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White Collar

  • August 20, 2025

    Counsel Switch For 'Jailhouse Lawyer' Comes With Warning

    A New York City recidivist fraudster convicted of fleecing inmates' families by charging them for unauthorized legal filings got new counsel on Wednesday, after a Manhattan federal judge said she thinks he is "playing games" ahead of a potentially long sentence.

  • August 20, 2025

    Insurers Say Gov't Misusing FCA To Get Medicare Cost Cap

    Insurers accused of paying brokers to steer customers to their Medicare Advantage plans asked a Massachusetts federal judge to dismiss a False Claims Act lawsuit, saying the government is mischaracterizing legal payments for marketing as kickbacks in an attempt to impose caps it has thus far been unable to obtain.

  • August 20, 2025

    Trump Says Fed's Cook 'Must Resign' Amid Loan Fraud Claim

    President Donald Trump's Federal Housing Finance Agency chief on Wednesday accused Federal Reserve Gov. Lisa Cook of potential mortgage fraud and said he has referred the matter to federal prosecutors, prompting Trump to call for Cook's immediate resignation — a call she has rejected.

  • August 19, 2025

    Judge Bans Texas Atty He Says Is 'Incapable Of Honesty'

    A federal judge has indefinitely suspended attorney J. Shelby Sharpe from practicing law in the Northern District of Texas after he helped supposedly erstwhile clients dodge judgments, saying the attorney is seemingly "incapable of honesty."

  • August 19, 2025

    Texas Co., Exec To Pay $12.4M In Customs Evasion FCA Suit

    A Dallas-based countertop and cabinetry product supplier and its president agreed on Tuesday to pay more than $12.4 million to settle a False Claims Act suit alleging they conspired to evade import duties on quartz products from China, with more than $2.1 million designated for a whistleblower.

  • August 19, 2025

    Lab Owner Gets 3 Years For $40M COVID-19 Test Fraud

    A co-founder of a laboratory accused of submitting $40 million in unnecessary COVID-19 and genetic testing claims to healthcare benefit programs was sentenced to three years in prison Tuesday, after a Florida federal judge credited him for the extensive cooperation he provided the government before and during a trial against his co-defendants.

  • August 19, 2025

    Ex-CBD Water Co. CEO Cops To Wire Fraud In Stock Scheme

    A former CEO of a microcap issuer purportedly in the cannabis beverage business has copped to wire fraud in connection with kickbacks and related transactions involving undercover law enforcement that he initiated as part of an alleged long-running scheme to manipulate prices for the company's shares.

  • August 19, 2025

    Calif. Man Gets 8 Years For Shipping Firearms To North Korea

    A Chinese national has been sentenced in Los Angeles federal court to eight years in prison after pleading guilty to illegally exporting firearms, ammunition and other military items to North Korea in exchange for $2 million, prosecutors said Monday.

  • August 19, 2025

    Bribery Case Against Rep. Cuellar And His Wife Trimmed

    A federal judge agreed Tuesday to drop two counts from a bribery indictment against U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, and his wife, but said dropping the counts did not warrant dismissal of the entire indictment.

  • August 19, 2025

    Family Alleging Firm's Girardi Conflict Denied Partial Win

    A Los Angeles judge Tuesday denied a family's motion seeking judgment on declaratory relief claims in a $1.8 million malpractice lawsuit against a firm that represented it in recovering millions lost in Girardi Keese's embezzlement scandal, saying disputed facts remain in the "unusual" case.

  • August 19, 2025

    Detroit Fund Owner Gets 100 Months For $39M Investor Fraud

    The former CEO and majority owner of a Detroit-based hedge fund firm was sentenced Monday to 100 months in federal prison for his role in a scheme to obtain more than $39 million from investors by lying about the fund's and investors' individual financial performance.

  • August 19, 2025

    CFTC Wins $228M Restitution Order Against Ponzi Schemer

    A New York federal judge on Tuesday ruled that it was "ludicrous" for a man who pled guilty to running a Ponzi scheme to try to escape punishment in a related suit brought by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, ordering him to repay his victims over $228 million.

  • August 19, 2025

    Insurers Avoid Coverage For Alleged $8.5M Judgment Scheme

    Two insurers owed no coverage to companies facing abuse of process claims, a Minnesota federal court ruled in two separate cases decided on the same issues, finding that commercial general liability policies' coverage for malicious prosecution did not apply.

