeals court has thrown out an investor's suit alleging that a cannabis venture failed to follow through on a deal to acquire ownership interest in exchange for a $650,000 investment, finding his settlement of a prior suit block his claims.
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April 17, 2024
Manatt Adds NY Bankruptcy, Financial Regulatory Partners
Manatt Phelps & Phillips LLP announced that it hired a pair of experienced New York-based attorneys who focus their practices on regulatory matters as partners in its bankruptcy and financial regulatory practices.
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April 17, 2024
Ex-Pharma Exec's Contempt Plea Rejected By Judge
A Massachusetts federal judge on Wednesday rejected a former pharmaceutical executive's agreement to plead guilty to contempt for using an alias to get around a consent judgment in a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission fraud case, saying both the former executive and the government knew he'd view the sentence as too low.
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April 17, 2024
'Fat Leonard' Prosecutors Say 5 More Plea Deals Tainted
Federal prosecutors in San Diego have agreed to let several former U.S. Navy officers withdraw their felony pleas in the "Fat Leonard" bribery scandal, citing "serious" lapses that wiped out other convictions in the high-profile case.
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April 17, 2024
Judge Delays Trial Over $20M Allegedly Hidden From IRS
A Florida federal judge agreed Wednesday to delay the trial of a Brazilian-American businessman accused of hiding $20 million from the Internal Revenue Service by using Swiss bank accounts, but told the defendant the new deadlines are firm.
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April 17, 2024
Stormy Daniels Says Trump Flubbed Subpoena At Nightclub
Stormy Daniels, the adult film star at the center of Donald Trump's hush money case, said the former president failed to properly serve her with a subpoena seeking evidence of alleged bias last month after the man dropped the papers at her feet outside a Brooklyn nightclub.
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April 17, 2024
Justices Rule Criminal Forfeiture Deadline Isn't Absolute
The U.S. Supreme Court held Wednesday that courts can issue forfeiture orders at sentencing in criminal cases even if prosecutors fail to submit a draft request prior to the court-ordered date, ruling noncompliance with the rule doesn't strip judges of the authority to direct defendants to hand over ill-gotten gains.
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April 17, 2024
Menendez's Defense Could Target Wife, Court Records Show
U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, facing trial next month on bribery and corruption charges, may resort to blaming his wife for concealing that anything about the couple's dealings with three New Jersey businessmen could be illegal, newly unsealed court papers show.
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April 16, 2024
Autonomy CEO Pressured JPMorgan Over Analyst, Jury Told
An ex-JPMorgan stock analyst testifying Tuesday in the criminal fraud trial of former Autonomy CEO Michael Lynch told jurors that the software company founder responded with hostility when his research reports questioned its growth, and that Lynch offered JPMorgan millions in business if he were taken off the Autonomy beat.
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April 16, 2024
Cooperation Helped Cable Co. Avoid Prosecution, Feds Say
The U.S. Department of Justice's fraud section has indicated it won't prosecute Proterial Cable America for allegedly fraudulently misrepresenting the safety standards compliance of its motorcycle brake hose assemblies because of the company's timely self-disclosure, cooperation and remediation, among other things.
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April 16, 2024
Corp. Transparency Act A Valid Use Of Powers, 11th Circ. Told
The U.S. Department of Treasury told the Eleventh Circuit that a federal district court erred in finding the Corporate Transparency Act unconstitutional, saying the lower court misunderstood the law's scope and relation to efforts to curb financial crime.
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April 16, 2024
Nothing 'Sinister' About Attys, Broker's Tax Plan, NC Jury Told
Two St. Louis attorneys and a North Carolina insurance agent on Tuesday tried to poke holes in an undercover IRS agent's investigation of what the government has characterized as a criminal tax avoidance scheme, which defense counsel sought to paint for the jury as a legal interpretation of federal tax law.
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April 16, 2024
Mich. Justice Questions Abuse Law's Missing Language
A Michigan Supreme Court justice on Tuesday challenged an attorney for a victim of a 1990s sexual assault on why the state Legislature didn't explicitly include retroactive language for a 2018 change that allowed survivors of Larry Nassar's abuse scandal more time to bring civil suits, noting that the law was specific in other areas.
