Try our Advanced Search for more refined results
White Collar
-
April 24, 2024
Metals Firm To Pay $66M Over Retirement Coin Scam
A California federal judge has ordered a metals trading firm to pay $66 million and each of its owners to pay between $1 million and $3 million to settle claims that they defrauded hundreds of investors by convincing them to sell their retirement securities to buy gold and silver coins at inflated prices.
-
April 24, 2024
Binance Founder Should Get 3 Years, Not Probation, Feds Say
Federal prosecutors asked a Washington federal judge to sentence Binance founder Changpeng Zhao to three years over his failure to implement an effective anti-money laundering program at his crypto exchange, but the founder said jail time isn't necessary since he's already paid "massive" fines and comparable cases haven't resulted in prison sentences.
-
April 24, 2024
Bill To Repeal 'Zombie' 1864 Abortion Ban Clears Ariz. House
Legislation that would repeal an 1864 law banning almost all abortions in Arizona narrowly cleared the state House on Wednesday after a handful of Republican lawmakers crossed party lines to help Democrats muscle the measure through following a bruising debate.
-
April 24, 2024
Chicago Museum Accuses New York DA Of Art Seizure Overreach
The Art Institute of Chicago has urged a New York criminal court to give back an Egon Schiele drawing seized by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, saying the artwork was never looted by Nazis and prosecutors have no business litigating a civil ownership dispute.
-
April 24, 2024
Trump Considered 'Co-Conspirator' In Mich. Elector Probe
Donald Trump and his former lawyers Rudy Giuliani and Jenna Ellis are considered unindicted co-conspirators in an alleged plot to cast Michigan's electoral votes for the former president following the 2020 election, a witness revealed Wednesday in criminal proceedings against the so-called false electors.
-
April 24, 2024
DEA Agent Who Sold Info To Private Detective Gets 4 Years
A Manhattan federal judge hit a suspended U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agent with a four-year prison sentence Wednesday after a jury convicted him of taking bribes from a Florida private investigator in exchange for spilling secrets about criminal investigations of narcotics dealers.
-
April 24, 2024
Student Gets 9 Mos. For Stalking China Democracy Activist
A Boston federal judge on Wednesday sentenced a Chinese national to nine months in prison for threatening a fellow student at the Berklee College of Music who had posted a pro-democracy flier on campus, citing a desire to deter other foreigners from engaging in criminal conduct to suppress speech.
-
April 24, 2024
Senate OKs Testimony And Evidence For Menendez Trial
U.S. senators and current and former staff members have received approval to testify at the bribery trial of Sen. Robert Menendez of New Jersey, which begins in federal court in New York on May 13.
-
April 24, 2024
Baldwin Alleges 'Rust' Prosecutors Abused Justice System
Alec Baldwin is accusing New Mexico prosecutors of committing a "mountain of misconduct" in pursuing a "wildly out of control" involuntary manslaughter case against the "Rust" actor-producer.
-
April 24, 2024
Feds Nab Latest OneCoin Plea On $35M Laundering Charge
An eighth defendant has been charged by federal prosecutors over the global OneCoin cryptocurrency scam and has pled guilty to laundering about $35 million in illicit proceeds through bank accounts he controlled in China and Hong Kong.
-
April 24, 2024
Trump Says 1890s Ruling Nixes Ga. False Filing Charges
Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday told a Georgia court a 134-year-old U.S. Supreme Court case requires the court to dismiss state charges that he made false filings in federal court in an alleged attempt to overturn the results of the last presidential election.
-
April 24, 2024
Trump Can't Subpoena Daniels For Alleged Bias In NY Trial
A New York state judge rejected Donald Trump's "overbroad" subpoena seeking records that the former president said would show bias by adult film star Stormy Daniels ahead of her testimony about an alleged hush money payment in 2016.
-
April 24, 2024
Ohio Law Formally Excuses Nursing Moms From Jury Duty
Prospective jurors who are nursing infants can avoid jury duty in Ohio, according to a bill Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed into law this week.
-
April 23, 2024
Maine Gov. Signs Bill Expanding Tribal Courts' Rights
Maine Democratic Gov. Janet Mills on Monday signed into law a bill that, so far, imposes the most significant change to the state's controversial Indian Claims Settlement Act since its passage more than two decades ago.
