Posts by Lee Koch
In the News: Former Netflix VP Convicted of Fraud and Money Laundering
On Friday, April 30, former Netflix VP Michael Kail was found guilty on 28 counts of wire fraud, three counts of mail fraud, and seven counts of money laundering. He was convicted of receiving stock options, bribes, and kickbacks from tech companies in return for approving their contracts. A kickback is any illegal payment received…
Read MoreWhat to Do if You’re Accused of PPP Loan Fraud
On March 29, 2020, lawmakers responded to the Covid-19 pandemic by passing the CARES act. The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) was a part of that package. The program allowed small businesses to take out a loan for the purpose of keeping their employees on the payroll. Nearly a year later, the Justice Department has prosecuted…
Read MoreWhat is a Character Reference Letter in a Federal Criminal Defense Case?
If you take your federal criminal case all the way to trial and lose, then eventually you will be facing a sentencing hearing. At that point, your energy, and your lawyer’s energy, will turn primarily to sentence mitigation. One of the tools that you can use to do this is to gather character reference letters.…
Read MoreWhat Should You Do If You Receive a Grand Jury Subpoena?
Receiving a federal Grand Jury subpoena can be nerve wracking. Yet it’s important to understand exactly what you should do if you receive this type of document. According to federal law, the Grand Jury, as a representative of the public, “has a claim to every man’s evidence,” except for “persons protected by a constitutional, common…
Read MoreWhat is Self-Surrender?
Sometimes it’s just not possible to get an acquittal in a federal case, even if you have a very skilled federal criminal lawyer. You have to remember that 92% of the people who get targeted for a criminal investigation tend to either plead guilty or be found guilty in court. In part this is because…
Read MoreBuilding a Defense for Federal Drug Trafficking Charges
Drug charges are some of the most serious federal charges you might ever face. They’re also some of the most common convictions made by the federal government. Fortunately, there are a variety of ways that a federal criminal defense attorney can help you build a defense against these charges. Common Drug Charge Defenses In a…
Read MoreWhat is Money Laundering?
The crime of money laundering consists of taking money from drugs, theft, or other criminal activity and “transforming it” into legitimate money by running it through a front business of some kind. Often this will require some sort of cash business and some accounting fraud. Some criminals use complex banking schemes or cryptocurrencies to conduct…
Read MoreShould You Testify on Your Own Behalf in a Criminal Case?
Many of our clients ask us whether or not it’s a good idea to testify in their own criminal cases. Whether the case is a New York State case or a federal one, testifying on your own behalf is fraught. It comes with a lot of dangers, and usually with few benefits. Most of the…
Read MoreWhat is the Crime of Conspiracy?
Sometimes, criminal defendants come to us not because they themselves have committed a crime, but because they have been caught up in the eddies of another person’s criminal act. They’re being charged with conspiracy, often either in a drug case, money laundering case, or fraud case. Many people in this situation are deeply in over…
Read MorePost-Conviction Options in a Federal Case
It’s happened: you’ve been convicted of a federal crime. On TV, the lawyer confidently turns to the client and says: “Don’t worry. We’ll fix it on appeal.” In reality, the post-conviction options are a lot more complex, and appeals don’t always get you where you want to go. What is an appeal? An appeal is…
Read More