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April 16, 2024
Trump, Insurer Defend $175M Bond In NY AG Case
Donald Trump and the Delaware insurer that agreed to post the former president's $175 million bond in his civil business fraud case told a Manhattan judge that they have the money in cash, after New York Attorney General Letitia James questioned the sufficiency of the bond.
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April 16, 2024
Ex-Fla. Lawmaker Didn't Break Election Laws, 11th Circ. Told
A former U.S. congressman from Florida urged the Eleventh Circuit on Tuesday to reverse a $456,000 fine imposed by a lower court over the Federal Election Commission's allegations that he violated campaign finance laws, saying the agency didn't follow pre-suit notice procedures while insisting he didn't break the law.
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April 16, 2024
Arms-Maker Gets 70 Years For Torture Under Rarely Used Law
A Pennsylvania man who owned an Iraqi weapons factory has been sentenced to 70 years in prison after being found guilty of abducting and torturing an employee who threatened to expose an illegal weapons manufacturing scheme, making him the second person convicted under a little-used federal statute.
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April 16, 2024
Ex-NBA Guard Gets 18 Months In Healthcare Scheme
A former Detroit Pistons point guard was sentenced to 18 months in prison Tuesday after being convicted of one of two counts over an alleged scheme to defraud the NBA's healthcare plan, with a Manhattan federal judge saying his proceeds were "not chump change" and faulting his behavior on pretrial release.
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April 16, 2024
CIA Says Litigating Assange Spying Suit Would Reveal Secrets
The Central Intelligence Agency has asked a New York federal judge to toss a case accusing it of unlawfully spying on lawyers and journalists who met with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, saying it cannot address those allegations without revealing protected state secrets.
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April 16, 2024
Jackson, Barrett Seek Enron Law Compromise In Jan. 6 Case
The U.S. Supreme Court grappled Tuesday with whether an obstruction of Congress statute enacted in the wake of an accounting scandal can be read broadly enough to prosecute alleged U.S. Capitol rioters.
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April 16, 2024
Ex-Mich. Speaker, Wife Charged With Embezzlement
Former Michigan House Speaker Lee Chatfield was charged Tuesday with criminally misusing money from his nonprofit to pay for family trips and designer clothing while in office, as the state attorney general called on lawmakers to beef up Michigan's "worthless" campaign finance laws.
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April 16, 2024
NJ Financial Counselor Cops To Defrauding Army Families
A New Jersey financial counselor with the U.S. Army and a major in the U.S. Army Reserve pled guilty in federal court on Tuesday to defrauding Gold Star families and other related crimes, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced.
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April 16, 2024
Ga. Sheriff's Abuse Conviction Should Stand, 11th Circ. Hints
An Eleventh Circuit panel on Tuesday appeared wary of dismissing the criminal conviction of Victor Hill, a former Georgia sheriff who was convicted in 2022 of violating the civil rights of detainees by strapping them to a chair for hours at a time.
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April 16, 2024
Ousted Fla. Atty To Seek Reelection Amid DeSantis Fight
Suspended Florida state attorney Andrew Warren announced Tuesday he's running for reelection as the top prosecutor in Hillsborough County, while he pursues an ongoing federal lawsuit against Gov. Ron DeSantis over his suspension.
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April 16, 2024
Feds Want To Boot Gibbons Atty From Menendez Bribery Case
Prosecutors plan to call a Gibbons PC attorney as a witness during the bribery trial of U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez of New Jersey and want him disqualified from representing another defendant in the case, they told a New York federal judge Tuesday.
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April 16, 2024
Meet The Atty For An Ex-Union Leader Facing His 3rd Trial
The only thing standing between ex-Philly union leader John Dougherty and a third conviction is attorney Greg Pagano, and he feels confident going into the next trial that things will be different.
Expert Analysis
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5 Things Trial Attorneys Can Learn From Good Teachers
Jennifer Cuculich at IMS Legal Strategies recounts lessons she learned during her time as a math teacher that can help trial attorneys connect with jurors, from the importance of framing core issues to the incorporation of different learning styles.
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Why Preemption Args Wouldn't Stall Trump Hush-Money Case
With former President Donald Trump's New York hush-money criminal trial weeks away, some speculate that he may soon move to stay the case on preemption grounds, but under the Anti-Injunction Act and well-settled case law, that motion would likely be quickly denied, says former New York Supreme Court Justice Ethan Greenberg, now at Anderson Kill.
