New York-based banker, Renat Abramov, pleaded guilty earlier this month to participating in a multi-defendant scheme to launder more than $8 million in fraudulently obtained Medicare reimbursements. According to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ)'s press release, this is the "first time the [Criminal Division's] Health Care Fraud Unit has charged and convicted a former bank employee for conspiring to launder health care fraud proceeds." Below, we discuss the case, the cross-agency investigation behind [...]

The US Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has announced a US$1.72 million civil settlement with a Florida-based elite boarding school and athletic training complex.1 The settlement resolved apparent violations of the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Sanctions Regulations2 from routine tuition enrollment and payment activity involving sanctioned individuals. The following day, the Treasury Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) announced the launch of a new, dedicated whistleblower portal to receive confidential tips relating [...]

For decades, criminal defense attorneys have struggled with a procedural catch‑22 under Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 17: while the rule allows subpoenas to obtain documents and other evidence, courts often require proof that the material will be admissible at trial before granting access. This forces defendants into a difficult position, as they must show the contents and admissibility of evidence they have not yet seen in order to obtain it. Yet last year, [...]