State Bar Discipline: 3 Disbarments, 1 Resignation, 7 Suspensions
The State Bar of Texas reported its actions regarding lawyer discipline finalized and reported during September.
SEC: Houston Bizman Defrauds Investors in Kenyan Clean Water Project
The SEC’s Fort Worth Regional Office filed charges Tuesday claiming that Houston businessman Verley Lee Sembritzky, Jr. and two of his companies – Bounty of the Ocean and Ocean Harvest – violated federal securities laws by operating a fraudulent investment scheme involving a purported Kenyan desalination plant investment project.
DBJ: DOJ Scrutiny into Match Group Has Ended After Nearly a Year, Filing Shows
The Dallas-based company received a grand jury subpoena from the DOJ last year for documents relating to certain marketing-related claims in a lawsuit from the Federal Trade Commission against the company.
Federal Prosecutors Charge Creditors Co-Chair in Neiman Bankruptcy with Fraud
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the U.S. Justice Department have charged Marble Ridge Capital founder Daniel Kamensky with violating federal securities laws for allegedly perpetrating a fraud in his role as co-chair of the unsecured creditors committee in the Neiman Marcus bankruptcy proceedings taking place in Houston.
State Bar of Texas Disciplinary Actions
Summer disciplinary actions at the State Bar of Texas were scant. Activity reported include four suspensions and one request for reinstatement.
Pharma Marketer Indicted in $60M Kickback Scheme
Vinson Woodlee, 68 was charged in the Northern District of Texas with four counts under the federal anti-kickback statute. If convicted on all counts, he could be sentenced to 35 years inprison.
Doctor Sentenced to 66 Months in Forest Park Med Center Fraud
Richard Toussaint, a co-founder of Forest Park Medical Center, is already serving time in federal prison for a different fraud. Bruce Tomaso reports.
Houston Lawyer Sentenced to Two Years for Tax Evasion
A federal judge has ended the federal tax evasion case of Jack Stephen Pursley with a two-year sentence. He also ordered Pursley to pay nearly $2 million in restitution — an amount close to the current-day value of the Vail, Colo. vacation home the government said Pursley bought with repatriated funds during a trial last year. Natalie Posgate has the details of the sentencing and links to previous courtroom coverage.
Feds: Houston Entrepreneur Used PPP Money for Strippers, Lamborghini, Rolex
A Houston businessman fraudulently obtained $1.6 million from the Paycheck Protection Program on several luxury items, including a 2020 Ford F-350, and a few expensive nights at Houston area strip clubs, according to federal prosecutors in Houston.
Answers to Key Workplace Safety Questions in the Age of COVID-19
Months after the COVID-19 pandemic brought business to a screeching halt, companies across the country are eager to reopen and to get back to work. But these employers are facing a completely new set of unknowns when it comes to keeping their employees safe. Kasi Chadwick of Hicks Thomas has the latest guidance.