White Collar Crime

Report: Ex-AG Who Quit After Sex Harass Scandal to Plead Guilty to Ethics Misdemeanors

A former Ohio attorney general who resigned in the midst of a sexual harassment scandal in 2008 is expected to plead guilty tomorrow to two misdemeanors that have not yet been formally filed. Marc Dann will plead guilty in Franklin County Municipal Court to ethics violations concerning improper staff payments…

May 6, 2010 11:01 PM CDT

Lawyer Tells Sentencing Judge He Didn’t Know Tax-Lien Deal Was Illegal

A 72-year-old Baltimore-area lawyer apparently learned a lesson about the law of bid rigging too late to avoid a prison sentence. Harvey Nusbaum was sentenced Tuesday to a year and a day in prison for his role in a conspiracy to divvy up the bidding at tax lien auctions, according…

May 5, 2010 4:42 PM CDT

Man Accused of Murdering Rothstein Firm Partner Is Incompetent for Trial

The man accused of murdering a Florida attorney from a now-notorious law firm is incompetent to stand trial. Tony Villegas was declared incompetent last month by Broward Circuit Judge Michael Gates, after the prosecution and defense team agreed on medical findings by two forensic psychologists, defense attorney Al Milian tells…

May 3, 2010 9:41 PM CDT

Know Your Facebook Friends: Fake-Account Fraud Is on the Rise

Most people probably know better than to send money or provide sensitive personal information to strangers via the Internet. But a Facebook friend may be a different story. That is the reason why hackers create fake accounts for nonexistent individuals or phish for data that lets them steal actual Facebook…

May 3, 2010 8:31 PM CDT

Bail Set in Swiss Bank Case Against Ex-Lawyer Once Dubbed ‘Most Obnoxious’

A New Yorker once dubbed the state’s “most obnoxious lawyer” is facing charges that he tried to evade federal income taxes by hiding $26.4 million in a Swiss bank account. The one-time maritime lawyer, Kenneth Heller, was disbarred in 2004 for screaming at, threatening and disparaging judges and adversaries. He…

May 3, 2010 1:22 PM CDT

Aggressive Justice

Judges have slammed federal prosecutors for going overboard. Now the Justice Department is stepping in—to police itself.

May 1, 2010 9:40 AM CDT

Judge Nixes Former Ill. Gov’s Motion to Subpoena President Obama

Saying that a defense motion fell “very short” of establishing a need to subpoena the president of the United States to testify in the upcoming political corruption trial of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, a federal judge in Chicago has nixed a defense motion to require Obama’s testimony. Although the…

Apr 30, 2010 7:35 PM CDT

Teary Ex-GC for Ponzi Schemer Rothstein: ‘I Didn’t Know the Guy Was a Criminal’

The former general counsel in the law firm of convicted Ponzi schemer Scott Rothstein cried several times during a deposition yesterday, saying he had trusted the lawyer who lured him to a job that eventually paid $500,000 a year. David Boden testified in a deposition taken in the bankruptcy of…

Apr 30, 2010 3:21 PM CDT

As Hundreds of Law Firms Report E-Mail Scams, One Loses Bid for Insurance Coverage

The plight of a law firm in Albany, N.Y., serves as a cautionary tale for other small-firm lawyers who are increasingly targeted in e-mail collection scams. Lombardi, Walsh, Wakeman, Harrison, Amodeo & Davenport is among hundreds of law firms that have been victimized in the counterfeit check scams, the New…

Apr 30, 2010 1:57 PM CDT

Ex-Judge to Plead Guilty in Kids-for-Cash Scandal; Is He ‘Singing Like a Bird’?

Former Luzerne County Judge Michael Conahan has agreed to plead guilty to one count of racketeering conspiracy in the $2.8 million “kids for cash” scandal. Conahan faces a maximum of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 when he is sentenced, according to the Legal Intelligencer…

Apr 30, 2010 1:09 PM CDT

Report: O’Melveny Lawyer Sparked Probe of iPhone Prototype Loss by Reporting It Stolen

An aggressive law enforcement probe of an Apple iPhone prototype that reportedly was forgotten by a company employee at a California bar was sparked by a complaint from an O’Melveny & Myers attorney that it had been stolen. “They said there was a belief that this had been stolen and…

Apr 29, 2010 11:25 PM CDT

$650K Clawback of Rothstein Firm Donations Sought from Fla. GOP, Other Politicians

A bankruptcy trustee in Florida is seeking the return of $650,000 in political contributions made by the former Rothstein Rosenfeldt Adler law firm to various politicians and political causes. The largest single clawback, $237,000, is sought from the Republican Party of Florida, reports the Miami Herald. The firm, whose former…

Apr 29, 2010 9:18 PM CDT

Feds Poised to Pursue Worker Misclassification as a Crime

For years, employers have been warned that misclassifying employees as independent contractors could lead to expensive consequences. But soon the practice could also lead to criminal penalties: Congress is expected to enact a bill introduced last week in both the House of Representatives and the Senate that would make it…

Apr 28, 2010 10:48 PM CDT

Ex-Head of US Special Counsel Office Pleads Guilty to Criminal Contempt

The former chief of the U.S. Office of Special Counsel has agreed to plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge of criminal contempt of Congress for withholding information from a U.S. House of Representatives committee investigating his deletion of files from four government computers, reports the Blog of Legal Times. Onetime…

Apr 27, 2010 11:55 PM CDT

Ex-Law Firm COO Faces Money-Laundering Conspiracy Case re $1.2B Rothstein Ponzi Scheme

The chief operating officer of the former Rothstein Rosenfeldt Adler law firm has been federally charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering concerning the $1.2 billion Ponzi scheme that now-disbarred attorney Scott Rothstein ran from his South Florida law office. Once described by Rothstein as his right-hand woman, Debra Villegas,…

Apr 27, 2010 6:51 PM CDT