Photo courtesy of the New York Times. In late June 2022, President Joe Biden signed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. According to the White House, the legislation is “one of the most significant steps Congress has taken to reduce gun violence in decades, giving...
federal criminal defense
Department of Justice Announces Charges in First Ever Cryptocurrency Insider Trading Tipping Scheme
On July 21, 2022, the Department of Justice announced charges against a former Coinbase employee in connection with the first ever cryptocurrency insider trading tipping scheme. According to the DOJ, the employee, his brother, and a friend were part of “a scheme to...
The Supreme Court Affirms Crawford v. Washington’s Application of the Confrontation Clause in Hemphill v. New York
Background Justice Sotomayor, writing for the majority in Hemphill v. New York, opened with In 2006, a stray 9-millimeter bullet killed a 2-year-old child in the Bronx. The State charged Nicholas Morris with the murder, but after trial commenced, it offered him a plea...
How Will the Ninth Circuit’s Decision in United States v. Yates Impact the Future of Federal Fraud Prosecutions?
Beginning in March 2020, the Supreme Court and the Ninth Circuit have decided several significant fraud cases clarifying the contours and applicability of the federal fraud statutes. First, the Ninth Circuit decided United States v. Miller, holding that wire fraud...
Julia Jayne Named Super Lawyer for the 11th Year in a Row
Super Lawyers
The Supreme Court Narrows the Scope of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act
The Supreme Court’s recent decision in Van Buren v. United States significantly narrows the reach of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act’s prohibition against exceeding authorization to access information. Before Van Buren, courts were split on the reach of the Act; the...
Quarterly Update: How California and the Federal Government Have Addressed Mass Incarceration, COVID-19, and Gun Violence
The ongoing coronavirus pandemic, a new presidential administration, and shifting attitudes towards law enforcement have reshaped the way the legal system approaches mass incarceration, the War on Drugs, and gun violence. Both California and the federal government...
Supreme Court’s Holding in “Bridgegate” Clarifies the Use of the Federal Fraud Statutes to Address Political Corruption
New Jersey may be the home of The Boss and Bon Jovi, but the Garden State is notorious for another reason: its history of political corruption. Maybe that’s why people weren’t surprised when then-governor Chris Christie’s administration was thrust into the national...
COVID-19, Compassionate Release, and the CARES Act: Prison Release in the Pandemic
At first glance, Death Row Records co-founder Michael Harris, notorious “Pharma Bro” Martin Shkreli, and Ponzi scheme king Bernie Madoff may not seem to have much in common. However, all three men recently sought to reduce their lengthy federal prison sentences...
Schemes, Scams and Swindles: Legal Challenges During the COVID Crisis (Law.com, The Recorder)
This article was originally published in the May 14, 2020 issue of Law.com's The Recorder, available here. Keith Middlebrook promised investors he was developing a cure to the coronavirus, and he claimed it was coming soon. He created a phony company, Quantum...