By Andrea L. Moseley If you applied for pandemic relief funds and your business is in Virginia, you should be aware that civil and criminal fraud investigations and prosecutions are going to intensify in the Eastern District of Virginia (EDVA). Shown above, this...
Paycheck Protection Program Fraud: How will DoJ draw the line between civil and criminal enforcement?
By: Andrea Moseley Your company applied for money under the terms of the CARES Act: Are you at risk of facing scrutiny from DoJ because of your application? To understand the answer to this question, you must be aware of DoJ's fleet-footed approach to snuffing out...
Trends Emerge in the Defense and Prosecution of COVID-19 Related Fraud.
By Andrea L. Moseley As expected, fraud relating to the present COVID-19 pandemic is being prosecuted for the first time. These crimes of opportunity were predictable and the Department of Justice has come to the table, loaded for bear. Now, our white collar defense...
Scam PACs and COVID-19: Defending against allegations and prosecutions (Part 4)
By Andrea L. Moseley The time to raise our hands and cast a vote in the general election is just a few short months away. I am watching eagerly to see how DoJ proceeds with campaign election crime investigations and prosecutions arising from this election cycle. I...
Scam PACs and COVID-19: Defending against allegations and prosecutions (Part 3)
by Andrea Moseley One of the most difficult things to do as a white-collar criminal defense attorney is defend a client against allegations in an area of the law that is vague. This is especially true when the prosecution of certain types of crime have little history...
Scam PACs and COVID-19: Defending against allegations and prosecutions (Part 2)
By Andrea Moseley Two weeks ago, I published the first installment in this blog series. This series focuses on parallels and differences between issues surrounding political fraud and COVID-19 fundraising fraud. In this series, I will continue to explore DoJ policies...
What Do Scam PACs and the Coronavirus Have in Common?
By Andrea Moseley Both scam political action committees and COVID-19 fundraising are currently rife with opportunities for fraud. These groups labeled “scam PACs” purportedly raise money for political causes but instead, direct the money they receive from donors...
Bingo! A Defense Win Limits Broad Use of Mail Fraud Statute
By: Sara Kropf The only thing I like better than seeing a defense lawyer win is seeing a friend who is a defense lawyer win. A friend of mine, Jay Nanavati, led a case to victory in the Northern District of West Virginia, persuading the judge to dismiss all 53 counts...
Marge Would Not Be Happy: The Simpsons’ Former Executive Producer Indicted for Fraud
By: Sara Kropf I’ve written about fraud in the entertainment industry before. Last time it was Broadway, this time it’s Hollywood. The government recently indicted four employees of a California-based movie production company, Gigapix Studios Inc. (“Gigapix”), on...
Is This Trade Secrets Prosecution Crumbling? An Update on the Eli Lilly Case
By: Sara Kropf A few months ago, I posted about a trade secrets prosecution involving Eli Lilly employees. There have been some interesting developments over the last few months. In 2013, the government accused Guoqing Cao and Shuyu Li of stealing trade secrets from...