Christine Prokopick
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton Indicted
Last Tuesday, a Texas grand jury indicted 52-year-old Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on three counts of securities fraud. Paxton, sworn in on January 1, 2015, was previously a member of the Texas House of Representatives. The alleged illegal conduct arose while he was a… Read More
Attorney General Kane Files Wiretap Charges Against Two Lawyers
This post was co-authored by David F. Herman, an associate in Montgomery McCracken’s Litigation Department. He serves an editor of the firm’s Data Privacy Alert blog, which focuses on data privacy and cybersecurity issues. David can be reached at 215.772.7614 or at dherman@mmwr.com. On Monday,… Read More
Confidentiality Shouldn’t End When the Lawyer Walks Through the Nonprofit’s Doors
Yesterday, the Association of Corporate Counsel (“ACC”) filed an amicus curiae brief requesting that the Pennsylvania Supreme Court uphold the Commonwealth Court’s decision that there is no fiduciary duty for attorneys of nonprofit corporations to report suspected theft or wrongdoing to law enforcement. The details… Read More
General Petraeus Avoids Jail for Leaking Classified Information to Girlfriend
Yesterday, former CIA head and retired General David H. Petraeus was sentenced for leaking classified information about the war in Afghanistan to his biographer/mistress, Paula Broadwell. Broadwell published a biography about him in 2012, “All In: The Education of David Petraeus,” before the affair was… Read More
More Puritanical Punishment Courtesy of Utah: “White Collar Crime Registry”
This post was co-authored by White Collar Alert contributor, Erin Dougherty. Yesterday, Utah Governor Gary Herbert signed a new bill into law that creates a “Utah White Collar Crime Offender Registry” (the “Registry”). This Registry – which is the first of its kind relating to… Read More
Former First Lady of Virginia Sentenced: Did Husband’s “Throw Momma Off the Train” Approach Work?
Readers of the White Collar Alert know that we have been closely following the downward spiral of former Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell and his wife Maureen McDonnell after their ill-fated relationship with Virginia businessman, Jonnie R. Williams Sr. Maureen McDonnell was convicted of eight counts… Read More
It’s All About the Culture . . . and Committing the Resources to Protect It and Yourself
Christopher Scott D’Angelo, MMWR Partner and Chairman of its International Practice, recently wrote an article published in the Pharmaceutical Compliance Monitor about the importance of creating and maintaining a culture of compliance within a company. He emphasizes the benefits of such efforts in light of… Read More
“World Tour” FCPA Compliance Lesson: Review Employee’s Expense Reports
On Monday, the SEC sanctioned two former defense contractors, Stephen Timms and Yasser Ramahi, for violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Timms and Ramahi worked in sales for FLIR Systems Inc., a company headquartered in Oregon that produces thermal imaging, night vision, and infrared cameras… Read More
DOJ Policy Shift: No Waiver for Ineffective Assistance of Counsel Claims
Back in January, we wrote about the challenge facing counsel when the United States Attorney’s Office requires a defendant to waive his or her Sixth Amendment claims of ineffective assistance of counsel as part of any plea deal. Today, this practice (which is policy within… Read More
What Not to Do Before a Federal Sentencing: Lesson Learned from the Giudices
Teresa and Joe Giudice – the reality show husband and wife duo from the show Real Housewives of New Jersey – were sentenced to jail last week after pleading guilty to federal charges for bank and wire fraud. Perhaps lost amid the media frenzy that… Read More