Podcast - Too Dirty for Dirty Crime
In this episode of his "The Trial Lawyer's Handbook" podcast series, litigation attorney Dan Small talks about his experience prosecuting the Cammarata Organization while serving with the U.S. Department of Justice's (DOJ)...more
A group of 21 Republican AGs sent a letter to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration requesting emergency action to schedule bromazolam under the Controlled Substances Act....more
This year’s NAAG Presidential Initiative Summit held August 5-6, 2025 in Portsmouth, NH, was hosted by New Hampshire AG and NAAG President John Formella, brought together state AGs, law enforcement officials, federal...more
In early August, the National Association of Attorneys General, led by its 2025 President, New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella, hosted the Presidential Initiative Summit in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. General...more
On August 4, 2025, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) issued a notice warning financial institutions about escalating illicit activity involving convertible virtual currency (CVC) kiosks. The notice cites...more
On July 30, 2025, President Trump issued an Executive Order, suspending the duty-free de minimis treatment for imports from all countries to address national emergencies related to illicit drug trafficking and trade deficits....more
Join Lowenstein Sandler and Santamarina + Steta for a timely webinar exploring the legal and compliance implications of recent U.S. Treasury actions under the FEND Off Fentanyl Act. The session, featuring Lowenstein's Robert...more
On June 25, 2025, FinCEN announced its first orders under the 2024 FEND Off Fentanyl Act, finding that three Mexican financial institutions—CIBanco S.A. Institución De Banca Multiple (“CIBanco"), Intercam Banco S.A.,...more
In a historic first, the US Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network recently published orders prohibiting transactions with covered Mexico-based financial institutions. On June 30, 2025, the US...more
On June 25, 2025, FinCEN issued its first orders under the 2024 FEND Off Fentanyl Act (FOFA), imposing special measures against three Mexican financial firms—CIBanco S.A., Institución de Banca Múltiple (CIBanco), Intercam...more
On June 25, 2025, the US Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) issued three orders (the “Orders”) pursuant to the Fentanyl Sanctions Act and the FEND Off Fentanyl Act, designating three...more
In a historic move that signals a new era in the fight against illicit opioid trafficking and money laundering, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) has issued its first-ever...more
On June 25, 2025, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”) issued three orders designating CIBanco S.A., Intercam Banco S.A., and Vector Casa de Bolsa, S.A. de C.V. (collectively,...more
The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) took a historic step in combating the fentanyl crisis on June 25, 2025, by exercising, for the first time, the expansive authorities granted...more
On June 25, 2025, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) issued orders identifying three Mexican financial institutions as being of primary money laundering concern in connection with...more
In the last post of our three-part series, we discuss the final day of sessions at the 2025 Attorney General Alliance (AGA) Annual Meeting, which explored novel approaches for law enforcement collaboration, effective ways to...more
The DOJ announced on June 30 an unprecedented Health Care Fraud Takedown resulting in criminal charges against 324 defendants (including 96 doctors, nurse practitioners, pharmacists and other licensed providers), with an...more
On June 25, 2025, the U.S. Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) issued unprecedented orders under the newly enacted 21 U.S.C. § 2313a authority, targeting three Mexico-based financial institutions:...more
The Attorney General Alliance (AGA) hosted its 2025 Annual Meeting last week, bringing together state attorneys general and their staff, legal practitioners, and industry participants to discuss various topics important to...more
In United States v. Lawrence, the Second Circuit (Park, Menashi, and Kahn) affirmed the within-Guidelines sentence of Andrew Lawrence, who pleaded guilty to six counts of distributing and possessing with intent to distribute...more
Hello again. Below are summaries from a variety of published Fifth Circuit cases from April 2025, along with a late addition from March. One benefit of releasing the April summaries in early June is that you get the Federal...more
Often wrong, never in doubt. That’s our promise here at Budding Trends. A little over a year ago, we wrote these words: “DEA will reschedule marijuana from Schedule 1 to Schedule III.” We later acknowledged we (may have)...more
In a significant move to curb illegal activities at the U.S. Southwest border, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) issued an alert, on May 1, 2025, concerning oil smuggling from Mexico into the United States,...more
U.S. and Mexican companies and financial institutions are seeking to navigate AML/CFT, sanctions, export control, and tariff and supply chain concerns as their governments’ make rapid changes around trade and tariffs and ramp...more