COVID-19 has created a lot of confusing change in a very short period of time. For those of us living in New York City, the biggest change has been the way that New York City has essentially been shut down in the wake of the PAUSE order.  “PAUSE” stands for “Policies Assure Uniform Safety for…

People who want to use the COVID-19 pandemic as a focus for their fraudulent activities might want to think twice. The DoJ has made a firm commitment to put any cases touching on COVID-19 front and center of their current investigation efforts. This includes prioritizing: Cases where individuals are selling fake cures and faulty health…

While many people have accidentally bounced a check every now and then, check kiting is a deliberate form of fraud. It’s a federal white collar crime and can involve sophisticated schemes and multiple banks. Yet it does not have to be sophisticated to get you into deep trouble.  The basic crime involves writing a check…

Under the federal Bank Secrecy Act, banks must report deposits, withdrawals, or transfers of more than $10,000. This doesn’t mean it’s illegal to make them, only that the federal government gets an alert when they see you do it.  Some people try to divide up their transactions in an effort to evade the requirement. Some…

Upon a defense lawyer’s request, federal law requires prosecutors to give the defense copies of all the materials and evidence they intend to use at trial. This includes any evidence which may tend to support the defendant’s innocence, called exculpatory evidence.  Federal prosecutors have an obligation to disclose exculpatory evidence whether or not the defense…

White collar crime costs society $1 trillion every year. It is the most common form of crime, far more common than violent crime, and yet is widely misunderstood. Indeed, many people believe that it’s extremely rare.  In part, it’s misunderstood because it’s so arcane. As The Harvard Business Review writes: “It bores us. Complicated financial…