A Blog About Current Issues in White Collar Defense

This is the second of a regular series of posts that summarize and wrap up our latest thoughts that have appeared recently on Ifrah Law’s two blogs. 1. Is D.C. on the Way to Legalizing Online Poker? On February 2, we were among the first media outlets to point out that a little-noticed amendment could… Read More

After a decade of delays and embarrassing missteps, on February 24 the Air Force awarded one of the largest contracts in military history, a $35 billion deal to build nearly 200 giant airborne refueling tankers, to the Chicago-based Boeing Company. At one point, the Air Force had awarded the contract to a team composed of… Read More

On February 8, 2011, the U.S. Attorney in Manhattan and the FBI announced some new indictments in a massive probe of insider trading on Wall Street. They charge two defendants not only with conspiracy to commit securities fraud but also with obstruction of justice for destroying evidence. The five-page release issued that day by the… Read More

As Arizona plans a trial for accused Tucson shooter Jared Lee Loughner, a new set of questions has arisen: How will a jury be able to sit in impartial judgment, untainted by nonstop online coverage of the crime and its aftermath? What safeguards should a judge impose to keep the jury from following the case… Read More

Last December, another legal ethics commission addressed the question of whether a judge may become a “friend” on a social networking site with attorneys who appear as counsel in the judge’s courtroom. The Ohio Supreme Court Board of Commissioners on Grievances and Discipline opined that a judge may “friend” attorneys as long as the judge… Read More

If anyone needed evidence that federal and local prosecutors are taking cybercrime seriously and in some cases pushing for tougher enforcement, just look at a domain name seizure announced recently in New York City. At the request of federal prosecutors in Manhattan and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, a magistrate judge seized 10 websites that… Read More

The two iPad hackers who obtained the personal data of approximately 120,000 iPad users by exploiting a security weakness in AT&T’s resubscription page are now facing federal charges and potential jail time. After the hackers publicized their activities, the FBI started an investigation that ended with criminal charges against the hackers. The hackers were charged… Read More

The U.S. Department of Justice — possibly stung by several recent instances of prosecutorial misconduct, many of which were outlined in a USA Today investigation — has set up a new unit to review instances of intentional or reckless conduct by its attorneys. The new Professional Misconduct Review Unit, announced last month, will be headed… Read More

An amendment introduced to the District of Columbia Fiscal Year 2011 Budget Support Act and approved with little fanfare or advance warning could signal a major change in the law of i-gaming. The amendment, introduced by at-large Democrat Councilmember Michael A. Brown, would allow the D.C. Lottery to administer online poker by defining the D.C…. Read More