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...
federal criminal defense
What Does the Ninth Circuit’s Holding in Miller Mean for Wire Fraud Prosecutions?
On March 20, 2020, the Ninth Circuit ruled in United States v. Miller, 2020 WL 1317275 (9th Cir.) that wire fraud requires the intent to deceive and to cheat, i.e., to deprive a victim of money or property by means of deception, overruling United States v....
The New DOJ Policy for Recording Federal Custodial Interrogations
On July 11, 2014 a new federal policy governing custodial interrogations by federal law enforcement agencies went into effect. That policy, documented in a May 12, 2014 Memo from Deputy Attorney General James M. Cole and supplemented by a videotaped statement by U.S....
Does An Employee Who Uses a Work Computer for Non Business Purposes Commit a Federal Crime?
On April 10, 2012, an en banc panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals limited the application of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (“CFAA”), 18 U.S.C. § 1030, to violations of restrictions in accessing information, i.e. “hacking,” rather than criminalizing...