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...
fraud
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...
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...
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....