White-Collar/Regulatory Archives

SkyWest Airlines Lawyer Seeks to Challenge Ex-Worker’s Sexual Harassment Claim

Under cross-examination, the former employee, Sarah Budd, acknowledged that she provided few details when she complained to her supervisor in 2019 about what she called pervasive crude and demeaning conduct by the overwhelmingly male force of mechanics she worked with at DFW International Airport.

November 14, 2024 Bruce Tomaso

Workplace ‘Was Like a Form of Torture,’ ex-Employee of SkyWest Airlines Testifies in EEOC Sexual-Harassment Suit

Sarah Budd testified in U.S. District Court in Dallas that from the day she showed up for work in SkyWest’s maintenance department at DFW International Airport, she was subjected to a barrage of crude, demeaning, frightening comments by male co-workers.

Content warning: This article contains sexually explicit language.

November 13, 2024 Bruce Tomaso

Real Estate Developer Pleads Guilty in Dallas City Hall Corruption Scandal

Sherman Roberts, president and CEO of City Wide Community Development Corporation, pleaded guilty to a federal charge of conspiring to commit bribery. Roberts is accused of bribing two former Dallas City Council members in exchange for their support of his real estate projects.

November 12, 2024 Krista Torralva

DOJ’s Updated Corporate Compliance Guidance Gives Companies More Reasons to Focus on AI and Technology

Tracking themes apparent in other recent guidance issued by DOJ, companies now have more reason to focus on AI and the effective use of emerging technologies and data analytics, even when engaging in M&A deals, to enhance corporate compliance programs. Perhaps most significantly, the DOJ now asks companies to demonstrate how they are utilizing newly available technology such as AI and whether the companies have adequately prepared for the risks associated with using such technologies.

October 31, 2024 Fry Wernick & Zach Terwilliger

Bell Nunnally Recruits FINRA Enforcement Pro

John Guild has joined Bell Nunnally after seven-plus years as a senior attorney for the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority.

October 24, 2024 Brooks Igo

Jackson Walker Adds Cathy Garza to Electric Regulatory Practice in Austin

Garza said it was time to “embark on a new journey” and leave her “professional home” at Eversheds Sutherland, where she practiced for nine years.

October 24, 2024 Brooks Igo

Pharmacy CEO Convicted on All Counts in $160M Medicare Fraud Trial

Mohamed Mokbel was convicted on 15 charges for his role in what prosecutors said was a multipart scheme to defraud the government that involved deceiving doctors and patients, too. Mokbel, former CEO of 4M Pharmacies, argued all he was guilty of was trying to compete with the powerful pharmacy benefit managers, entities that manage prescription drug programs for health plans and control 80 percent of the market. The panel of 12 deliberated for about five hours Tuesday before returning the unanimous verdict.

October 15, 2024 Michelle Casady

Testimony Begins in $160M Medicare Fraud Trial of Pharmacy CEO

The CEO of 4M Pharmaceuticals, Mohamed Mokbel, is facing 15 charges related to his alleged role in a Medicare fraud scheme that prosecutors said involved call centers in Egypt and the Philippines, targeted elderly individuals and resulted in a $160 million fraud on the government. Mokbel’s attorneys told jurors Tuesday their client was operating within the bounds of the law with his business plan, which involved payments to a third-party lead generator.

October 1, 2024 Michelle Casady

King & Spalding Lands Former Top COVID-19 Fraud Prosecutor

Michael Galdo enters the private sector after more than 15 years as a federal prosecutor. He recently served as the Department of Justice’s Director of COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement in the Office of the Deputy Attorney General and was an assistant U.S. attorney in charge of cybercrime in the Western District of Texas.

September 26, 2024 Krista Torralva

Lessons from the Wind-Up of the SEC’s First Major ‘Care Obligation’ Reg BI Enforcement Action

In 2022, the SEC brought its first enforcement action centered on the alleged failure of a broker-dealer and its associated persons to comply with the Regulation Best Interest (Reg BI) “care obligation.” The SEC sought to use the case to impose a new standard of knowledge and education about investments upon investment professionals. A close read of the case has important lessons for both financial professionals and attorneys who represent them.

September 10, 2024 Craig Warner