The Presumption of Innocence Podcast: Episode 61 - A Call to Service: From Public Duty to Spiritual Advocacy
The Presumption of Innocence Podcast: Episode 53 - Diagnosis: Innocent – A Doctor’s Journey to Acquittal
The Presumption of Innocence Podcast: Episode 52 - Engineered for Injustice: How Coerced Pleas Trap the Innocent
The Justice Insiders Podcast: Crime & Punishment - Part 2
The Justice Insiders: FIFA Corruption Trial – Will the Feds Score Another Goal?
Episode 119 -- The Ericsson FCPA Settlement
Episode 116 -- Alstom Executive Convicted of FCPA and Money Laundering Offenses
Sina Gholinejad, an Iranian hacker involved in the 2019 international extortion scheme against the City of Baltimore using the Robbinhood ransomware, pleaded guilty to computer fraud and wire fraud charges on Tuesday, May 27,...more
On September 12, 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) announced that Frank Richard Ahlgren III pleaded guilty to filing a false tax return underreporting gains from selling $3.7 million in Bitcoin. As we discussed...more
Defendants often face a tough choice — challenge the government’s evidence and if convicted, face significant jail time. On the flip side, defendants who plead guilty and cooperate can earn significant sentencing reductions,...more
It is challenging for law enforcement to track down and trace illicit activities conducted through digital currencies. The process can be very time- and resource-intensive. Further, securing charges and arrests, and...more
On November 21, 2023, The U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) announced settlement agreements with Binance Holdings Limited (“Binance”), the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, and Changpeng Zhao (affectionally known as...more
As the world now knows, Binance Holdings Limited, doing business as Binance.com (“Binance” or the “Company”), has entered into a plea agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”)....more
In February 2022, we blogged on the seizure of a record $3.6 billion in stolen Bitcoin (“BTC”) and an accompanying criminal complaint, charging husband and wife Ilya “Dutch” Lichtenstein and Heather “Razzlekhan” Morgan with...more
Two recent guilty pleas involving a cryptocurrency exchange serve as a reminder to all money services businesses (“MSBs”)—including those ostensibly located outside the United States but that conduct business there—of the...more
Larry Dean Harmon, the founder and operator of Helix, a darknet-based cryptocurrency “mixer” or “tumbler,” recently admitted that Helix partnered with darknet marketplaces to provide bitcoin money laundering services for...more
Joseph Frank Abel recently pled guilty to conspiring to offer and sell unregistered securities and to filing a false tax return in connection with his role in the BitClub Network, a cryptocurrency mining scheme worth at least...more
On June 25, 2020, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that Jack Abramoff intends to plead guilty to criminal violations of the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 (LDA), in what is the first known criminal prosecution under...more
A man from Michigan has been ordered to repay about $210,000 for his role in a cryptocurrency scam. The fraudster solicited investments from two people, promising them large returns, but he used the investment proceeds to buy...more
U.S. Developments - Enforcement and Litigation Developments - Craig Wright Faces Sanctions - Craig Wright, the self-proclaimed inventor of Bitcoin, has been tied up in litigation since February 2018 related to his...more
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission brought separate enforcement actions against the portfolio manager of a hedge fund for mismarking valuations of interest rate swaps in order...more
U.S. Developments - New York Attorney General Announces Filing in Connection with Tether, Bitfinex Investigation - On April 25, 2019, New York Attorney General Letitia James announced that her office obtained a court...more
In this issue, we examine the release of the much-anticipated Strategic Hub for Innovation and Financial Technology (FinHub) guidance for analyzing how U.S. federal securities laws apply to initial coin offerings, the...more
This issue of Skadden’s semiannual Cross-Border Investigations Update takes a close look at recent cases, regulatory activity and other key developments, including DOJ guidance on the use of corporate monitors in criminal...more
Earlier this month, the District Court for the Central District of California imposed a prison sentence of one year and a day, with three years of supervised release, on defendant Theresa Lynn Tetley, who had pleaded guilty...more
This issue of Skadden’s semiannual Cross-Border Investigations Update takes a close look at recent cases, regulatory activity and other key developments, including new U.K. reporting obligations for sanctions violations,...more