Insights < BACK TO ALL INSIGHTS
Investigations Posts
This Man Is Dodging Wall St.
Jun 8, 2016
This Man Is Dodging Wall St.
Rather than confront accusations of baseless zeal and prosecutorial overreach, New York federal prosecutor Preet Bharara would rather spend his energy dodging accountability. In 2010, Bharara launched a crusade against Wall Street, prosecuting several hedge funds he suspected of insider trading. Highly publicized raids followed. In the wake of the financial meltdown, Bharara was hailed…
Feds Open The Gates and Seize the Domain Names
Apr 28, 2016
Feds Open The Gates and Seize the Domain Names
Does the federal government have the right to seize a domain name without notice? With growing frequency, the feds have seized the domain names of thousands of websites for alleged criminal wrongdoing. The latest example is the seizure earlier this week of 67 website domain names for the alleged illegal sale and distribution of counterfeit…
Police Make iPhone Public Enemy No. 1
Feb 26, 2016
Police Make iPhone Public Enemy No. 1
FBI Director James Comey took a rare break from the posturing typical of investigators and prosecutors in the current showdown between Apple and the FBI. While prosecutors argue that Apple’s privacy concerns are a smokescreen to avoid “assist[ing] the effort to fully investigate a deadly terrorist attack,” Comey posted a statement over the weekend in…
FBI Recruits Apple to Help Unlock Your iPhone
Feb 19, 2016
FBI Recruits Apple to Help Unlock Your iPhone
It is a well-known maxim that “bad facts make bad law.” And as anybody even casually browsing social media this week likely has seen, the incredibly tragic facts surrounding the San Bernadino attacks last December have led to a ruling that jeopardizes the privacy rights of all law-abiding Americans. First, it is important to clearly…
Is It Ever Okay to Share Passwords?
Nov 4, 2015
Is It Ever Okay to Share Passwords?
If you’ve ever let your kids sign into your Netflix or HBO Go account, or given your marketing department access to your Twitter feed, you may be committing a federal crime, depending on how the Ninth Circuit rules on a case argued before it just last month. The case, United States v. Nosal, is the…
DOJ uses White Collar Prosecution for Election-Season Rabble Rousing
Sep 11, 2015
DOJ uses White Collar Prosecution for Election-Season Rabble Rousing
Beating their chests and breathing fire to rouse the polity, the Department of Justice recently came out with an announcement as earth shattering as the sun rising. The DOJ proclaimed it has adopted new policies to prioritize the prosecution of individuals for white-collar crime. Deputy Attorney General, Sally Q. Yates, was quoted in the New…
Copyright & Trademark Protections- Is Metadata Included?
Sep 9, 2015
Copyright & Trademark Protections- Is Metadata Included?
A Canadian federal court recently released an opinion holding that meta tags, at least in some circumstances, are not entitled to copyright protection. Although the precedent is not binding in American courts, the well-reasoned opinion provides an excellent logical analysis on why meta tags may or may not be afforded copyright protection. In Red Label…
Government Dismisses Its Case After Warrantless Airport Laptop Search
Aug 19, 2015
Government Dismisses Its Case After Warrantless Airport Laptop Search
The government has voluntarily dismissed its case against Jae Shik Kim, the South Korean businessman for whom Ifrah Law obtained a motion to suppress in federal court. In 2012, Mr. Kim was stopped by federal agents as he tried to board a plane to South Korea from LAX. The government seized his laptop…
U.S. Justice Department v. FIFA Executives and Others in Bribery Indictment
Jun 2, 2015
U.S. Justice Department v. FIFA Executives and Others in Bribery Indictment
In an ironic twist, the U.S. Justice Department unsealed a 47-count indictment this morning charging nine present and former officials of the Federation Internationale de Football Association (better known by its acronym, FIFA) and five sports marketing executives with fraud, racketeering, bribery and money laundering. The guilty pleas of four individuals and two entities relating…
Laptops, Border Checks and The Fourth Amendment
May 11, 2015
Laptops, Border Checks and The Fourth Amendment
Photo: “LAX-International-checkin” by TimBray at en.wikipedia. Developments in law are sluggish compared to the rapid rate of technological advancement, and courts must constantly apply old legal principles to technologies which were not contemplated at the time the laws were enacted. Recently, technology has been at the forefront of privacy rights debates, in light of…
