» White Collar Crimes
US vs. Razzouk: Second Circuit Addresses the Mandatory Victims Restitution Act
January 13th, 2021
In 2011, Sassine Razzouk pled guilty and was convicted of accepting bribes in violation of 18 U.S.C. §666(a)(1)(B) and three counts of tax evasion in violation of 26 U.S.C. §7201. Razzouk was accused of manipulating contractor bidding systems while…
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BitMex: Inadequate Anti-Money Laundering Program
January 6th, 2021
On October 1, 2020, federal prosecutors filed criminal charges against the founders of BitMex, an offshore cryptocurrency derivatives exchange. BitMex executives are charged with violating the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) and conspiring to violate the BSA…
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An Analysis: SEC 2020 Financial Fraud Actions
December 7th, 2020
On September 30, 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) closed its books on FY2020 and, on November 2, released its 2020 Annual Report. Analysts have begun reviewing SEC enforcement actions to reach conclusions about the types of financia…
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U.S. DOJ’s Cyber-Digital Task Force Issues Crypto Guidance
November 12th, 2020
On October 8, 2020, the United States Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Cyber-Digital Task Force released new cryptocurrency guidelines. The 83 page report, entitled “Cryptocurrency: An Enforcement Framework” identifies cryptocurrency users’ lega…
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USA v. Huberfeld: Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud
October 13th, 2020
Sentence Vacated Following Improper Application of Federal Sentencing Guidelines In United States v. Huberfeld, 2nd Cir. No. 19-436(L), the Second Circuit Court of Appeals vacated a 30-month prison sentence and a $19 million order of restitution in a…
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2019 – WHITE COLLAR CASES REVIEWED
January 16th, 2020
FEDERAL HEALTH CARE FRAUD – “Pill Mills,” Medicare “Anti-Kickback” Frauds This year, the U.S. Department of Justice brought charges against numerous doctors and health care professionals alleging illegal distribution of millions of opioids…
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Bank Fraud Convictions Reversed
The Sixth Circuit’s in United States v. Banyan, reversed the defendants’ bank fraud convictions. The reason: the government didn’t show the defendants got any money from a bank. The court held: “…the government charged the defendants with t…
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3rd Circuit Upholds Conviction for Securities Fraud For Trading On Information Learned At Alcoholics Anonymous Meeting
August 16th, 2014
A financial adviser who made more than $250,000 trading on insider information he got from a fellow Alcoholics Anonymous member failed in his bid to overturn his conviction by challenging the validity of the rule he violated. Timothy McGee, who was c…
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Federal Defense Attorney Hope Lefeber Discusses Recent Third Circuit Opinions
July 28th, 2014
Third Circuit Spring Recap U.S. v. Velazquez, 749 F.3d 161 (3d Cir. 2014) In U.S. v. Velazquez, the Third Circuit ruled that the government’s minimal efforts to apprehend Velazquez violated his Sixth Amendment right to a speedy trial. In 2005, the…
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Federal Criminal Defense Attorney Hope C. Lefeber Discusses Recent 3rd Circuit Case Ruling That A Person Has No Fourth Amendment Protection When Using Shared Wi-Fi
June 24th, 2014
Last week was a busy week for the Fourth Amendment in the Courts of Appeal. On the same day that the Eleventh Circuit ruled that the Fourth Amendment covers data obtained from cell towers, the Third Circuit in U.S. v. Stanley ruled that the Fourth Am…
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