Case Summary In Kousisis v. United States , the Supreme Court addressed whether a defendant can be convicted under the federal wire fraud statute without causing the victim a net pecuniary loss. The case involved Stamatios Kousisis (“Kousisis”) and the industrial painting company he helped manage...
A Significant Shift in White Collar Criminal Enforcement The Department of Justice (“DOJ”) has unveiled a comprehensive plan for its white-collar crime enforcement strategy, laying out the “high-impact” areas where enforcement will be focused, changes and clarification of how the DOJ will view...
On May 19, 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) issued a memorandum and accompanying press release announcing its “Civil Rights Fraud Initiative,” designed to vigorously enforce the federal False Claims Act (“FCA”) “against those who defraud the United States by taking its money while...
The recent announcements in three U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) national security prosecutions offer an early glimpse into some of the Trump Justice Department’s enforcement priorities. Indeed, these actions are consistent with the announced priorities of Attorney General Pamela Bondi, as set...
In a striking move at the end of March, the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) announced a $4.6 million settlement with MORSE Corp Inc. (“MORSE”), a defense contractor based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, for falsely certifying that the company complied with cybersecurity requirements. The...
On February 25, 2025, President Trump issued an Executive Order titled “Making America Healthy Again by Empowering Patients with Clear, Accurate, and Actionable Healthcare Pricing Information” (the 2025 Order). This directive is focused on significantly increasing governmental enforcement of price...
[Printable Version] Executive Summary We entered 2025 with the world in turmoil, a new American administration in the White House, and various global actors—friends and foes alike—still actively vying for the attention of the American public. The scene is set for a continued parade of foreign actors...
Over 8,000 stocks trade on American stock exchanges, [1] but billions of dollars in daily trades in these listed stocks and 12,000 more unlisted (non-exchange-traded) stocks occur outside of an exchange in Over-The-Counter ( “ OTC ” ) transactions. [2] A substantial portion of these trades involve...
What You Need to Know Attorney General Pam Bondi sets the tone with the issuance of 14 new Department of Justice memoranda on her first day on the job. Attorney General Pam Bondi’s memorandum on charging, pleas, and sentencing identifies the new administration’s key enforcement priorities, with some...
For the past decade, many courts have found class action waivers in consumer contracts to be valid and enforceable under the Federal Arbitration Act. However, recently, the Allegheny Court of Common Pleas in Pittsburgh recognized not all clauses warrant enforcement in Pierce v. FloatMe Corp., No. GD...
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) filed an action on December 23, 2024, against Rocket Home Real Estate LLC (“Rocket Homes”), a real estate brokerage and affiliates (“Defendant Brokerage”) and an individual owner of the real estate brokerage, asserting violations of the Real Estate...
Introduction On December 20, 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced its long-awaited proposed amendments to the regulations adopted under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) in a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) submitted to the Federal Register. [1] FARA (the “FARA Statute...
After nearly a year of speculation, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) issued a final rule (the “Rule”) to cap overdraft fees that financial institutions with at least $10 billion in assets can assess to consumers. The CFPB has hailed the issuance of the Rule as permitting “consumers...
The U.S. Supreme Court recently heard arguments in Wisconsin Bell, Inc. v. United States ex rel. Todd Heath , Docket No. 23-1127, a case in which the Court agreed to review whether reimbursement requests submitted to the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) “E-Rate Program” are considered...
On October 16, 2024, the New York Department of Financial Services (“NYDFS”) issued guidance and strategies (“Guidance”) concerning cybersecurity risks that arise in response to the advancements in artificial intelligence (“AI”). While AI technology has, in many cases, positively impacted businesses...
On July 11, 2024, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit held in Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection v. Townstone Financial, Inc. , that the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (“ECOA”) prohibits discriminatory conduct, comments or remarks directed at both actual and prospective applicants for...
On July 1, 2024, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”)—the primary federal watchdog of the consumer finance industry—along with several other federal agencies, approved a new rule to regulate the use of automated valuation models (“AVMs”) affecting the mortgage industry. The new rule...
On May 16, 2024, the United States Supreme Court issued its highly anticipated decision in Consumer Financial Protection Bureau v. Community Financial Services Association of America , determining once and for all that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (“CFPB”) self-funding mechanism is not...
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau continues to expand its presence into different businesses, including for-profit colleges. On April 17, 2024, the CFPB issued a consent order against a for-profit college for computer programming. According to the consent order, the school “offers training...
Mark April 4, 2024 in your calendar – it is the day that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) set its sights on the video game industry. The CFPB issued a Report this week entitled "Banking in video game and virtual worlds [1] ." In the Report, the CFPB detailed the many different ways it...