11th Circuit Court

County Attorney Gets House Arrest in Redo of ‘Unreasonable’ Probation

A former government attorney at the helm of Monroe County, Fla., legal matters has been resentenced after a federal appeals court said his original five-year probation term in a public corruption case was “unreasonable.” But James Hendrick, 61, once again escaped prison time, reports the Miami Herald. Instead, he was…

Sep 11, 2009 8:45 PM CDT

Group Sues for Info About Reporters Paid By US to Cover Criminal Trial

At the same time that the United States was prosecuting five Cuban intelligence agents in Miami nearly a decade ago, the government’s Office of Cuba Broadcasting was also paying local journalists, on a freelance basis, to prepare critical media reports on the trial for a Cuban audience. That may have…

Sep 9, 2009 11:26 PM CDT

Well-Known Firm Argues Ex-Con’s Pro Se Case Over Web Privacy

A federal judge today began hearing arguments in a constitutional case initially brought pro se by a Georgia sex offender over a new state law requiring him to provide his Internet account information and passwords to authorities. Terrence White is now represented by an Atlanta law firm, Bondurant Mixson &…

Aug 25, 2009 9:58 PM CDT

Ex-UBS Banker Gets 40 Months in Swiss Bank Account Case

A former employee of a major Swiss bank was sentenced to a 40-month prison term by a federal judge in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., today. Prosecutors had recommended a 30-month term for Bradley Birkenfeld, 44, citing his cooperation in helping the government pursue some $20 billion in American taxpayer assets that…

Aug 21, 2009 7:25 PM CDT

Alleged Architect of Record Hack Attack is Computer Addict, His Lawyer Says

A defendant in what federal prosecutors describe as a hacking and identity theft case of record-breaking scope was a computer addict who spent much of his free time online since age 8, according to his lawyer. Albert Gonzalez, who is now 28, “didn’t go out in the sandbox or play…

Aug 21, 2009 5:15 PM CDT

Swiss Attorney Charged in UBS Case; US Lawyers Could Be Targeted, Too

An attorney and a banker from Switzerland were indicted today in a federal case in Florida for allegedly helping wealthy Americans evade taxes by putting assets in secret Swiss bank accounts. And, as a criminal probe continues, United States lawyers and bankers could face charges for misadvising clients, too, reports…

Aug 20, 2009 8:44 PM CDT

Banker Pointed Feds to 150 UBS Clients Now Under Investigation, Filing Says

More than 150 Americans with accounts at UBS AG are being investigated by federal authorities for potential tax fraud after a former employee of the Swiss bank helped point the finger at them, a government filing in a criminal case says. It recommends a 30-month prison term for the employee,…

Aug 18, 2009 5:00 PM CDT

‘Fervent, Lonely Dissents’ on the Rise in Death Penalty Cases

Some appeals court judges are apparently becoming increasingly frustrated with a 1996 law restricting habeas review of state death penalty convictions, as they voice ringing disapproval in dissenting opinions. The New York Times reviewed death penalty opinions by federal appeals courts and concluded that “fervent, lonely dissents, urging that a…

Aug 14, 2009 12:08 PM CDT

Taxing Dilemma for UBS Clients: Confess to IRS, or Wait and See?

As the Internal Revenue Service and a major Swiss bank continue to litigate over just how many names of secret UBS AG account-holders must be turned over to federal authorities, United States residents who have been illegal evading taxes by hiding assets offshore face a difficult dilemma. If they come…

Jul 30, 2009 10:15 PM CDT

Fla. City to Pay $55K to Bait Shop Ticketed for Displaying US Constitution

Lawyers for the city of Clearwater had said the Florida municipality was on solid legal ground when it fined a local bait shop over a fish mural painted on an exterior wall of the business. But after two federal judges disagreed that the city’s sign ordinance was constitutional as applied,…

Jul 28, 2009 7:13 PM CDT

Former Fla. Appeals Judge Charged in Mortgage Fraud Case

In a sad day for a man who made history as the first black graduate of Stetson University’s law school and the first black judge in his county’s circuit court, a former Florida appellate judge was criminally charged today with mortgage fraud. The filing in federal court in Tampa also…

Jul 23, 2009 9:04 PM CDT

Goldman Sachs Backs Down in Trademark Battle With Blogger

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. has backed down from an earlier claim that a blogger critical of the investment bank was violating its trademark. After sending a cease-and-desist letter earlier this year to Florida investment adviser Michael Morgan demanding that he stop using the firm’s name, Goldman Sachs has now agreed…

Jul 17, 2009 5:54 PM CDT

Trauner Cohen Used $1.3M ‘Filing Fees’ for Firm Expenses, Client Suit Contends

A Georgia law firm used more than $1.3 million that was supposed to have been spent to file over 15,000 debt collection lawsuits for its own expenses, a client lawsuit contends. The suit, which was filed against Trauner Cohen & Thomas in federal court in Atlanta earlier this month, asserts…

Jul 17, 2009 5:27 PM CDT

1st US Client Charged in UBS Swiss Bank Records Probe Pleads Guilty

A Florida accountant accused of using a secret account at Swiss bank UBS AG to conceal income has pleaded guilty. The plea by Steven Michael Rubinstein settles the first charges brought by U.S. authorities in an ongoing probe of the Swiss bank’s records concerning American account holders, reports the Wall…

Jun 25, 2009 6:26 PM CDT

DOJ Says It’s Not Backing Off Effort to Force UBS to ID Swiss Bank’s US Clients

Contrary to a recent New York Times report, the U.S. Department of Justice says it has no intention of backing off a high-profile federal lawsuit that seeks to force a Swiss bank to disclose the names of thousands of American customers who might have used secret accounts to avoid paying…

Jun 23, 2009 10:46 PM CDT