Lawyers and Money Laundering
While the duty of lawyers representing financial institutions in the U.S. is almost solely toward their clients, in the EU, lawyers have affirmative obligations to report suspected money-laundering activity to government authorities. In other words, lawyers may be involuntarily conscripted as enforcement agents or 'gatekeepers' at the institutions they represent. American lawyers in the European offices of U.S.-based 'international' law firms are not exempt.
Are the Sentencing Guidelines More Than 'Advisory'?
The Second Circuit's recent decision in <i>United States v. Cutler</i> cast a cloud over the question of how far a sentencing judge can depart from the so-called 'advisory' Sentencing Guidelines. In late December 2007, the Supreme Court appeared to have settled that issue. It remains to be seen how the Second Circuit's law will develop in this area.
Supreme Court Revisits Money Laundering
On March 3, 2008, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in the case of <i>Cuellar v. United States.</i> The decision, expected by the end of June, will interpret the 'intent to conceal' provision of the federal Anti-Money Laundering statutes.
Danger Zone: Tightening Export Controls
Export controls are a morass of overlapping jurisdictions dotted with strict liability and criminal landmines. Worse, criminal and civil penalties have been severely ratcheted up recently, and more appear on the horizon.
The 'Unindicted Co-Conspirator'
The criminal justice process can be arcane, but one term is recognizable to the public. An indictment is a formal accusation by a grand jury that an indicted individual has committed a crime. While damning, the indicted defendant nonetheless has the constitutional right to say to the government, 'Prove it,' and, if the government fails, to be cleared of all criminal wrongdoing. Unlike the defendant who has a right to defend himself, the unindicted co-conspirator is not on trial but confined to a limbo in which vindication is never possible.
Potential Criminal Liability for Subprime Lending Practices
In light of the complex and opaque nature of the subprime mortgage market, government investigators are probing the valuation and disclosure decisions made by market participants at multiple levels. It is not yet clear what charges prosecutors will assert to prove fraud claims against dishonest subprime market participants.
'Loss' in the Air Will Not Do
Sky-high loss enhancements are increasingly scrutinized in a post-<i>Booker</i> world. Drawing on civil securities law, recent decisions in several circuits endorse an approach holding a defendant responsible for only the portion of victims' losses that was proximately caused by the offense. Some courts' critical analyses bode well for future sentencings.
