Plano-based AdvoCare International and its former chief executive officer will pay $150 million to settle charges that the company operated as an illegal pyramid scheme, the Federal Trade Commission announced
Updated: Former DOE Lawyer & Sunnova GC Joins Baker Botts
George Fibbe, the ex-deputy general counsel for litigation, regulation and enforcement at the U.S Department of Energy said he joined Baker Botts because the opportunity was “too good to pass up.” Find out more about his background in this Lawbook-conducted Q&A.
Convicted Forest Park Doctors Suspended by State
Four physicians convicted earlier this year in the Forest Park Medical Center bribery and kickback trial have been suspended by the Texas Medical Board. The suspensions are not final, but they are mandatory while the convictions are being appealed. Bruce Tomaso has the details.
Pursley Trial Outtakes: A Court on the Clock; Brio de Janeiro; Closing Arguments
It’s not every trial that features a lawyer involved in a multi-million dollar tax fraud, a mysterious Brazilian who claims NOT to have owned a company whose millions were available to him and a juror who shoots the bird in the courtroom just before deliberations begin. Such was the tax fraud trial of Jack Stephen Pursley, however, and Natalie Posgate was there for all of it. We asked her to empty her notebook, and here’s what she gave us.
Cryptocurrencies, Vulnerable Investors Are Hot Topics for Securities Regulators
AUSTIN – State securities regulation has always been something of a whack-a-mole endeavor, but today’s moles have gotten quite clever. As older Texans become more comfortable with smartphones and online interactions, scammers use websites like Craigslist and Facebook to troll for victims, Joseph Rotunda, director of enforcement for the Texas State Securities Board, told The Texas Lawbook in an exclusive interview.
Ruff Family Seeks Criminal Inquiry against Lawyer, Bank over Millions in Trust Fund
A Texas judge has initiated a “court of inquiry” to handle allegations of criminal misconduct made by the children of deceased Dallas banker Arthur Ruff against Texas lawyers and bankers involved in their family’s multimillion-dollar trust. The judicial led probe comes as Ruff’s widow seeks to enforce a $66 million judgment against her own son. The web of lawsuits shows just how nasty family disputes over cash and control can get.
Houston Jury: Lawyer Pursley Guilty of Federal Tax Evasion – Updated
HOUSTON – Nine men and three women found Houston attorney Jack Stephen Pursley guilty of three counts of tax evasion and one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States late Friday. He faces up to 20 years in prison.
DBJ: SEC Settles with Dallas Digital Firm After Allegedly Defrauding Investors
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has settled with a Dallas digital company for millions of dollars. The agency said it made the deal with Bitqyck Inc. and its founders, who allegedly
Feds Seek More Than $17M in Forfeitures from Forest Park Defendants
The U.S. government is seeking more than $17 million in forfeitures from the seven defendants found guilty in April in the Forest Park medical fraud trial. Defrauded insurance companies could be demanding more. Bruce Tomaso has the latest in the Forest Park MC kickbacks case.
SAExploration Fires GC, Dismisses CEO Amid SEC Probe
The SEC is investigating Houston-based SAExploration Holdings for allegedly providing “material misstatements” and misleading financial information to investors and the federal agency over the past four years. In response, the oilfield services company says it will cooperate with the SEC, is restating past financial reports, has fired its general counsel and has removed its chairman and chief executive officer.