-
April 23, 2024
Feds Ask 30 Years For Ex-FDIC Atty In Child Exploitation Case
A former attorney with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. who admitted to participating in online groups aimed at sexually exploiting children should be sentenced to 30 years behind bars, prosecutors told a Virginia federal judge Tuesday, saying he "treated the online enticement of children like a sport."
-
April 23, 2024
Ex-Autonomy Tech Exec Doubted 'Bizarre' $6M Deal, Jury Told
Autonomy's ex-chief technology officer testified Tuesday in the California federal fraud trial of former CEO Michael Lynch that he had concerns about Autonomy's "bizarre" 2010 deal to sell $6 million in repackaged hardware, which prosecutors allege was never delivered and was only used to artificially inflate Autonomy's revenues.
-
April 23, 2024
Ex-Williams Sonoma Exec Pleads Not Guilty To Fraud
A former Williams Sonoma executive appeared remotely before a U.S. magistrate judge in California federal court on Tuesday and pleaded not guilty to an 18-count superseding indictment alleging he orchestrated a kickback scheme and another involving the diversion of payments.
-
April 23, 2024
Ripple Labs Says Its SEC Fine Should Be No More Than $10M
Blockchain firm Ripple Labs told a Manhattan federal judge that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's $2 billion remedies request over the firm's registration violation is proof of its "administrative overreach," and says it shouldn't be forced to pay more than $10 million over a finding related to its sales of cryptocurrency XRP.
-
April 23, 2024
Mich. Judge Threatens Contempt After Atty's 'Star Snitch' Post
A lawyer defending a Republican elector against criminal charges called a government witness a "star snitch" in a February Facebook post, prompting a Michigan state judge Tuesday to warn the entire courtroom that similar behavior going forward could lead to witness tampering charges.
-
April 23, 2024
Biz Owner Faces Second Jury Over Alleged VA Kickback Plot
An Illinois business owner faced his second federal jury Tuesday as prosecutors asserted he should be convicted of wire fraud for paying kickbacks to a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs clerk in exchange for medical equipment business that included "bogus" rental fees.
-
April 23, 2024
Feds Urge Court To Admit Ex-VP Info In Mogul's Bribery Case
Federal prosecutors have struck back against embattled insurance mogul Greg Linderg's attempt to keep evidence about a former employee's alleged involvement in a bribery scheme from a jury, telling the court that the employee's acquittal on related charges doesn't make evidence dealing with him inadmissible.
-
April 23, 2024
Tabloid Made Deal To Save Trump 'Embarrassment,' Jury Told
A longtime tabloid executive told a Manhattan jury Tuesday that he struck a secret deal with Donald Trump ahead of the 2016 presidential election to plant negative stories about his opponents and suppress salacious stories that could cause his campaign "embarrassment."
-
April 23, 2024
Biz Ownership Law Constitutional, Lawmakers Tell 11th Circ.
The Corporate Transparency Act is a garden-variety exercise of Congress' powers to address threats to national security, foreign affairs, commerce and tax collection, five Democratic lawmakers told the Eleventh Circuit, disputing a ruling that the law is unconstitutional.
-
April 23, 2024
Ex-Takeda Worker, Boyfriend To Plead Guilty In Invoice Scam
A former Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. employee and her boyfriend plan to plead guilty to a $2.3 million phony invoice scheme, their lawyers told a Massachusetts federal judge on Tuesday.
-
April 23, 2024
3 More Charged In Iranian Hacks Of Treasury, State Depts.
New York federal prosecutors have charged three more Iranian men for their alleged roles in a hacking campaign targeting the U.S. departments of Treasury and State as well as companies that held security clearances with the American government.
Expert Analysis
-
Complying With Enforcers' Ephemeral Messaging Guidance
Given federal antitrust enforcers’ recently issued guidance on ephemeral messaging applications, organizations must take a proactive approach to preserving short-lived communications — or risk criminal obstruction charges and civil discovery sanctions, say attorneys at Manatt.
-
New FinCEN Guide Provides Useful BOI Context For Banks
Financial institutions should review a new Financial Crimes Enforcement Network compliance guide for helpful details about how the agency's beneficial ownership information database should be used, though questions remain about the access rule and whether it will truly streamline bank borrowers' Corporate Transparency Act due diligence, says George Singer at Holland & Hart.
