Lifting the Fog Over Lobbying Compliance - updated with impact of COVID-19 on NYS lobbying community
[WEBINAR] "Walking the Line" - Public Agencies', Officials' and Employees' Roles in Local Elections
[WEBINAR] Who Does What? Defining Proper Roles for Staff and Elected Officials
Bribery & Corruption in the Military. A Front-Line View (Part II)
Ethics Laws and the Importance of Transparency for Public Officials
Blogging for Lawyers
In 2012 and 2013, while James Snyder was the mayor of Portage, Indiana, the city purchased garbage trucks from local trucking company Great Lakes Peterbilt for roughly $1.1 million....more
On June 26, 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court issued an opinion in a public corruption case that could have a lasting impact on how the U.S. Government prosecutes corruption and procurement fraud cases involving state and local...more
FCA Issues Reminders on Annual Reporting and LTIP Disclosure Requirements - On 22 May 2024, the FCA published Primary Market Bulletin 49 (PMB 49) reminding listed companies of certain continuing obligations under the...more
The Supreme Court of the United States issued three decisions today: Lindke v. Freed, No. 22-611: This case addresses whether a public official violates the First Amendment by blocking individuals from commenting on the...more
In Snyder v. United States, the Supreme Court of the United States could redefine the legal boundaries regarding federal bribery as it prepares to answer whether the primary federal bribery statute, 18 U.S.C. § 666,...more
On October 18, 2022, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled that prosecutors don’t need to wait for an investigation by the Ohio Ethics Commission before prosecuting a public official charged with violating Ohio’s ethics laws....more
The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, better known as “RICO,” was enacted to fight organized crime but has evolved into the bane of legitimate businesses. Along with criminal penalties that can only be...more
On May 7, 2020, the United States Supreme Court issued a decision in Kelly v. United States, reversing the convictions of Bridget Anne Kelly and William Baroni, two appointees of former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie,...more
In a stinging rebuke to government prosecutors, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously reversed the federal fraud convictions of two New Jersey officials — Bridget Anne Kelly and William Baroni — who in brazen acts of political...more
Whenever the United States Supreme Court unanimously reverses a criminal conviction – particularly in a high profile case and particularly when the Court conclusively rejects the reasoning of a highly regarded appeals court –...more
Last week, the Supreme Court of the United States issued a decision in Kelly v. United States[1] that limits federal prosecutors’ ability to seek criminal charges for public corruption. The Kelly case concerns the 2013...more
- The Supreme Court has unanimously reversed the convictions of the state officials in the “Bridgegate” scandal. - This decision will have broader implications beyond the context of political corruption and will also...more
The Supreme Court continued its clear commitment to trimming aggressive criminal prosecutions in high-profile cases by issuing a unanimous decision reversing the criminal convictions of two Bridgegate convictions in the New...more
Corrupt? Yes. An abuse of power? Yes. But criminal? Not quite. On May 7, 2020, the US Supreme Court unanimously overturned the convictions of two former New Jersey public officials responsible for “Bridgegate,” a scheme that...more
On May 7, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously overturned a ruling from the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit that upheld the convictions of two former New Jersey officials who were part of the 2013...more
In a unanimous opinion, the Supreme Court overturned the criminal convictions of the ‘Bridgegate’ co-conspirators, and ruled that government corruption in the exercise of regulatory power cannot be prosecuted as wire fraud....more
On May 7, 2020, the Supreme Court unanimously overturned the convictions of two public officials charged in the “Bridgegate” political corruption scandal. ...more
The U.S. Supreme Court last week unanimously overturned the convictions of two top associates and allies of former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie in Kelly v. United States, 590 U.S. ___ (2020), a case stemming from the...more
On May 7, 2020, the Supreme Court threw out federal program and wire fraud convictions for two former public officials who conspired to induce traffic jams in Fort Lee, New Jersey as political retaliation in 2013. Bridget...more
On May 7, 2020, the Supreme Court of the United States decided Kelly v. United States, No. 18-1059, holding that for purposes of the federal wire fraud or federal-program fraud statutes, there can be no criminal violation...more
On Tuesday, former New York State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver received a welcomed victory, albeit partial, in the Government’s long running prosecution accusing him of fraud, extortion and money laundering....more
Last November, a Connecticut jury convicted Mr. Hoskins on six counts of bribing a foreign public official under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), and on three counts of money laundering. This is an important red...more
In an interesting decision, well worth a read, on August 9, 2019, the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit rejected Ng Lap Seng’s appeal of his 2017 conviction for bribery of united Nationals officials. ...more
On August 9, 2019, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit denied the appeal by a Chinese real estate developer of his 2017 conviction arising from the alleged bribery of United Nations (“UN”) officials....more
The Second Circuit (Winter, Raggi, Hellerstein by designation)yesterday, vacated by summary order the convictions of former New York State Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos and his son Adam Skelos. Dean and Adam Skelos were...more