In our last post on www.doescrimepay.com, former federal prosecutors Steven A. Block and Sarah M. Hall summarized the legal saga of indicted R&B star R. Kelly, one of the world’s best-selling music artists. Kelly’s legal troubles are far from the world of non-violent white-collar crime; indeed, Kelly stands charged with offenses that include racketeering,
Lessons Learned from the R. Kelly Legal Saga for White Collar Defense – Part 1
This week on www.doescrimepay.com, former federal prosecutors Sarah M. Hall and Steven A. Block take the blog in a new direction. We will look back on the legal saga of indicted R&B star R. Kelly and present lessons learned from this non-white collar case for the white collar practitioner.
In today’s Part 1, we
United States v. Goodwin: Federal Healthcare Conspiracy is Alive and Well in the Eighth Circuit
On September 4, 2020, the Eighth Circuit affirmed Reuben Goodwin’s conviction for his role in a Medicare/Medicaid kickback scheme. Goodwin’s conviction was supported by evidence of his knowledge of the conspiracy and willful participation in the conspiracy. The Eighth Circuit’s decision serves to remind everyone the risks a conspiracy charge pose to even a potentially
United States v. Pisarski — The Ninth Circuit Holds that Strict Compliance with State Medical Marijuana Laws Can Stop A Federal Drug Prosecution Under the Federal Medical Marijuana Appropriations Act Riders
On July 10, 2020, the Ninth Circuit issued an unusual 2-1 decision affirming a California federal district court’s injunction against the further prosecution of two California marijuana growers, Anthony Pisarski and Sonny Moore. United States v. Pisarski, 2020 U.S. App. LEXIS 21564 (9th Cir. 2020). These defendants had pleaded guilty to federal possession and
Not Very New Wine in an Old Bottle: Recent Revisions to the DOJ FCPA Resource Guide
The Department of Justice (DOJ) just released an updated version of its Resource Guide to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. While the new version does not announce any groundbreaking changes, it now includes updates and references to recently issued policies, such as the DOJ’s Corporate Enforcement Policy, Evaluation of Corporate Compliance Programs, and the Corporate
The Strange Twists in the Investigation and Prosecution of Turkish Bank Halkbank
In his recently published book, “The Room Where It Happened,” former national security adviser John Bolton reported that in late 2018 in Buenos Aires, President Trump assured Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan that he would stop the then-ongoing criminal economic sanctions investigation of Halkbank in the Southern District of New York. Halkbank is a bank majority-owned