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Insurance Implications Of Trump's NY Civil Fraud Verdict
A New York state trial court’s $450 million judgment against former President Donald Trump and affiliated entities for valuation fraud offers several important lessons for companies seeking to obtain directors and officers insurance, including the consequences of fraudulent misrepresentations and critical areas of underwriting risk, says Kevin LaCroix at RT ProExec.
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Opinion
European Union Criticisms Of The FCPA Are Misguided
Some in the European Union have criticized U.S. enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act for what they perceive as jurisdictional overreach, but this appears to overlook the crucial fact that jurisdiction is voluntary, and critics should focus instead on the lack of equivalent laws in their own region, say John Joy and YuTong Wang at FTI Law.
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Fintech Compliance Does Not Always Equal Bank Compliance
Recent enforcement actions are a reminder for banks working with financial technology providers — whether as partners to extend their reach or as internal resources to support existing operations — that few areas of risk need more frequent attention than Bank Secrecy Act and anti-money laundering compliance, says Christopher Couch at Phelps Dunbar.
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Making The Pitch For A Civil Resolution In A Criminal Case
Even without the depth of visibility into prosecutorial decision making offered by special counsel Robert Hur’s recently released report, defense counsel may be able to make the case for civil resolutions of criminal investigations while minimizing a potential negative response from prosecutors to such an argument, says Bill Athanas at Bradley Arant.
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Business Litigators Have A Source Of Untapped Fulfillment
As increasing numbers of attorneys struggle with stress and mental health issues, business litigators can find protection against burnout by remembering their important role in society — because fulfillment in one’s work isn’t just reserved for public interest lawyers, say Bennett Rawicki and Peter Bigelow at Hilgers Graben.
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Unpacking FinCEN's Proposed Real Estate Transaction Rule
Phil Jelsma and Ulrick Matsunaga at Crosbie Gliner take a close look at the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network's recently proposed rulemaking — which mandates new disclosures for professionals involved in all-cash real estate deals — and discuss best next steps for the broad range of businesses that could be affected.
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5 Ways To Hone Deposition Skills And Improve Results
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
Depositions must never be taken for granted in the preparations needed to win a dispositive motion or a trial, and five best practices, including knowing when to hire a videographer, can significantly improve outcomes, says James Argionis at Cozen O'Connor.
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Series
Skiing Makes Me A Better Lawyer
A lifetime of skiing has helped me develop important professional skills, and taught me that embracing challenges with a spirit of adventure can allow lawyers to push boundaries, expand their capabilities and ultimately excel in their careers, says Andrea Przybysz at Tucker Ellis.
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Practical Steps For Navigating New Sanctions On Russia
After the latest round of U.S. sanctions against Russia – the largest to date since the Ukraine war began – companies will need to continue to strengthen due diligence and compliance measures to navigate the related complexities, say James Min and Chelsea Ellis at Rimon.
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Justices' Trump Ballot Ruling: Purposivism In Textualist Garb
The U.S. Supreme Court’s Trump v. Anderson decision earlier this week, allowing former President Donald Trump to remain on state primary ballots, alleviates uncertainty and minimizes the potential for abuse in future cases, but is difficult to square with the court’s own account of its textualist interpretive methods, says Will Havemann at Hogan Lovells.
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Opinion
UK Whistleblowers Flock To The US For Good Reason
The U.K. Serious Fraud Office director recently brought renewed attention to the differences between the U.K. and U.S. whistleblower regimes — differences that may make reporting to U.S. agencies a better and safer option for U.K. whistleblowers, and show why U.K. whistleblower laws need to be improved, say Benjamin Calitri and Kate Reeves at Kohn Kohn.
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Think Like A Lawyer: Forget Everything You Know About IRAC
The mode of legal reasoning most students learn in law school, often called “Issue, Rule, Application, Conclusion,” or IRAC, erroneously frames analysis as a separate, discrete step, resulting in disorganized briefs and untold obfuscation — but the fix is pretty simple, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.
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Zero-Point Offender Eligibility May Hinge On Meaning Of 'And'
Some white collar defendants’ eligibility for the new zero-point offender sentencing adjustment comes down to whether the word “and” really means “and” — a question the U.S. Supreme Court is set to resolve in its upcoming Pulsifer v. U.S. decision, which could affect thousands of incarcerated people, say Brandon McCarthy and Nikita Yogeshwarun at Katten.