À¶Ý®ÊÓÆµ

White Collar

  • August 27, 2025

    Ukrainian Money Laundering Claim Against U.S. Is Paused

    Claimants in a $24 million arbitration accusing the U.S. government of overstepping its authority by initiating forfeiture proceedings aimed at unraveling an alleged Ukrainian money laundering scheme have agreed to suspend the claim for now, according to a notice.

  • August 27, 2025

    IRL App Cofounder Indicted In Alleged $170M Fraud Scheme

    The co-founder of the media app IRL was indicted on Wednesday in a California federal court for wire fraud, securities fraud and obstruction over an alleged scheme to defraud investors out of $170 million by hiding that the app's growth was fueled by artificially generated traffic.

  • August 27, 2025

    Investors Accuse Suns Owner Of Undermining Minority Stakes

    Two groups holding minority stakes in the NBA's Phoenix Suns and WNBA's Phoenix Mercury sued for company documents in Delaware's Court of Chancery Wednesday, alleging there is a lack of transparency and majority owner Mat Ishbia is attempting to dilute their investment.

  • August 27, 2025

    SEC Nets $46M Default Judgment In Crypto Fraud Case

    A purported cryptocurrency mining and trading company and its founders are on the hook for over $46 million in combined payments to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission after allegedly defrauding potentially over 65,500 investors out of $28 million, a Florida federal judge has determined.

  • August 27, 2025

    Church Leaders Charged In Forced Labor, Laundering Scheme

    Two self-proclaimed religious leaders forced people to work in call centers to raise millions of dollars that the pair spent on jet skis and other luxuries in a money laundering scheme investigated by the IRS, according to an indictment unsealed Wednesday in Michigan federal court.

  • August 27, 2025

    Feds Seek 7-Year Bribery Sentence For Nadine Menendez

    The federal government is seeking a seven-year prison sentence for the wife of former U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, who was convicted of a scheme in which the couple accepted gold, cash and a luxury car in exchange for the New Jersey Democrat's political favors to three businessmen.

  • August 27, 2025

    Jailed Pastor Cites Adams Dismissal In Bid To Beat Charges

    A clergyman serving a nine-year sentence for fraud cited his ties to New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Wednesday in a bid to have his conviction overturned in the wake of the Trump administration's dismissal of the charges against Adams.

  • August 27, 2025

    Veteran Federal Prosecutor Joins McKool Smith In Dallas

    McKool Smith has deepened its civil litigation and white collar offerings with a principal in Dallas who recently served as deputy chief of the criminal division for the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Northern District of Texas.

  • August 26, 2025

    Joseph Nocella Jr. Appointed US Attorney For EDNY

    Joseph Nocella Jr. on Tuesday was reportedly appointed as the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York, having served as the district's interim top prosecutor since early May.

  • August 26, 2025

    Feds Appeal No-Jail Sentences In $577M Crypto Fraud Case

    Federal prosecutors said Tuesday that they're appealing the time-served sentences for two Estonian nationals who pled guilty to wire fraud conspiracy in connection with a $577 million cryptocurrency mining Ponzi scheme, while the federal judge who handed down the sentencings called them "one of the most difficult" of his career.

  • August 26, 2025

    Piers Morgan Wants Iran 'Spy' Defamation Suit Tossed

    Piers Morgan on Tuesday asked a Massachusetts federal judge to toss a political scientist's defamation suit, with the broadcaster arguing that a podcast introduction calling the scientist an alleged spy is backed up by both federal criminal charges and the plaintiff's own account of his situation.

  • August 26, 2025

    Firm Says It Shouldn't Owe SEC For Ex-Owner's Alleged Fraud

    A now-shuttered investment advisory firm has opposed the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's attempt to hold it jointly liable for a $5 million judgment alongside its former owner who was accused of scamming elderly clients, arguing it did not profit from the alleged exploitation.

  • August 26, 2025

    Atty In Voting Machine Case Tries To Delay Discipline Hearing

    Michigan lawyer Matthew DePerno, who is facing felony charges accusing him of illegally accessing voting machines after the 2020 election, urged an attorney disciplinary panel on Monday to push back his September misconduct hearing, claiming he is having trouble finding counsel to represent him.

  • August 26, 2025

    FINRA Fines US Bank Unit $500K Over Missed AML Reports

    A broker-dealer unit of U.S. Bank has been fined $500,000 by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority following the FINRA member's realization that it had missed windows for filing certain reports of suspicious transactions.

