Texas Raises the Stakes for Data Center Disclosures
As state oversight tightens, inconsistent communications can put projects at risk.
‘Picking the Right Word’: Troutman Pepper Locke’s Paul Coggins Talks Trials, Fiction Writing
Former U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas and Troutman Pepper Locke partner Paul Coggins spends his mornings writing legal thrillers before stepping into court to defend complex white-collar cases. With a new Cash McCahill novel hitting shelves and a securities-fraud trial on his docket, the veteran advocate reflects on decades of practice in Texas and why trial strategy and fiction writing draw on the same craft.
White-Collar & Regulatory Roundup: Attorney Charged in $1.45M Tax-Lien Ponzi Scheme
In this September edition of White-Collar & Regulatory Roundup, federal prosecutors say David Gilchrist ran a property tax-lien investment scheme that collected $1.45 million from roughly 20 investors, then forged notary deeds to mislead SEC investigators and urged a potential witness to leave the country. Gilchrist, a licensed Texas attorney since 1983, faces wire fraud, aggravated identity theft and witness tampering charges, plus a parallel SEC civil suit.
Frisco Clinic Owner Convicted in $17M TRICARE Fraud Scheme that Funded Gold-Plated Cybertruck
A Fort Worth federal jury convicted Kevin Curry on all nine counts of a healthcare fraud and kickback scheme that bilked TRICARE out of more than $17 million, with prosecutors saying he used stolen doctors' identities and fabricated records to bill for unnecessary treatments. Curry's case was one of seven North Texas prosecutions tied to a recent DOJ healthcare fraud takedown that charged 455 defendants in schemes exceeding $6.5 billion nationwide.
Road to Ruin: Subprime Lender’s Troubles Include Many Turns
A year after Tricolor collapsed into bankruptcy, the SEC’s new fraud case is the latest multimillion-dollar turn in the problems faced by the subprime auto lender that have left it in liquidation and at the center of criminal fraud charges against its former executives.
Kirkland & Ellis Steals Second Gibson Dunn Partner in August
Kirkland & Ellis announced this morning that Prerak “Pre” Shah, a former U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Texas, has joined its Houston office as a partner to focus on state attorneys general litigation.
Shah, who worked a year in the Texas attorney general’s office in 2016, told The Texas Lawbook that he lateraled to Kirkland because it “has an unmatched litigation platform, an exceptional client base and a real appetite for investing in areas where clients are facing growing risk.”
SEC: Execs at Subprime Auto Lender Used Bogus Collateral in $1.9B Fundraising Push
Federal securities regulators have accused three former top executives of Tricolor Holdings of a multiyear scheme to mislead investors about the subprime auto lender's financial health by double-pledging hundreds of millions of dollars in auto loans and disguising delinquent or worthless loans as legitimate collateral.
Oil Theft Ring Sold Stolen Permian Crude at Deep Discounts
Five men and a woman have pleaded guilty to conspiring to steal thousands of barrels of crude oil from Permian Basin producers and often selling it to other defendants in the conspiracy for a fraction of its value, according to U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould for the Northern District of Texas.
Texas Feels the Fallout as Federal White-Collar Cases Decline
Federal white-collar crime prosecutions generally have fallen both nationally and in Texas over the past three fiscal years, according to U.S. Sentencing Commission data.
A Texas Lawbook review found that for crimes ranging from antitrust to tax fraud, the numbers have steadily declined both nationally and in the four judicial districts in Texas.
David Gerger to Defend Indicted Cargo Ship Engineer
The chief engineer of the Singaporean container ship MV Dali has hired prominent Houston criminal defense attorney David Gerger to represent him against federal charges filed Tuesday involving the ship’s March 2024 crash into the Francis Scott Key Bridge that killed six people and caused billions of dollars in damages.