Blog

Federal blackmail under 18 U.S.C. § 873 involves demanding money or something valuable under a threat to report a violation of federal law, or receiving compensation for withholding such a report. For chief operating officers (COOs), chief financial officers (CFOs), and board members, allegations...

Federal credit card fraud under 15 U.S.C. § 1644 involves the fraudulent use of counterfeit, stolen, forged, or fraudulently obtained credit cards in transactions connected to interstate or foreign commerce. For chief financial officers (CFOs), disputes over corporate credit cards, executive spen...

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) have significantly escalated their enforcement efforts targeting content creators, digital entrepreneurs, and social media influencers. As the creator economy has ballooned into a multi-billion-dollar global industry acro...

Federal law under 49 U.S.C. § 46504 prohibits assaulting or intimidating flight crew members in a way that interferes with their duties or reduces their ability to perform them. A confrontation aboard a commercial flight or qualifying private aircraft can result in federal felony charges carrying...

The Eliminating Kickbacks in Recovery Act of 2018 (EKRA), codified at 18 U.S.C. § 220, represents one of the most significant expansions of federal healthcare fraud enforcement in recent history. Originally enacted as part of the bipartisan SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act to combat "pati...

Under 18 U.S.C. § 1204, a parent can face federal international kidnapping charges for taking a child out of the United States or keeping them abroad to interfere with another parent's custody or visitation rights. For dual-citizen executives and prominent business leader parents involved in inte...

The Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS) (42 U.S.C. § 1320a-7b(b)) and the Stark Law (Physician Self-Referral Law) (42 U.S.C. § 1395nn) represent the two foundational pillars of federal healthcare fraud enforcement. Enforced by the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Department of Health and Human Services O...

A Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) accused of opening, redirecting, or withholding corporate mail may face scrutiny under 18 U.S.C. § 1703(b) and 18 U.S.C. § 1702, but the statutes address different conduct. For a CMO, § 1703(b) reaches unauthorized opening or destruction of mail after delivery...

Dental practices serving Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) beneficiaries operate under strict regulatory enforcement. Because dental Medicaid programs involve substantial state and federal funding, dental benefit administrators—most notably DentaQuest—routinely conduct aggre...

The intersection of telemedicine platforms, diagnostic testing laboratories, and offshore call centers represents one of the largest targets of federal health care fraud enforcement in United States history. Federal task forces—including the Department of Justice (DOJ) Health Care Fraud Strike Fo...

Cardiology is one of the most heavily scrutinized medical specialties in the United States. Because cardiovascular procedures carry high reimbursement rates and rely heavily on complex diagnostic coding, the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspec...

When the Department of Justice or federal regulators target Edge Act foreign banking corporations, the stakes extend far beyond regulatory fines. Allegations of illegal commodities trading, price manipulation, or unauthorized market control under 12 U.S.C. § 617 expose Chief Executive Officers....

Federal drug importation cases involving private aircraft and charter vessels can expose owners, operators, executives, crew members, and finance personnel to charges under 21 U.S.C. §§ 952 and 960 when controlled substances enter the United States from abroad. If prosecutors allege an agreement ...

The federal government has aggressively intensified its scrutiny of health care fraud, placing substance abuse treatment centers and addiction recovery facilities directly in the crosshairs of federal law enforcement. Through the False Claims Act (FCA) (31 U.S.C. §§ 3729–3733), federal prosecutor...

18 U.S.C. § 1589 makes it a federal crime to knowingly obtain or provide a person's labor through force, threats of serious harm, abuse of legal process, or certain coercive schemes. The statute also reaches a person or business that knowingly benefits from a venture using those prohibited means,...

18 U.S.C. § 1031, the Major Fraud Act, makes it a federal crime to knowingly execute or attempt to execute a scheme to defraud the United States or obtain federal money or property through false or fraudulent representations in a qualifying federal contract, subcontract, or procurement valued at ...

The federal government has dramatically intensified its scrutiny of behavioral health and addiction treatment providers, placing outpatient drug rehab centers, Intensive Outpatient Programs (IOPs), and Partial Hospitalization Programs (PHPs) at the center of federal law enforcement operations. Dr...

Federal regulation of commercial explosives, from industrial blasting and mining operations to licensed manufacturing and distribution, is governed primarily by 18 U.S.C. § 842. While prosecutors often cite 18 U.S.C. § 844 in indictments, § 844 acts primarily as the statutory penalty framework; t...

Under federal law, the key distinction between a routine clerical mistake and federal healthcare fraud is knowledge and intent. An isolated human error or honest mistake (such as selecting the wrong digit on a claim form) typically results in administrative recoupments or civil repayments...

18 U.S.C. § 513 makes it a federal crime to make, utter, or possess a counterfeit or forged security issued by a state, political subdivision, or private organization when done with intent to deceive. The statute covers checks, drafts, money orders, letters of credit, certificates of deposit, sto...

A federal drug trafficking prosecution can become substantially more serious when prosecutors allege that a firearm was connected to the offense. Under 18 U.S.C. § 924(c), using or carrying a firearm during and in relation to a federal drug trafficking crime, or possessing a firearm in furtheranc...

Federal law prohibits unauthorized distribution of anabolic steroids under 21 U.S.C. § 841, while 21 U.S.C. § 802(41) defines which substances qualify as anabolic steroids. Online PED stores, wellness clinics, compounding operations, and their owners can also face federal prosecution involving hu...

State sales tax fraud does not become a federal crime merely because a business operates across state lines. Federal exposure arises when the conduct independently violates federal law, such as wire fraud under 18 U.S.C. § 1343, or when transactions create a federal excise-tax obligation and cond...

The Fourth Amendment requires federal search warrants to be supported by probable cause and to particularly describe the place to be searched and the items to be seized. Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 41 governs how federal warrants are issued and executed. When agents obtain an overbroad war...

The National Fraud Enforcement Division is a new U.S. Department of Justice component created to investigate and prosecute federal fraud, including criminal tax offenses, trade fraud, fraud involving money paid to or owed by the United States, health plan fraud, health care fraud, and controlled-...