On August 1, 2024, the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice (“DOJ”) launched its anticipated nationwide Corporate Whistleblower Awards Pilot Program (“Pilot Program”), promising potential monetary awards to...more
On June 26, 2024, the Supreme Court of the United States released its opinion in Snyder v. United States, holding that 18 U.S.C. §666, relating to theft or bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds, forbids bribes...more
On April 15, 2024, the Criminal Division of the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) released new guidance relating to a Pilot Program on Voluntary Self-Disclosures for Individuals, promising to offer protection from criminal...more
5/2/2024
/ Cooperative Compliance Regime ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Misconduct ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Federal Pilot Programs ,
Internal Reporting ,
Monaco Memo ,
Non-Prosecution Agreements ,
Popular ,
Self-Disclosure Requirements ,
Voluntary Disclosure ,
Whistleblowers ,
White Collar Crimes
Just over a year ago, the White House issued its long-awaited National Cybersecurity Strategy, with an emphasis on defending Critical Infrastructure, promoting public and private collaboration, and safeguarding...more
4/23/2024
/ Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Cyber Incident Reporting for Critical Infrastructure Act of 2022 (CIRCIA) ,
Cyber Threats ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Protection ,
Data Security ,
Hackers ,
Homeland Security Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) ,
National Security ,
Popular ,
Public Health ,
Ransomware
Two recent tax court cases paint an ominous picture for professionals and investors who participated in listed syndicated conservation easement transactions. Coming on the heels of the Fisher conviction and his lengthy...more
3/7/2024
/ Appraisal ,
Charitable Donations ,
Conservation Easements ,
Fair Market Value ,
Income Taxes ,
Internal Revenue Code (IRC) ,
IRS ,
Tax Court ,
Tax Deductions ,
Tax Fraud ,
Tax Liability ,
Tax Planning
On September 22, 2023 a federal jury convicted two promoters, CPA Jack Fisher and attorney James Sinnott, in the Department of Justice’s (“DOJ”) first criminal trial over allegedly abusive syndicated conservation easements...more
9/27/2023
/ Acquittals ,
Charitable Donations ,
Conservation Easements ,
Criminal Convictions ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Fair Market Value ,
Investment ,
IRS ,
Jury Verdicts ,
Real Estate Market ,
Tax Avoidance ,
Tax Deductions ,
Tax Liability ,
Tax Planning
Last week, the first federal criminal trial related to syndicated conservation easement (“SCE”) deals began with impaneling the jury and opening statements. Each of the Fisher defendants on trial, Jack Fisher, James Sinnott,...more
7/26/2023
/ Appraisal ,
Charitable Donations ,
Conservation Easements ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Fraud ,
Government Investigations ,
Investment ,
IRS ,
Land Owners ,
Tax Deductions ,
Tax Liability
The first criminal prosecution of syndicated conservation easement promoters began on July 18, 2023, with the government laying out its case against defendants Jack Fisher, James Sinnott, and Clayton Weibel. A Department of...more
In March, the White House issued its long-awaited National Cybersecurity Strategy. The strategy includes five pillars, Pillar One being “Defend Critical Instructure” with its first and second subparts focusing on (1)...more
Two months ago, the White House released its National Cybersecurity Strategy. Since then, various government agencies have issued new cybersecurity guidance for certain critical infrastructure subsectors. For example, the...more
5/16/2023
/ Aviation Industry ,
Biden Administration ,
Cooperative Compliance Regime ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Cyber Attacks ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Protection ,
Data Security ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Hackers ,
National Security ,
Popular ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Technology Sector ,
Transportation Industry ,
Water Management
Signaling its continued scrutiny of the laboratory industry, the Department of Justice (DOJ) entered into a settlement agreement with Texas lab Genotox Laboratories Ltd. last month related to compensation Genotox paid to...more
Last week at the American Bar Association’s annual National Institute on White Collar Crime in Miami, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco and Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite highlighted several new facets of the...more
3/10/2023
/ American Bar Association (ABA) ,
Corruption ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Programs ,
FCPA Corporate Enforcement Policy (CEP) ,
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) ,
Government Investigations ,
New Guidance ,
Voluntary Disclosure ,
White Collar Crimes
Today, after months of rumors regarding its release and contents, the White House issued its National Cybersecurity Strategy “to secure the full benefits of a safe and secure digital ecosystem.” The full strategy is 39 pages...more
3/2/2023
/ Biden Administration ,
Consumer Privacy Rights ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Management ,
Data Privacy ,
Data Protection ,
Data Security ,
Incident Response Plans ,
Information Governance ,
Information Technology ,
National Security ,
New Guidance ,
Regulatory Reform
On Wednesday, February 22, 2023, the Department of Justice (“DOJ”) released a new nationwide voluntary self-disclosure policy for corporate criminal enforcement. The policy codifies previous corporate enforcement guidance...more
Last week classes for elementary schools, high schools and a community college in Boston were canceled due to a cyberattack. Last month an Arkansas school district approved a payment of $250,000 to cybercriminals to retrieve...more
On December 1, 2022, the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis released a staff report describing the poor performance of the financial technology companies that took a prominent role in administering the...more
On November 18, 2022, the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) announced charges against ten defendants across Georgia, South Carolina and Virginia, resulting from a scheme that allegedly targeted Medicare, state Medicaid...more
12/5/2022
/ Business E-Mail Compromise (BEC) ,
Cyber Threats ,
Data Breach ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
Risk Management ,
Threat Management
On September 21, 2022, the New York State Attorney General Tish James filed a civil lawsuit against former President Donald Trump and the Trump organization alleging fraud and misrepresentation. The Complaint described a...more
9/28/2022
/ Asset Valuations ,
Charitable Deductions ,
Conservation Easements ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Donald Trump ,
Government Investigations ,
High Net-Worth ,
Income Taxes ,
IRS ,
Misrepresentation ,
New York ,
Tax Deductions ,
Tax Fraud ,
Tax Shelters
Earlier this year, the Department of Justice filed the first criminal indictment of promoters, appraisers and accountants connected to an alleged scheme to create syndicated conservation easements. The move followed increased...more
In August, President Biden signed two bills into law that give the Department of Justice and other federal agencies more time to investigate and prosecute Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) and COVID-19 Economic Injury...more