White Collar Crime

Juror excused after mystery woman left bag of cash at her home and explained why

A 23-year-old juror in a charity fraud trial was excused Monday after a woman dressed in black visited her home Sunday evening with a Hallmark gift bag containing about $120,000 cash.

Jun 4, 2024 11:05 AM CDT

Trump could make these appellate arguments after trial he calls ‘rigged’

Former President Donald Trump said Friday he will appeal his hush-money election-interference conviction during a rambling speech in which he criticized the trial, the judge and the prosecution team.

Jun 3, 2024 11:03 AM CDT

Federal government warns of an increase in ‘scam PACs’ as election nears

Individuals are doling out their money to people operating “scam PACs”—and there is not sufficient government oversight and enforcement powers to stop them. In November, there will be a hotly disputed presidential election in which individuals may feel compelled to donate on issues related to their concerns or to the candidate they support. A scammer could pretend the money is going to elect Joe Biden or Donald Trump and then pocket it.

Jun 1, 2024 1:10 AM CDT

Trump found guilty of 34 felony charges in hush-money case

A New York jury has found Donald Trump guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records to conceal a hush-money payment to an adult-film actress, delivering a historic verdict that could shape the November election and makes Trump the first former U.S. president convicted of a crime.

May 30, 2024 4:06 PM CDT

Judge rejects request to restrict Trump’s speech on FBI, says motion was faulty

U.S. District Judge Aileen M. Cannon on Tuesday denied a request from federal prosecutors that she order Donald Trump to stop making incendiary claims about law enforcement personnel, saying the government should have more thoroughly consulted with Trump’s attorneys before coming to her.

May 29, 2024 9:59 AM CDT

Fenwick & West ‘closely intersected’ with FTX’s improper operations and management, examiner says

Updated: Fenwick & West was the only law firm “entrusted with a bird's-eye view” of collapsed cryptocurrency exchange FTX Trading, according to a report by an independent court-appointed examiner in the bankruptcy of FTX and affiliated entities.

May 29, 2024 8:50 AM CDT

The Trump hush-money trial’s greatest misses

Over 20 days at Donald Trump’s hush-money trial, the prosecutors, defense lawyers, and even the judge have had strong moments, but also times when they’ve faltered or been caught off guard, according to legal experts who have been tracking the case.

May 28, 2024 1:45 PM CDT

Bookkeeper’s vacation was her undoing, civil suit says; discovery leads to plea in $2.5M theft

A bookkeeper for a New Orleans law firm pleaded guilty to wire fraud last week after she was accused of embezzling $2.5 million from her employer.

May 22, 2024 8:38 AM CDT

Former McElroy Deutsch CFO pleads guilty to embezzling more than $1.5M from firm

The former chief financial officer of McElroy, Deutsch, Mulvaney & Carpenter has pleaded guilty to embezzling more than $1.5 million from the law firm over a six-year period and failing to pay more than $22,000 in state income taxes.

May 9, 2024 9:27 AM CDT

Trump again found in contempt for violating gag, threatened with jail

A judge ruled Monday that Donald Trump again violated his gag order in the New York hush money trial, and he warned the former president that he would consider jailing Trump if the violations continue.

May 6, 2024 2:20 PM CDT

One thing is already clear at Trump’s NY trial: Nobody liked Michael Cohen

At times during former President Donald Trump’s hush money trial, the testimony has been just as devastating to Trump’s former attorney Michael Cohen, who will be a key prosecution witness later this month.

May 2, 2024 12:00 PM CDT

Trump found in contempt for violating gag order in hush money trial

The judge in Donald Trump’s New York hush money trial found the former president in contempt Tuesday for his critical public statements as proceedings entered their third week.

Apr 30, 2024 10:30 AM CDT

Former general counsel failed to file federal tax returns while earning $54M, he admits in guilty plea

The former general counsel for the Moody’s Corp. pleaded guilty last week to willfully failing to pay tax returns during a four-year period in which he earned $54 million in total gross income.

Apr 30, 2024 9:30 AM CDT

What can be anticipated about Trump’s hush money trial strategy in NY?

The opening of Donald Trump’s first criminal trial on Monday will put to the test a defense strategy his lawyers have been honing for a year—a confrontational gambit that has angered the judge and could cost the presidential candidate dearly when it comes to a verdict. Trump’s defense strategy in New York is unique.

Apr 15, 2024 11:15 AM CDT

In New York, top federal prosecutor Damian Williams preaches speedy justice

Federal criminal cases are built on data, and Manhattan U.S Attorney Damian Williams has made a name for himself in law enforcement circles as wanting to modernize how prosecutors get, analyze and use that data.

Apr 10, 2024 12:30 PM CDT