-
White Collar Sentencing Abroad
The United States is not the only one issuing stiff sentences for white collar offenders. Abroad, in Paris, an appeals court increased a prison sentence of a former official at oil company Elf Aquitaine (now Total) convicted in a "massive corruption scandal" The sentence was initially four years and the court increased it to seven.
-
West Coast Wire Fraud Conviction
Not everything is happening in AG Spitzer’s territory. One can easily find prosecutions and investigations on the West Coast. For example, yesterday after a five hour deliberation, Matthew Hattabaugh was convicted of twelve counts of wire fraud by a federal jury. Mr. Hattabaugh was convicted based upon an indictment that alleged he "schemed to defraud
-
AIG Stops to Take a Breath
With all the recent news concerning AIG, it was not surprising for them to issue a statement on Wed. saying –hold on — we need a little time to regroup. The company issued a public statement saying: "American International Group, Inc. ("AIG") announced today that the filing of its 2004 Form 10-K will be delayed
-
What Was Andersen’s Role in WorldCom’s Problems?
What exactly was Arthur Andersen’s role in the problems of WorldCom? The answer to this question may be forthcoming as civil litigants are proceeding against Andersen for an alleged failure to question issues at WorldCom. According to the Wall Street Journal, "Andersen denies that it failed in its responsibility to audit WorldCom’s books properly from
-
Another Witness Down in Scrushy Trial
The defense completed their cross-examination of witness Smith, a former finance administrator at HealthSouth, by placing his credibility at issue. And the question being raised continues – did Scrushy know of fraud going on in the company or did he not? And to what extent, if any, was he involved? And can the witnesses who
-
Another Shoe Drops on AIG
Things may get much worse for American International Group Inc. with the revelation by its lawyers that false information was provided to state insurance regulators concerning at least one reinsurance contract. A Wall Street Journal article (here) states that AIG’s lawyers disclosed that intentionally false statements were made during an examination of the company this
-
First Circuit Standard for Booker Remand on Downward Departure
The First Circuit’s opinion in United States v. Heldeman (No. 04-1915) (circuit website here) adopts a low threshold for the Court of Appeals to remand for resentencing when the defendant claims the district court might have granted a downward departure but for the mandatory nature of the Sentencing Guidelines. Dr. Marvin Heldeman was convicted of
-
Buffett’s Defense Begins
In a rare response to press reports (including a front page article in the Wall Street Journal here), Berkshire Hathaway, parent company of General Re, issued a rather terse press release (here) disclaiming any involvement of its CEO, Warren Buffett, in the $500 million reinsurance transaction between General Re and American International Group Inc. that
-
30 Year Sentence for Frauduldent Scheme
John Henoud received a 360 month term of imprisonment for his conviction last May for running fraudulent charity drives. According to a press release issued by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Henoud and his coconspirators took funds that had been solicited for the"Youth At Risk Foundation" from hundreds of individuals and businesses, and laundered the funds
-
More Corruption in Connecticut?
Norm Pattis has an interesting entry on the Crime & Federalism blog (here) discussing an investigation of an Assistant State’s Attorney in Connecticut, which just saw its former governor (John Rowland) sentenced to one year after pleading guilty to receiving unlawful gratuities. Norm writes: "Now comes news that a prosecutor may not have been able
-
Subscribe
Subscribed
Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
MattBray.net 