  • August 19, 2025

    Ex-Girardi Keese Atty Pleads Not Guilty To Chicago Charges

    Former Girardi Keese attorney Keith Griffin pled not guilty Tuesday to a Chicago indictment accusing him of helping Tom Girardi violate court orders to disburse settlement funds to certain plane crash clients and concealing the theft of those funds.

  • August 19, 2025

    Former Husch Blackwell Chair Named Missouri AG

    Former Husch Blackwell LLP chair Catherine L. Hanaway has been appointed Missouri's next attorney general by Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe, according to the firm on Tuesday.

  • August 19, 2025

    SEC Alleges Fla. Woman Ran $5.7M Trading Fraud Scheme

    A New York woman and her dissolved Florida companies face U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission allegations they raised $5.7 million from over 200 investors, promising extraordinary returns from sophisticated trading techniques before misappropriating funds, losing money on risky trades and keeping investors in the dark with a Ponzi-like payment scheme.

  • August 19, 2025

    Trump's 'Abnormal' Use Of FCA Could Get Tricky In Court

    The Trump administration is wielding the False Claims Act in unusually narrow ways to drive policies on social and cultural issues — including gender-affirming care and diversity, equity and inclusion programs — but the government's potential theories of liability under the federal law remain largely untested and might not hold up in court, experts say.

  • August 18, 2025

    NJ Feds Say Habba's US Atty Role Unusual, But Not Unlawful

    Acting U.S. Attorney Alina Habba on Monday doubled down on her argument that President Donald Trump legally appointed her New Jersey's top federal prosecutor, telling a federal judge that this is simply "an unusual situation" created when the district court last month refused to extend her interim tenure.

  • August 18, 2025

    Ex-NY AG Immune From Malicious Prosecution Suit

    Former New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has immunity from a suit by a former New York City Council member claiming wrongful prosecution, a federal judge has ruled.

  • August 18, 2025

    SDNY Judges OK Trump's Selection Of Jay Clayton As US Atty

    The Southern District of New York on Monday permitted Jay Clayton to continue overseeing the district's prosecutorial office, appointing Clayton as U.S. attorney just a day before his tenure as interim U.S. attorney was set to expire.

  • August 18, 2025

    Insurers Avoid Defending Ericsson In Terrorist Payment Suits

    Units of Travelers and Chubb have no duty to defend Swedish telecommunications company Ericsson Inc. over claims it paid protection money to foreign terrorist organizations so its projects and other business interests wouldn't be attacked, a Texas federal court ruled Monday.

  • August 18, 2025

    Fla. Rapper Sentenced To 3½ Years In Prison For $1M Fraud

    A Florida federal judge sentenced a Miami rapper to more than three years in prison after a jury convicted him of fraud-related charges in connection with a scheme to defraud luxury merchandise vendors of more than $1 million. 

  • August 18, 2025

    Ex-Lovesac Execs Stuck With Bulk Of SEC Fraud Suit

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's suit against two former executives of beanbag chair maker Lovesac will move forward after a Connecticut federal judge ruled that the SEC had adequately pled knowledge of wrongdoing by the defendants and the materiality of alleged misstatements.

  • August 18, 2025

    AGs Sue DOJ For Tying Victim Aid To ICE Enforcement

    A coalition of 21 state attorneys general, led by Matthew Platkin of New Jersey, filed suit against the Trump administration on Monday, accusing it of unlawfully tying $1 billion in crime victim funding to immigration enforcement, a move they say defies congressional intent and jeopardizes critical support for survivors.

  • August 18, 2025

    Lawmaker Pans 'Selective' Charges Over ICE Facility Clash

    U.S. Rep. LaMonica McIver has moved to dismiss criminal charges against her from a May confrontation with federal agents at an immigrant detention center in Newark, New Jersey, arguing she is immune from prosecution under the U.S. Constitution's speech or debate clause and is being selectively targeted by the government.

Expert Analysis

  • How Attorneys Can Make The Most Of A Deposition Transcript

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    With recent amendments to federal evidence rules now in effect, it’s more important than ever to make sure that deposition transcripts are clear and precise, and a few key strategies can help attorneys get the most out of a transcript before, during and after a deposition, says Allison Rocker at Baker McKenzie.