  • August 26, 2025

    SEC Says Nikola's Ch. 11 Plan Mischaracterizes $80M Penalty

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission objected to the Chapter 11 plan of electric-truck maker Nikola Corp. on Tuesday, saying the plan improperly treats the agency's $80 million civil penalty claim as if it were a damages claim behind other unsecured creditors in the priority scheme.

  • August 26, 2025

    5th Circ. Says Fed. Law Explicitly Bars Ex-CEO's NCUA Suit

    The Fifth Circuit on Monday refused to revive a former Texas credit union CEO's constitutional challenge to an enforcement action the National Credit Union Administration had brought against him for alleged banking misconduct, saying in a published opinion that federal law explicitly stripped a district court's jurisdiction over the matter.

  • August 26, 2025

    Md. Pharmacy Owner Gets 1 Year For Filing False Tax Returns

    A Baltimore pharmacy owner was sentenced to just over one year in prison after filing fraudulent tax returns and underreporting his income to the Internal Revenue Service by more than $3.5 million, federal prosecutors announced Tuesday.

  • August 26, 2025

    CFTC's Last Dem Member Departing Agency

    The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission's sole remaining Democrat, Kristin Johnson, announced Tuesday that she will be departing the agency next week, leaving it in the hands of acting Chair Caroline Pham.

  • August 26, 2025

    No Immunity For Wis. Judge Charged With ICE Interference

    A Wisconsin federal judge on Tuesday rejected a motion to dismiss from a state judge accused of helping an unauthorized immigrant escape arrest by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, turning down her argument that she is protected by judicial immunity.

  • August 26, 2025

    Fed's Lisa Cook Preps Lawsuit Over Trump Firing

    Federal Reserve Gov. Lisa Cook is preparing to file a lawsuit over President Donald Trump's announcement that she has been terminated from her position, allegedly for committing mortgage fraud, her lawyer said Tuesday.

  • August 26, 2025

    DOJ Terrorism Prosecutor Joins Stris & Maher As DC Partner

    California-headquartered Stris & Maher LLP said Tuesday it has hired a former national security attorney from the U.S. Department of Justice, who joined the firm after ending a trial in which the government proved a Michigan man experimented with bomb making in support of ISIS.

  • August 25, 2025

    LA Atty Used Client Trust Acct. To Hide $2.1M Bribe, Jury Told

    A California divorce attorney accepted a $2.1 million bribe from a Swiss oil company related to his work in Nigeria and laundered the money through his U.S. client trust account, a prosecutor told a federal jury in Los Angeles on Monday during opening statements in the attorney's criminal trial. 

  • August 25, 2025

    DOJ Antitrust Whistleblowers May Find Ally At The Post Office

    The U.S. Department of Justice's new whistleblower program brings the Antitrust Division in line with other programs across the DOJ and at other agencies, although it may have a particularly broad scope thanks to a unique partnership with the U.S. Postal Service.

  • August 25, 2025

    Trump Plans To Withdraw Federal Funding Over Cashless Bail

    President Donald Trump said Monday that he would suspend or terminate federal funds provided to any jurisdictions that have adopted cashless bail policies, calling the reforms a "failed experiment" that allow repeat criminals to "mock our justice system."

  • August 25, 2025

    SEC Nabs $1.1M Over Alleged Blue Apron Insider Trading

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission announced that an Arizona man will pay over $1.1 million to settle claims he traded shares of meal kit company Blue Apron Holdings Inc. on inside information he learned from a family member who was also a senior executive at the company.

Expert Analysis

  • Opinion

    FCPA Shift Is A Good Start, But There's More DOJ Should Do

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Department of Justice’s new Foreign Corrupt Practices Act guidelines bring a needed course correction amid overexpansive enforcement, but there’s more the DOJ can do to provide additional clarity and predictability for global companies, say attorneys at Norton Rose.

  • CARES Act Fraud Enforcement Is Unlikely To Slow Down

    Author Photo

    In the five years since the passage of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, the federal government has devoted massive resources to investigating CARES Act fraud — and all signs suggest the U.S. Department of Justice will continue vigorous enforcement in this area, say attorneys at Kostelanetz.

