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
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
The Third Circuit Expands the Good-Faith Exception to Warrant Requirement
Yesterday, the Third Circuit in an 8-5 en banc decision determined that evidence collected without a warrant by police officers through a GPS tracker can still be used at trial United States v. Katzin, No. 12-2548, 2014 WL 4851779 (3d Cir. Oct. 1, 2014). This… Read More
Eric Holder to Resign: Who Will Be the Next Attorney General?
After serving 5 ½ years as Attorney General, Eric Holder will formally announce his resignation later today at the White House. In addition to being the first African American Attorney General in U.S. history, he ranks as the fourth-longest tenured AG in history and also one… Read More
DOJ Hopes to Prosecute More Criminal Cases Arising Out of False Claims Acts
On Wednesday, Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division Leslie R. Caldwell spoke at the Taxpayers Against Fraud Education Fund annual conference in Washington D.C., and announced that the DOJ is closely examining civil False Claims Act lawsuits in order to find possible criminal cases.… Read More
Federal Lawsuit Highlights Powerful Civil Forfeiture Tool
This post was co-authored by White Collar Alert contributor, Erin Dougherty. In a federal complaint filed on Monday, three Philadelphia homeowners whose homes have been targeted for state civil forfeiture have sued the city of Philadelphia, Mayor Michael Nutter, the Philadelphia Police Department, District Attorney… Read More
Managing an Environmental Enforcement Investigation
Although environmental prosecution is not a new trend, criminal enforcement of environmental laws is on the rise. The recent expansion of tools and referral mechanisms to support a heightened level of criminal enforcement have led to prosecutorial success as the detection of wrongdoing is becoming… Read More
Debating Unlawful Command Influence in the Military
As readers of this blog know, Montgomery McCracken successfully represented Brigadier General Jeffrey Sinclair in his court-martial in March. General Sinclair was sentenced only to a reprimand and a $20,000 fine. Montgomery McCracken defense team’s strategy included challenging the government’s case on the basis of… Read More
Justice Roberts Must Love his iPhone! SCOTUS Rules that Police Need a Warrant to Search Cell Phones
It has been a good day for the digital privacy rights of Americans. Today, in a unanimous ruling, the Supreme Court ruled that police need a warrant to search cell phones. Recognizing just how much we all rely on our phones, Justice Roberts wrote that… Read More