Falsifying customs declarations or domestic content certifications can expose individuals and businesses to federal criminal investigations under 18 U.S.C. § 1001 for making false statements to the federal government and civil enforcement under 15 U.S.C. § 45 for deceptive "Made in USA" advertisi...
A software company in Orange County sends a signed licensing agreement to a client by FedEx. Eighteen months later, two federal agents show up asking about that exact package. What looked like a contract dispute over unmet deliverables has become a mail fraud investigation under 18 U.S.C. Section...
A false statement investigation under 18 U.S.C. § 1001 is not simply about whether a statement was inaccurate. Federal prosecutors must also prove that the statement was material, meaning it was capable of influencing a federal agency's decision or action. If a statement was not material, then...
Wire fraud under 18 U.S.C. § 1343 makes it a federal crime to use interstate electronic communications in a scheme to obtain money or property through false or fraudulent representations. In export enforcement cases, the Department of Justice increasingly combines wire fraud allegations....
15 U.S.C. § 78u gives the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) broad authority to investigate securities law violations, issue subpoenas, pursue civil enforcement actions, and share evidence with the Department of Justice for potential criminal prosecution. In many cases of securities fraud...
The United States government maintains expansive enforcement powers when investigating white-collar crime. Among the most versatile and frequently utilized weapons in the federal prosecutor's arsenal is the federal mail fraud statute, codified under 18 U.S.C. 1341. Because the mail system touches...
The healthcare industry operates under some of the most complex regulations in the United States. To combat waste, inflation, and fraud in federal programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, and Tricare, the federal government employs aggressive investigative measures. Among the most powerful pre-liti...
An internal audit is never just a formality when the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is the silent observer. Under 18 U.S.C. § 1510, federal prosecutors can charge individuals and corporate employees with obstructing a criminal investigation by interfering with communications to federal investig...
Facing a federal investigation or high-stakes federal litigation is one of the most stressful experiences an individual or business owner can encounter. Federal agencies like the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, and the Securities and Exchange Comm...
The Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) is a federal law that serves to protect investors from corporate fraud and whistleblower employees from retaliation. For executives, board members, compliance officers, and accounting professionals, a signature on a financial disclosure can become the centerpiece of ...
Yesterday's strategic partnership could become tomorrow's criminal investigation in the eyes of the federal government. Under the Sherman Antitrust Act, 15 U.S.C. §§ 1-7, federal prosecutors aggressively investigate allegations involving price fixing, bid rigging, market allocation, monopolizatio...
Federal asset forfeiture allows the government to seize money, vehicles, bank accounts, cryptocurrency, real estate, and other property that investigators claim is connected to criminal activity. In many cases, the seizure happens before any conviction, and sometimes before formal charges are eve...
Federal cryptocurrency and virtual asset fraud cases often center on allegations that someone used electronic communications to deceive investors, customers, lenders, or counterparties for financial gain. These cases can involve millions of dollars, international transactions, asset seizures, and...
The federal government has increased enforcement of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), 22 U.S.C. § 611 , particularly in matters involving political consulting, lobbying, strategic communications, international business development, and media influence campaigns. Put simply, a registrati...
Under 21 U.S.C. § 843 , prosecutors can pursue charges involving prescription records, DEA registration numbers, controlled substance distribution practices, and alleged misuse of pharmacy operations. For owners of high-volume pharmacies, the stakes are substantial because federal agencies freq...
Federal coercion and enticement charges can emerge from a single online conversation. Under 18 U.S.C. § 2422 , it is a federal felony to persuade, induce, entice, or coerce any individual to travel in interstate or foreign commerce to engage in prostitution or any sexual activity for which a pe...
Social media has fundamentally changed how the SEC and DOJ investigate securities fraud. A tweet, a Discord post, a Reddit thread, or a paid newsletter that moves a stock price is now potential evidence of a federal crime. Under 15 U.S.C. § 78ff, the willful violation of any provision of the...
A federal conviction does not end with a prison sentence. For defendants in fraud, theft, and other financially driven federal cases, the judgment that follows a conviction frequently includes a restitution order that can dwarf the criminal fine, survive bankruptcy, and follow a defendant and the...
Most people who speak voluntarily to FBI agents believe they are doing the right thing. They have nothing to hide, they want to cooperate, and they assume that telling the truth protects them. What they do not know is that the moment they begin speaking, they are exposed to a standalone federal f...
The False Claims Act (FCA) is one of the federal government's most powerful anti-fraud laws. The statute allows the government and private whistleblowers to pursue individuals, companies, contractors, and healthcare providers who knowingly submit false claims for government funds or avoid paying...
Federal wire fraud is one of the most aggressively prosecuted white-collar offenses in the United States, and one of the most expansively defined. A single email, a phone call, a text message, or a digital transaction can form the basis of a federal wire fraud charge if prosecutors believe it was...
A referral arrangement that operated for years without scrutiny can become the centerpiece of a federal criminal investigation almost overnight. The Federal Anti-Kickback Statute, 42 U.S.C. § 1320a-7b(b) , prohibits offering, paying, soliciting, or receiving anything of value to induce or rewar...
What Is a False Claims Act Whistleblower Case? Understanding False Claims Act Litigation. The federal False Claims Act allows private individuals, known as whistleblowers or “relators,” to file lawsuits on behalf of the federal government against individuals or companies accused of defrauding...
Making a false statement to law enforcement can be charged as a serious criminal offense under both federal and California law. Many people assume that only formal written lies count—but even a brief verbal statement can lead to charges if it is knowingly false and material to an investigation. ...
Federal drug conspiracy charges under 21 U.S.C. § 846 involve an agreement between two or more persons to violate federal drug laws, even if the intended crime is never fully completed. Essentially, the government does not need to prove that you personally handled narcotics; they only...
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