-
How Firms Can Ensure Associate Gender Parity Lasts
Among associates, women now outnumber men for the first time, but progress toward gender equality at the top of the legal profession remains glacially slow, and firms must implement time-tested solutions to ensure associates’ gender parity lasts throughout their careers, say Kelly Culhane and Nicole Joseph at Culhane Meadows.
-
How Echoing Techniques Can Derail Witnesses At Deposition
Before depositions, defense attorneys must prepare witnesses to recognize covert echoing techniques that may be used by opposing counsel to lower their defenses and elicit sensitive information — potentially leading to nuclear settlements and verdicts, say Bill Kanasky and Steve Wood at Courtroom Sciences.
-
Opinion
OFAC Should Loosen Restrictions On Arbitration Services
The Office of Foreign Assets Control regulations should be amended so that U.S. persons can provide arbitration services to sanctioned parties — this would help align OFAC policy with broader U.S. arbitration policy, promote efficiency, and effectively address related geopolitical and regulatory challenges, says Javier Coronado Diaz at Diaz Reus.
-
7 Common Myths About Lateral Partner Moves
As lateral recruiting remains a key factor for law firm growth, partners considering a lateral move should be aware of a few commonly held myths — some of which contain a kernel of truth, and some of which are flat out wrong, says Dave Maurer at Major Lindsey.
-
Series
Cheering In The NFL Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Balancing my time between a BigLaw career and my role as an NFL cheerleader has taught me that pursuing your passions outside of work is not a distraction, but rather an opportunity to harness important skills that can positively affect how you approach work and view success in your career, says Rachel Schuster at Sheppard Mullin.
-
Perspectives
Compassionate Release Grants Needed Now More Than Ever
After the U.S. Sentencing Commission's recent expansion of the criteria for determining compassionate release eligibility, courts should grant such motions more frequently in light of the inherently dangerous conditions presented by increasingly understaffed and overpopulated federal prisons, say Alan Ellis and Mark Allenbaugh at the Law Offices of Alan Ellis.
-
Communication Is Key As CFPB Updates Appeals Process
Though a recently updated Consumer Financial Protection Bureau rule expands financial institutions' abilities to appeal supervisory decisions, creating strong relationships and open communication channels with CFPB examiners may help resolve disputes faster than the more cumbersome formal process, says Jason McElroy at Saul Ewing.
-
Unpacking The New Russia Sanctions And Export Controls
Although geographically broad new prohibitions the U.S., U.K. and EU issued last week are somewhat underwhelming in their efforts to target third-country facilitators of Russia sanctions evasion, companies with exposure to noncompliant jurisdictions should pay close attention to their potential impacts, say attorneys at Shearman.
-
Mitigating Whistleblower Risks After High Court UBS Ruling
While it is always good practice for companies to periodically review whistleblower trainings, policies and procedures, the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent whistleblower-friendly ruling in Murray v. UBS Securities helps demonstrate their importance in reducing litigation risk, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.
-
Perspectives
Justices' Double Jeopardy Ruling Preserves Acquittal Sanctity
The U.S. Supreme Court’s unanimous decision last week in McElrath v. Georgia, barring the state from retrying a man acquitted of murder after a so-called repugnant verdict, is significant in the tangled web of double jeopardy jurisprudence for its brief and unequivocal protection of an acquittal’s finality, says Lissa Griffin at Pace Law School.
-
Steps For Companies New To Sanctions Compliance
Businesses newly required to implement compliance programs due to the increased breadth of mandatory sanctions and export controls, including 500 additional Russia sanctions announced last Friday, should closely follow the guidance issued by the Office of Foreign Assets Control and other regulators, say Jennifer Schubert and Megan Church at MoloLamken.
-
Bank Secrecy Act Lessons For Casinos After DOJ Settlements
The U.S. Department of Justice's recent settlements with the MGM Grand and Cosmopolitan casinos, resolving an investigation into alleged violations of the Bank Secrecy Act, signal a shift in the DOJ's enforcement focus and provide insight into potential pitfalls in anti-money laundering compliance programs, say attorneys at Jenner & Block.
-
High Court Forfeiture Case Again Pits Text Against Purpose
In oral arguments Tuesday in McIntosh v. U.S., the U.S. Supreme Court will consider whether a federal court can impose asset forfeiture on a defendant even if it doesn’t comply with timing rules, which may affect the broader interpretation of procedural deadlines — and tees up the latest battle between textualism and purposivism, say Anden Chow and Christian Bale at MoloLamken.