White Collar Crime

Which outside lawyers will represent Trump in Russian influence probe? Pick is reportedly made

Updated: President Donald Trump was personally involved in the search for outside lawyers to represent him in the special counsel’s investigation of his campaign and Russian influence in the election, according to the Washington Post.

May 24, 2017 8:31 AM CDT

Q&A: Stephen DiCarmine attorney talks about her client’s acquittal in Dewey criminal trial

On Monday, a Manhattan jury handed down a split verdict in a retrial of two former Dewey & LeBoeuf executives accused of securities fraud and conspiracy in the run-up to the firm’s collapse in 2012. The jury acquitted former executive director Stephen DiCarmine while convicting chief financial officer Joel Sanders.…

May 10, 2017 7:30 AM CDT

Philadelphia district attorney indicted on bribery and corruption charges

Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams is about to learn what life as a criminal defendant feels like. On Tuesday, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that the embattled prosecutor was indicted on more than 21 counts, including bribery, wire fraud and honest services fraud. According to the Inquirer, Williams is being accused…

Mar 21, 2017 4:01 PM CDT

Former Utah Attorney General Swallow is acquitted, praises Constitution

Former Utah Attorney General John Swallow expressed gratitude for a Constitution that protects the rights of the accused after his acquittal Thursday on public corruption charges. Jurors deliberated more than 12 hours before acquitting Swallow on nine charges, including receiving or soliciting a bribe and making false statements, report the…

Mar 3, 2017 10:45 AM CST

What will be the Trump administration’s enforcement priorities?

President Donald Trump’s administration is expected to bring significant change to enforcing laws. Despite the president’s at times unpredictable approaches to governance, a panel of experts provided some possibilities for enforcement priorities at the ABA Midyear Meeting in Miami. Although prognostication is no more than a wild guess in many…

Feb 4, 2017 5:40 PM CST

Judge is charged with money laundering in FBI sting operation

A magisterial district judge in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, has been indicted for alleged money laundering as a result of an FBI sting operation. Judge John Waltman was charged along with two others in an indictment (PDF) unsealed on Friday, report the Legal Intelligencer (sub. req.) and a press release. Waltman…

Dec 16, 2016 2:17 PM CST

Former politician’s sentence is among the longest for a US congressman

Former U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah was sentenced Monday to 10 years in prison for corruption, a term that is less than the amount sought by prosecutors but still among the longest sentences for a member of Congress. U.S. District Judge Harvey Bartle III imposed the sentence, report Philly.com, the Legal…

Dec 12, 2016 12:17 PM CST

Bank fraud law reaches scheme to cheat bank depositor of account funds, Supreme Court says

A person may be guilty of bank fraud under federal law even though he intended to cheat a bank depositor rather than the bank, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a unanimous opinion on Monday. Justice Stephen G. Breyer wrote the court’s decision (PDF) in the case of Lawrence Shaw.…

Dec 12, 2016 10:19 AM CST

Supreme Court upholds insider trading conviction for secondhand tippee

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled that a secondhand tippee who traded on confidential inside corporate information first passed between brothers can be convicted of insider trading even though the original tipper received no money or property for the tips. The Supreme Court upheld the conviction of Bassam Salman…

Dec 6, 2016 10:21 AM CST

Double jeopardy doesn’t bar retrial in case of inconsistent verdicts, Supreme Court rules

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled that double jeopardy doesn’t bar the partial retrial of a corporate president and a Puerto Rican senator when a jury delivered inconsistent verdicts, but the counts on which they were convicted were vacated because of incorrect jury instructions. The unanimous decision (PDF) by…

Nov 29, 2016 11:49 AM CST

Former prosecutor is accused of hiding million-dollar home purchases from bankruptcy court

A former Maricopa County, Arizona, prosecutor is accused in a federal indictment of hiding his purchase of million dollar homes and a Maserati as he sought bankruptcy protection. Scott Maasen, now a criminal defense lawyer in Scottsdale, was indicted on charges including conspiracy and fraudulent transfer of property, the Associated…

Nov 11, 2016 12:58 PM CST

Lawyer gets prison time after guilty plea in FBI money laundering sting

A former shareholder at Becker & Poliakoff in Florida was sentenced on Thursday to a year and a day in prison for taking $8,500 to launder money in what turned out to be an FBI sting. The lawyer, Alan Koslow, was also ordered to pay a $7,500 fine and $8,500…

Nov 11, 2016 8:00 AM CST

Former congressman is indicted for alleged false expense claims; ‘Downton Abbey’ decorating cited

Former U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock of Illinois was indicted on Thursday on charges of defrauding the federal government and his campaign committees out of about $100,000 by submitting false invoices for office redecorating and personal expenses. Schock was accused of covering up the fraud with false statements and paperwork, and…

Nov 10, 2016 3:03 PM CST

Former Dewey finance director signs new plea agreement with shorter recommended sentence

Former Dewey & LeBoeuf finance director Francis Canellas has signed a new plea agreement that carries a lesser recommended prison sentence. The new agreement signed by Francis Canellas admits to a scheme to defraud, and has a recommended sentence of one to three years in prison, the New York Law…

Oct 24, 2016 12:22 PM CDT

Acting on citizen complaint, New Jersey judge finds probable cause to investigate Chris Christie

Acting on a citizen complaint filed by a law school graduate, a New Jersey judge has found probable cause to investigate allegations that New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie committed official misconduct in the Bridgegate scandal. Municipal Presiding Judge Roy McGeady of Bergen County made the finding and issued a criminal…

Oct 14, 2016 9:21 AM CDT