Fifth Circuit Upholds Forest Park Medical Center Convictions
An appellate panel rejects every ground raised by seven convicted defendants in one of the biggest medical fraud cases in Texas history.
Perella Weinberg and Tudor, Pickering, Holt to Pay $2.5M for SEC Violations
Houston-based Tudor, Pickering, Holt and its owner, New York-based Perella Weinberg Partners, have agreed to pay a $2.5 million fine for violating federal securities laws’ recordkeeping provisions, according to an administrative order filed Friday by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The allegations against the Texas-headquartered boutique energy banker and its parent were announced in a blitz of charges filed Friday by the SEC as the federal government comes to the end of its fiscal year and as the agency and the government face a potential shutdown.
Enforcement Imperialism or Applying Precedent? SEC’s NFT Enforcement Actions Reignite Digital Asset Debate
Overreach. Jurisdictional landgrab. Regulation by enforcement. These terms and expressions — and many more “colorful” turns of phrase — are used by some to describe the Securities and Exchange Commission’s approach to enforcement at the intersection of digital assets and the federal securities laws. The SEC has repeatedly rejected such claims and has yet to act upon industry calls for increased clarity and guidance.
But it is the SEC’s most recent enforcement actions — its first two cases involving nonfungible tokens — that have yet again brought forth the SEC’s critics. What should we make of these first-of-their-kind enforcement actions? Doesn’t the lack of fungibility of NFTs move these tokens outside the SEC’s jurisdictional reach, making this the latest example of overreach? Or are these matters simply the latest actions in line with the SEC’s longstanding enforcement approach?
SEC Charges, Settles with CBRE
Between 2011 and 2022, commercial real estate giant CBRE allegedly required departing employees to sign a document pledging that they had not filed any complaints with any federal agencies as a condition of severance pay. The SEC contends that requirement by the Dallas-headquartered commercial real estate investment and services firm violated federal whistleblower laws.
Sustainable Aviation Fuel: Reality or Mirage?
Similar to trends seen in other industries, passenger and cargo airlines are taking steps to increase the visibility of efforts to reduce and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. Their actions reflect the expansion of government regulatory initiatives and the changes in consumer preferences. But for the aviation industry, finding solutions that reduce or mitigate GHG emissions is especially difficult. It's an area that will produce deals and technological investments for years to come.
Update: Simon Greenstone Panatier Bilked Out of $1.48M by Former Controller
After initially entering a not guilty plea last year, Christiane Kathleen Irwin on Tuesday pleaded guilty to three counts of wire fraud. The government accused her of inflating her $140,000 salary at Simon Greenstone Panatier when she submitted biweekly payroll, taking home an extra $1.48 million over three years.
Pharma Boss Guilty on 5 of 6 Charges in $55M Fraud Trial
The jury cleared Richard Hall of conspiring to defraud the government but convicted him on charges of paying kickbacks and conspiring to launder money. Hall, the former owner of Rxpress Pharmacy and Xpress Compounding, faces decades in prison.
DOJ Guidance May Put Executives at Risk — WhatsApp with That?
This article highlights U.S. Department of Justice guidelines regarding employee conversations on encrypted chat applications such as WhatsApp and offers guidance for companies to mitigate risk.
Q&A with Katten ESG Expert Johnjerica Hodge
The Texas Lawbook visited with Hodge to learn more about her vision for leading the firm's ESG Risk and Investigations practice, what it's like to be reunited with her former classmate and how she sees ESG evolving over the next several years.
14 Charged in Dallas in $53M Covid Payroll Loan Scheme
“Defrauding the government is an affront to American taxpayers,” says Leigha Simonton, U.S. attorney in Dallas. “Defrauding the government during a pandemic — at a time when millions of hardworking entrepreneurs struggled to make payroll and rent — is pouring salt in a wound.”