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White Collar
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August 20, 2025
Error-Filled Pro Se Recusal Bid Draws Conn. Judge's Ire
A Connecticut federal judge will not docket a pro se recusal request in a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission fraud action accusing a man of skimming nearly $1 million in investments designated for hotel repair work, saying in a minute order that the defendant otherwise has counsel and submitted a meritless, error-riddled bid.
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August 20, 2025
NC Bankruptcy Atty Charged With 2nd-Degree Murder
A North Carolina bankruptcy attorney is facing murder charges after police said he shot and killed a 43-year-old man in a small town in the mountains over the weekend, court records show.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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."
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.Â
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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.
Expert Analysis
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Opinion
FCPA Shift Is A Good Start, But There's More DOJ Should Do
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.
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CARES Act Fraud Enforcement Is Unlikely To Slow Down
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.
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2025's First Half Brings Regulatory Detours For Fintechs
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.
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Opinion
Senate's 41% Litigation Finance Tax Would Hurt Legal System
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.
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3 Juror Psychology Principles For Expert Witness Testimony
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.
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What Baseball Can Teach Criminal Attys About Rule Of Lenity
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.
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Series
Performing As A Clown Makes Me A Better Lawyer
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.
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Perspectives
Justices' Sentencing Ruling Is More Of A Ripple Than A Wave
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.
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DOJ Atty Firing Highlights Tension Between 2 Ethical Duties
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.
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Series
Law School's Missed Lessons: Rejecting Biz Dev Myths
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.
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DOJ Has Deep Toolbox For Corporate Immigration Violations
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.
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Move Beyond Surface-Level Edits To Master Legal Writing
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.
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3 Rulings May Reveal Next Frontier Of Gov't Contract Cases
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.
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DOJ May Rethink Banning Firearms For Marijuana Users
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.
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EDNY Ruling May Limit Some FARA Conspiracy Charges
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.