  • 2025's First Half Brings Regulatory Detours For Fintechs

    Author Photo

    The first half of the year has resulted in a bifurcated regulatory environment for fintechs, featuring narrowed enforcement in some areas, heightened scrutiny in others and a policy window that, with proper compliance, offers meaningful opportunities for innovation, say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Opinion

    Senate's 41% Litigation Finance Tax Would Hurt Legal System

    Author Photo

    The Senate’s latest version of the Big Beautiful Bill Act would impose a 41% tax on the litigation finance industry, but the tax is totally disconnected from the concerns it purports to address, and it would set the country back to a time when small plaintiffs had little recourse against big defendants, says Anthony Sebok at Cardozo School of Law.

  • 3 Juror Psychology Principles For Expert Witness Testimony

    Author Photo

    Expert witnesses can sometimes fall into traps when trying to teach juries complex topics by failing to consider the psychology of juror comprehension, but attorneys can help witnesses avoid these pitfalls with a deeper understanding of cognitive lag, chunking and learning styles, says Steve Wood at Courtroom Sciences.

  • What Baseball Can Teach Criminal Attys About Rule Of Lenity

    Author Photo

    Judges tend to assess ambiguous criminal laws not unlike how baseball umpires approach checked swings, so defense attorneys should consider how to best frame their arguments to maximize courts' willingness to invoke the rule of lenity, wherein a tie goes to the defendant, says Jonathan Porter at Husch Blackwell.

  • Series

    Performing As A Clown Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    To say that being a clown in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has changed my legal career would truly be an understatement — by creating an opening to converse on a unique topic, it has allowed me to connect with clients, counsel and even judges on a deeper level, says Charles Tatelbaum at Tripp Scott.

  • Perspectives

    Justices' Sentencing Ruling Is More Of A Ripple Than A Wave

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision last week in Esteras v. U.S., limiting the factors that lower courts may consider in imposing prison sentences for supervised release violations, is symbolically important, but its real-world impact will likely be muted for several reasons, say attorneys at Perkins Coie.

  • DOJ Atty Firing Highlights Tension Between 2 Ethical Duties

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Department of Justice's recent firing of a prosecutor-turned-whistleblower involved in the Abrego Garcia v. Noem case illustrates the tricky balancing act between zealous client advocacy and a lawyer’s duty of candor to the court, which many clients fail to appreciate, says David Atkins at Yale Law School.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Rejecting Biz Dev Myths

    Author Photo

    Law schools don’t spend sufficient time dispelling certain myths that prevent young lawyers from exploring new business opportunities, but by dismissing these misguided beliefs, even an introverted first-year associate with a small network of contacts can find long-term success, says Ronald Levine at Herrick Feinstein.

  • DOJ Has Deep Toolbox For Corporate Immigration Violations

    Author Photo

    With the U.S. Department of Justice now offering rewards to whistleblowers who report businesses that employ unauthorized workers, companies should understand the immigration enforcement landscape and how they can reduce their risk, say attorneys at McDermott.

  • Move Beyond Surface-Level Edits To Master Legal Writing

    Author Photo

    Recent instances in which attorneys filed briefs containing artificial intelligence hallucinations offer a stark reminder that effective revision isn’t just about superficial details like grammar — it requires attorneys to critically engage with their writing and analyze their rhetorical choices, says Ivy Grey at WordRake.

  • 3 Rulings May Reveal Next Frontier Of Gov't Contract Cases

    Author Photo

    Several U.S. Supreme Court decisions over the past year — involving wire fraud, gratuities and obstruction — offer wide-ranging and arguably conflicting takeaways for government contractors that are especially relevant given the Trump administration’s focus on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, say attorneys at Rogers Joseph.

  • DOJ May Rethink Banning Firearms For Marijuana Users

    Author Photo

    In light of various federal circuit court decisions and an executive order from President Donald Trump, U.S. Department of Justice enforcement policy now may be on the verge of changing decidedly in favor of marijuana users' gun rights, and could foreshadow additional marijuana-friendly reforms, says Jacob Raver at Dentons.

  • EDNY Ruling May Limit Some FARA Conspiracy Charges

    Author Photo

    Though the Eastern District of New York’s recent U.S. v. Sun decision upheld Foreign Agents Registration Act charges against a former aide to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, its recognition of an affirmative legislative policy to exempt some officials may help defendants charged with related conspiracies, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.

Want to publish in À¶Ý®ÊÓÆµ?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here
Can't find the article you're looking for? Click here to search the White Collar archive.