Chron: District Judge in Harris County Suspended After Federal Indictment
Judge Alexandra Smoots-Thomas has been removed from her bench without pay after she was indicted on federal wire fraud charges for allegedly misspending campaign donations.
Chron: Feds Charge Harris Co. Judge with Misuse of Campaign Funds
A Harris County judge is facing federal charges that accuse her of using campaign donations for personal expenses, including for mortgage payments, private school tuition and travel.
Houston Chronicle: SEC Subpoenas Crown Castle for Docs
Houston-based cell tower company Crown Castle has received a subpoena from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission requesting certain documents from 2015 through the present, primarily related to accounting policies
SEC Director David Peavler: More Crypto-Fraud, Less Oil & Gas Schemes
The new head of the SEC’s Fort Worth Regional Office says there are changes upon us. Cryptocurrency fraud is all the rage, oil and gas offering fraud is blase. SEC enforcement lawyers are getting more aggressive with witnesses and targets earlier in cases. Whistleblowers with evidence of corporate fraud are being more warmly welcomed. And a new, but not nearly as funny, Twitter feed is in the works.
Texas Lawbook Exclusive Event: New SEC Director David Peavler Takes Questions, Gives Insight
David Peavler has been the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s top federal cop in Texas overseeing corporations, financial institutions and investment firms for three months and one day. This Tuesday, Peavler and a panel experts are discussing the SEC's challenges, new focuses and recent developments and trends in an exclusive CLE ethics program. In this article, Peavler and the panelists give a sneak, but substantive preview of their talking points.
Legal Experts: Environmental & Safety Incidents Facing Increased Scrutiny
Companies that experience major environmental and workplace incidents are facing increasing scrutiny, including criminal investigations, according to lawyers who represent corporations involved in crisis situations. Baker Botts partners Greg Dillard and Scott Elliott say that public repercussions for businesses experiencing serious environmental, health and safety issues has expanded significantly, especially those involving workplace deaths.
DBJ: FTC Levies $150M Penalty against Plano Firm
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.