Judge Batten, Chief United States District Judge for the Northern District of Georgia, handed down lengthy sentences in the first-of-its-kind criminal trial related to syndicated conservation easements (“SCEs”). On January...more
1/22/2024
/ Conservation Easements ,
CPAs ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Fraud ,
Government Investigations ,
Internal Revenue Code (IRC) ,
Investment ,
IRS ,
SCE ,
Tax Deductions ,
Tax Liability
The first criminal prosecution of syndicated conservation easement promoters began on July 18, 2023, with the government laying out its case against defendants Jack Fisher, James Sinnott, and Clayton Weibel. A Department of...more
Polsinelli’s Government Investigations and Tax attorneys continue to follow the well-known Fisher case, the Department of Justice’s ("DOJ") first criminal indictment related to syndicated conservation easements. Walter...more
5/25/2023
/ Appraisal ,
Capital Investments ,
Conservation Easements ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Government Investigations ,
Guilty Pleas ,
Indictments ,
Investment Funds ,
IRS ,
Tax Deductions ,
Tax Fraud ,
Tax Shelters
Last week at the American Bar Association’s annual National Institute on White Collar Crime in Miami, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco and Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite highlighted several new facets of the...more
3/10/2023
/ American Bar Association (ABA) ,
Corruption ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Programs ,
FCPA Corporate Enforcement Policy (CEP) ,
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) ,
Government Investigations ,
New Guidance ,
Voluntary Disclosure ,
White Collar Crimes
On Wednesday, February 22, 2023, the Department of Justice (“DOJ”) released a new nationwide voluntary self-disclosure policy for corporate criminal enforcement. The policy codifies previous corporate enforcement guidance...more
The Department of Justice (DOJ) recently announced its False Claims Act (FCA) Recoveries for 2022, with the second-highest number of settlements in history. While the number of settlements increased, the total amount of...more
On September 21, 2022, the New York State Attorney General Tish James filed a civil lawsuit against former President Donald Trump and the Trump organization alleging fraud and misrepresentation. The Complaint described a...more
9/28/2022
/ Asset Valuations ,
Charitable Deductions ,
Conservation Easements ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Donald Trump ,
Government Investigations ,
High Net-Worth ,
Income Taxes ,
IRS ,
Misrepresentation ,
New York ,
Tax Deductions ,
Tax Fraud ,
Tax Shelters
Earlier this year, the Department of Justice filed the first criminal indictment of promoters, appraisers and accountants connected to an alleged scheme to create syndicated conservation easements. The move followed increased...more
The Department of Justice and the US Attorney offices around the country are continuing to be in hot pursuit of cases of fraud related to the COVID-19 pandemic. On April 20, 2022, the Department of Justice announced a new...more
4/26/2022
/ CARES Act ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corruption ,
Criminal Investigations ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Government Investigations ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare Fraud ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) ,
Provider Relief Fund
On April 14, 2022, a Texas jury returned five not-guilty verdicts on six charges considered in the first federal criminal wage-fixing prosecution. A day later, on April 15, 2022, a Colorado federal jury entirely acquitted...more
4/21/2022
/ Anti-Competitive ,
Antitrust Division ,
Antitrust Violations ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Healthcare ,
Hiring & Firing ,
No-Poaching ,
Wage and Hour ,
Wage-Fixing
On February 1, 2022, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that it had recovered $5.6 billion from False Claims Act (FCA) Cases during fiscal year 2021. Each year, the DOJ publishes statistics about its...more
On January 14, 2021, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that it had recovered $2.2 billion from False Claim Act (FCA) Cases during 2020. Each year, the DOJ publishes statistics about its recoveries under...more