  • Getting Ahead Of The SEC's Continued Focus On Cyber, AI

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is showing it will continue to scrutinize actions involving cybersecurity and artificial intelligence, but there are proactive measures that companies and financial institutions can take to avoid regulatory scrutiny going forward, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • 3 Steps For In-House Counsel To Assess Litigation Claims

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    Before a potential economic downturn, in-house attorneys should investigate whether their company is sitting on hidden litigation claims that could unlock large recoveries to help the business withstand tough times, says Will Burgess at Hilgers Graben.

  • IRS And ICE Info Sharing Could Drive Payroll Tax Enforcement

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    Tax crimes are historically difficult to prosecute, but the Internal Revenue Services’ recent agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to share taxpayer records of non-U.S. citizens could be used to enhance payroll tax-related enforcement against their employers, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • Series

    Teaching College Students Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Serving as an adjunct college professor has taught me the importance of building rapport, communicating effectively, and persuading individuals to critically analyze the difference between what they think and what they know — principles that have helped to improve my practice of law, says Sheria Clarke at Nelson Mullins.

  • A New Tool For Assessing Kickback Risks In Health Marketing

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    The Seventh Circuit's recent decision in U.S. v. Sorensen, reversing a conviction after trial of a durable medical equipment distributor, highlights two principle considerations for determining whether payments to marketers in healthcare are unlawful under the Anti-Kickback Statute, says Elisha Kobre at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Crunching The Numbers Of Trump SEC's 1st 100 Days

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    During the first 100 days of the second Trump administration, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission brought significantly fewer stand-alone enforcement actions than at the beginning of the Biden and the first Trump administrations, with every one of the federal court complaints including allegations of fraudulent conduct, say attorneys at Dentons.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: From DOJ Enviro To Mid-Law

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    Practitioners leaving a longtime government role for private practice — as when I departed the U.S. Department of Justice’s environmental enforcement division — should prioritize finding a firm that shares their principles, values their experience and will invest in their transition, says John Cruden at Beveridge & Diamond.

  • AG Watch: Letitia James' Major Influence On Federal Litigation

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    While the multistate cases brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James appear to be based upon her interpretation of the effect of the Trump administration's policies on New York state and its residents, most also have a decidedly political tone to them, says Dennis Vacco at Lippes Mathias.

  • 3 Change Management Tools To Boost Compliance Efforts

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    As companies grapple with rapidly changing regulations and expectations, leaders charged with implementing their organizations’ compliance programs should look to change management principles to make the process less costly and more effective, says Liisa Thomas at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Understanding How Jurors Arrive At Punitive Damage Awards

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    Much of the rising trend of so-called thermonuclear verdicts can be tied to punitive damages amounts that astonish the imagination, so attorneys must understand the psychological underpinnings that drive jurors’ decision-making calculus on damages, says Clint Townson at Townson Litigation.

  • DOJ Memo Maps Out A Lighter Touch For Digital Assets

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    A recent memo issued by the Justice Department signals a less aggressive approach toward the digital asset industry, with notable directives including disbandment of the National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team, a higher evidentiary bar for unlicensed money transmitting, and prosecutions of individuals rather than platforms, say attorneys at Cleary.

  • Legal Ethics Considerations For Law Firm Pro Bono Deals

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    If a law firm enters into a pro bono deal with the Trump administration in exchange for avoiding or removing an executive order, it has an ethical obligation to create a written settlement agreement with specific terms, which would mitigate some potential conflict of interest problems, says Andrew Altschul at Buchanan Angeli.

  • Series

    Playing Football Made Me A Better Lawyer

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    While my football career ended over 15 years ago, the lessons the sport taught me about grit, accountability and resilience have stayed with me and will continue to help me succeed as an attorney, says Bert McBride at Trenam.

  • 10 Arbitrations And A 5th Circ. Ruling Flag Arb. Clause Risks

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    The ongoing arbitral saga of Sullivan v. Feldman, which has engendered proceedings before 10 different arbitrators in Texas and Louisiana along with last month's Fifth Circuit opinion, showcases both the risks and limitations of arbitration clauses in retainer agreements for resolving attorney-client disputes, says Christopher Blazejewski at Sherin and Lodgen.

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