White Collar Crime

Referral fees from law firms lead to conviction of former New York Assembly speaker

Former New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver was convicted on corruption charges on Monday for taking $4 million in referral fees from law firms in exchange for favors. Silver, 71, was convicted on federal charges of theft of honest services, extortion and money laundering, report the New York Law Journal…

Dec 1, 2015 7:10 AM CST

UK approves its first deferred prosecution agreement in bank’s bribery case

A judge on the High Court of Justice of England and Wales today approved the United Kingdom’s first deferred prosecution agreement, under which the ICBC Standard Bank will avoid criminal charges and instead receive other sanctions, Reuters and Bloomberg Business report. The DPA statute enacted in February 2014 is stricter…

Nov 30, 2015 12:05 PM CST

Should movement to ease criminal laws extend to white-collar offenders? Coalition splits on answer

A bill that would make it more difficult to prosecute alleged white-collar offenders has exposed a rift in a coalition pushing for less punitive criminal laws. The conservative Koch brothers had joined with the U.S. Justice Department to support criminal justice reform, but they are parting ways over the House…

Nov 30, 2015 6:45 AM CST

Claimed ‘Harvard-educated attorney’ is neither a grad nor a lawyer, authorities say

A law firm website for David Corazza describes impressive accomplishments by the “Harvard-educated attorney” and lists offices in Boston, New York and London. Photos show him in a pinstriped business suit, on the steps of an apparent courthouse and seemingly at the window of a highrise office building. But the…

Nov 24, 2015 3:30 PM CST

Disbarred lawyer admits collecting $247K in disability benefits while still in practice

A former New York bankruptcy lawyer who was disbarred and has served time for taking money from clients without doing promised work is in trouble again. Christopher Chadick, 63, pleaded guilty Monday in a Syracuse federal disability fraud case, Syracuse.com reports. He admitted that he obtained $247,000 in Social Security…

Nov 23, 2015 2:00 PM CST

Jury instructions critical in trial of former top lawmaker over $4M in legal referral fees

As closing arguments began Monday in the federal corruption case of a former top New York lawmaker, observers said jury instructions, along with what prosecutors and defense lawyers say, will play a major role in determining whether Sheldon Silver is found guilty. Still a member of the New York Assembly,…

Nov 23, 2015 1:00 PM CST

Lawyer is federally indicted over $185K in allegedly unpaid payroll taxes

A well-known Oregon criminal defense attorney has been federally indicted over nearly $185,000 in payroll taxes that he allegedly did not pay. The 10-count indictment (PDF) in the Portland case accuses Gary Bertoni of willfully failing to transmit to the feds between 2009 and 2011 income tax, social security and…

Nov 19, 2015 10:40 AM CST

Dewey prosecution could have been handled better, DA says

The district attorney whose office prosecuted three former leaders of Dewey & LeBoeuf concedes the trial could have been handled better, but he says it’s unfair to draw conclusions about his white-collar prosecutions. According to the New York Times, some wonder whether the office of Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance…

Nov 18, 2015 6:15 AM CST

Feds secretly bugged courthouse grounds to eavesdrop on private conversations, motion says

Wiring a federal agent or informant would have been legal. But the feds crossed the line by secretly installing microphones in at least three locations outside a California courthouse in 2009 and 2010 and eavesdropping on private conversations, says a motion. It was filed by defendants in a criminal case…

Nov 17, 2015 10:25 AM CST

Deed thieves use sham companies to hide their identities

Fraudsters are using sham limited liability companies that shield their identities in order to obtain properties without the knowledge or full understanding of the owners. Investigators with New York City’s finance department are investigating 120 cases, but that could be just the tip of the iceberg, lawyers who represent deed…

Nov 13, 2015 5:45 AM CST

Ex-BigLaw clerk admits stealing deal info; his law classmate gave tips to broker, then ate the notes

A former managing clerk in the New York office of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett has admitted stealing deal information from its computer systems and taken a plea in an insider-trading case. Steven Metro, now 41, is the third of three defendants in the Newark case to do so. None has…

Nov 12, 2015 4:35 PM CST

Lawyer gets probation for forging judge’s name on court order and is disbarred by consent

A Pennsylvania lawyer who admittedly forged a Northumberland County judge’s name on a purported court order settling a client’s case was sentenced Monday to two years of probation and 75 hours of community service. On Tuesday, 63-year-old Stephen Ellwood also agreed to be disbarred by consent, reports PennLive.com. The forgery…

Nov 11, 2015 4:00 PM CST

Did BigLaw lawyer lie to help client get millions to buy Maxim? Or was he a victim of his client?

A former counsel to Bryan Cave was hired because he told the firm a wealthy businessman was his client. Then attorney Harvey Newkirk helped the businessman’s son, Calvin Darden Jr., in a fraudulent attempt to persuade lenders to provide millions of dollars to buy Maxim, a federal prosecutor told a…

Nov 11, 2015 3:35 PM CST

Judge accused of making false residency claim is convicted

A former Louisiana judge accused of making a false residency claim has been convicted by a New Orleans jury. In its Tuesday verdict, the jury found former Orleans Parish Juvenile Court Judge Yolanda King guilty of forging election documents and filing false public records, WVUE reports. Witnesses at trial included…

Nov 10, 2015 5:00 PM CST

Quid pro quo? Doctor testifies about ‘relationship’ with lawmaker who got millions in referral fees

Was it a quid quo pro? A physician testifying this week in the trial of a former New York legislative leader accused of misusing his office to get millions in law firm referral fees didn’t expressly say so. But Dr. Robert Taub did tell the jury that he hoped by…

Nov 6, 2015 9:45 AM CST