Top 10 White-Collar Crime Cases of 2025
Healthcare fraud prosecutions, many stemming from the pandemic, stood out among the biggest white-collar cases in Texas last year.
Agency Recommends $9.6M in Fines for Houston-based Midstream for 2022 Deepwater Spill
The U.S. Department of Transportation announced Monday that it is recommending a fine of more than $9.6 million against a Houston-based company for a November 2023 deepwater oil spill off the coast of Louisiana. The penalty is the result of an investigation by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safe Administration and the recommended levy of $9,622,054 is described as the "largest civil penalty ever proposed" by the agency.
Litigation Roundup: Settlements Reached in Several FCA Cases
In this edition of Litigation Roundup, Marathon Oil takes a $46.5 million hit on appeal, an Austin doctor agrees to pay $13.6 million to settle five False Claims Act cases and a few Paycheck Protection Program fraud cases are adjudicated as well.
How Dallas’s Three New Stock Exchanges May Reshape Securities Fraud Enforcement
In a development that could fundamentally reshape the landscape of federal securities enforcement, three major stock exchanges are establishing operations in Dallas within the Northern District of Texas. This geographic diversification of America’s securities exchange infrastructure represents more than mere business expansion — it signals a potential seismic shift in federal criminal and civil securities enforcement. Cases that historically could only be prosecuted in Manhattan may soon find their way to Dallas courtrooms, bringing with them the possibility of different judicial approaches, jury pools and enforcement priorities.
Houston’s U.S. Attorney Wins Key Senate Vote for Federal Judgeship
The nomination of Nicholas Ganjei to the bench of the Southern District of Texas goes next to the full Senate, where swift approval is expected. Ganjei, currently the Southern District’s top federal prosecutor, is a former chief counsel to Sen. Ted Cruz.
Houston-area Energy Executive Convicted in Scheme to Bribe Mexican Officials
Jurors in the court of U.S. District Judge Kenneth M. Hoyt found Alexandro Rovirosa guilty of conspiracy and violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. A codefendant, Mario Avila, is a fugitive.
McKool Smith Settles New Jersey Healthcare Suit for $100M
New Jersey and McKool Smith announced Friday that the state has settled its 2021 lawsuit against Horizon Healthcare Services for $100 million. New Jersey claimed that the healthcare services provider had been submitting false funding claims to the state for years. Horizon says it never retained any of the money charged to the state for healthcare provider claims.
Reid Collins’ Complaint in GWG Bankruptcy was Roadmap for Heppner’s Indictment
Lawyers who spoke to The Texas Lawbook this week said that the complaint filed in February by the Reid Collins & Tsai-represented bankruptcy trustee for GWG Holdings was the Department of Justice’s roadmap to bring criminal proceedings against Bradley Heppner, the former chief executive officer of Beneficient.
Competing Bills Governing College Sports Draw Unlikely Backers and Familiar Battle Lines
The ever-changing landscape of college sports left many yearning for stability. To get it, some have turned to Congress. Federal legislation could provide uniformity and finality, ending the patchwork of state regulations and settling college athletics on a fixed framework. And, depending on who you ask, it could provide an antitrust waiver — removing the gavel that has struck down a litany of NCAA rules (and empowered student athletes in the process).
But, as with all things involving Congress, there is disagreement on what that legislation should entail. The debate has pitted institutional NCAA interests against athletes’ rights groups, created unlikely bed fellows, and tested the influence of a prominent West Texas billionaire with the ear of the President.
Texas’ U.S. Senators Make Judicial Nominee Recommendations, Trump Nominates Kirkland Partner for NDTX U.S. Attorney
Two names have been submitted to the White House for consideration for judicial vacancies in the Southern and Western Districts of Texas. There are 10 total judicial vacancies in Texas federal district courts. Additionally, Kirkland & Ellis partner Ryan Raybould has been nominated for U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Texas. All four U.S. attorney’s offices have had vacancies since the start of the year. There have not been nominations for the other three districts.