Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans were designed to help small businesses cover explicit allowable expenses during the COVID-19 pandemic. There are various eligibility requirements that businesses must satisfy before...more
4/22/2021
/ Business Expenses ,
CARES Act ,
China ,
Civil Liability ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Full-Time Employees ,
Good Faith ,
Independent Contractors ,
Loan Forgiveness ,
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) ,
Payroll Expenses ,
SBA
The Justice Department continues to intensify its crackdown on COVID-19 relief program fraud, a clear indication that any individual or business that has benefited from the government aid should expect enhanced scrutiny from...more
If the Biden administration's early moves are any indicator, its Department of Justice (DOJ) is poised to devote more time and energy to the prosecution of white-collar crime than it did under the Trump administration, when...more
3/12/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
CARES Act ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corruption ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Healthcare Fraud ,
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) ,
SBA ,
Trump Administration ,
White Collar Crimes
During the 2020 campaign, former President Trump frequently called himself the “law and order president.” However, based upon a review of statistics from his time in office, his attention appears to have been focused on...more
3/11/2021
/ Barack Obama ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Misconduct ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Economic Stimulus ,
Federal Prosecutors ,
Federal Sentencing Guidelines ,
Financial Markets ,
Joe Biden ,
Plea Agreements ,
Sentencing ,
Trump Administration ,
Violent Felonies ,
White Collar Crimes
The Justice Department has widened its crackdown on COVID-19 fraud, announcing the first criminal case alleging misuse of federal relief funds designated for medical providers. The egregious nature of the alleged fraud and...more
2/26/2021
/ CARES Act ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Embezzlement ,
FBI ,
Fraud ,
Health Care Providers ,
Home Health Care ,
Investigations ,
Misuse or Misdirection of Funds ,
OIG ,
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) ,
Provider Relief Fund
Businesses with connections to China should proceed with caution when deciding whether to apply for funds from round two of the federal Paycheck Protection Program. New restrictions limit the eligibility of companies with...more
This month’s court-ordered release of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan data is expected to result in intense scrutiny of the loan forgiveness process, highlighting the need for recipients to proceed with caution when...more
Since the pandemic began, the federal courts have been inundated with Compassionate Release applications from attorneys seeking the immediate or early release of clients in custody. Compassionate Release is indeed a feasible...more
While the $525 billion Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), enacted as part of the CARES Act, has undoubtedly helped millions of deserving businesses survive the COVID-19 pandemic, it has also provided a unique opportunity for...more
New Jersey has been actively enforcing its price gouging law almost since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March. As the state of emergency continues, Deputy Attorneys General (DAGs) appear to be expanding the ambit of...more
Shortly after the Small Business Administration began accepting applications for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans, two Rhode Island businessmen quickly applied for a combined $543,881 from the program. A few days...more
The Securities and Exchange Commission has signaled that it expects to see an uptick in fraudulent accounting activities in the wake of the financial downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. In a similar vein, the Financial...more
Price gouging was once thought of as a tool used only by the state attorney general to protect consumers from fraud during times of emergency.
But with the formation of the COVID-19 Hoarding and Price Gouging Task Force...more
COVID-19 has transformed the financial market, prompting increased oversight of insider trading. While not all insider trading is illegal, illegal insider trading refers to buying or selling a security, in breach of a...more
By taking swift legal action against a Utah man and two companies he controls for allegedly selling a fake cure for COVID-19, federal authorities signaled that they are on heightened alert for scams seeking to take unfair...more
Amid pandemic-fueled allegations of misconduct, New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal on May 5 asked for the public’s help with investigating alleged misconduct in residential care facilities and nursing homes during...more
Alleging that a Florida company fabricated a pair of press releases to create the false impression of having contracts to supply N95 masks to health care providers, the Securities and Exchange Commission filed suit seeking...more
Scrutiny of federal relief funds is expected to be intense as evidenced by the decisions of two prominent companies to quickly return loans they had secured under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) in the wake of criticism...more
Prices ordinarily fluctuate on the basis of supply and demand. But during a governmentally declared state of emergency, so-called “price gouging” laws can take effect, imposing controls on price increases for a variety of...more
Within two weeks of the declared state of emergency, NJ Attorney General Gurbir Grewal said the state had received about 1,500 consumer complaints of price gouging involving about 1,000 business locations. These led to more...more
In a ruling that significantly curbs the power of state and local law enforcement authorities to seek forfeiture of assets connected to criminal activity, the U.S. Supreme Court recently held that the Eighth Amendment’s...more
Following the termination last fall of its immensely successful Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program (OVDP), the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has announced a new regime to govern all voluntary disclosures regarding tax...more