Host Gregg N. Sofer welcomes Husch Blackwell’s Jonathan Porter back to the podcast to discuss the sentencing of Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder and former CEO of the bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange FTX who was convicted in late 2023 on multiple counts. On March 28, Bankman-Fried received a sentence of 25 years in prison. Our discussion explores the Bankman-Fried sentence in light of recent corporate criminal convictions, as well as the federal sentencing guidelines. Gregg and Jonathan also discuss the statutory framework and human elements at play in sentencing determinations. Unlike most crim ..read more

Host Gregg N. Sofer welcomes Husch Blackwell’s Christopher Budke and Rick Shimon to the podcast to discuss when, why, and how corporate legal departments should turn to external investigators to execute internal investigations. Not all corporate crises or government inquiries require the expense associated with bringing on external investigators; however, as the Gregg, Chris, and Rick note, incomplete or ineffective internal investigations can generate significant legal liability that escalate over time.  The podcast discussion provides practical tips to business and legal depar ..read more

Host Gregg N. Sofer welcomes Husch Blackwell partner Jonathan Porter to the podcast to discuss the conclusion of one of the most closely watched jury trials in recent memory: the guilty verdict on all counts against Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder and former CEO of the bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange FTX.  Gregg and Jonathan provide a short introduction to the charges against SBF before diving into some of the more interesting elements of the trial and trial strategy, including the use of the advice of counsel defense and the always fraught decision to put a defendant in a criminal trial ..read more

Host Gregg N. Sofer welcomes back to the podcast Richard Epstein, Laurence A. Tisch Professor of Law at NYU School of Law, to discuss the U.S. Supreme Court’s consideration of Securities and Exchange Commission v. Jarkesy, a case that has the potential to vastly alter the way the SEC initiates and adjudicates enforcement proceedings, as well as its ability to choose its own in-house venue for those proceedings. Gregg N. Sofer Biography Full Biography Gregg counsels businesses and individuals in connection with a range of criminal, civil and regulatory matters, including government investigatio ..read more

Host Gregg N. Sofer welcomes Husch Blackwell partner Cormac Connor to the program to discuss the First Circuit’s reversals of the criminal convictions previously handed down in connection with two parents’ involvement in the so-called Varsity Blues scandal. Operation Varsity Blues was a joint investigation led by the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts into a web of bribery and fraud directed toward college admissions. The investigation was huge, spanning multiple states and involving dozens of individuals, including college coaches, testing administrators, and ..read more

Host Gregg N. Sofer welcomes back to the podcast Husch Blackwell partner Cortney Morgan to explore how the ongoing conflict in Ukraine has impacted U.S. international trade law. Cortney last joined the podcast in March 2022, and will update listeners on how U.S. policy responses have evolved over the course of the past year and how those policies have affected U.S. businesses, both on the import and export side. Gregg N. Sofer Biography Gregg counsels businesses and individuals in connection with a range of criminal, civil and regulatory matters, including government investigations, internal i ..read more

Host Gregg N. Sofer is joined by Husch Blackwell senior associate Rebecca Furdek to discuss the recently concluded Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) enforcement action concerning McDonald’s and its former CEO Stephen Easterbrook. In November 2019 McDonald’s fired Easterbrook “without cause,” entitling Easterbrook to a large package of compensation. Later, after a second internal investigation uncovered additional indiscretions and falsehoods, McDonald’s sued Easterbrook to claw back $100 million-plus in compensation. Enter the SEC: it commenced its own investigation, culminating in an o ..read more

Host Gregg N. Sofer is joined by Salvador Hernandez, former senior FBI official and private-sector compliance officer and current senior compliance and ethics advisor at Husch Blackwell, to discuss the recent U.S. Department of Justice settlement involving Danske Bank A/S. The settlement resolved a DOJ investigation concerning instances of bank fraud that allowed Danske Bank to move billions of dollars through the U.S. financial system from high-risk accounts for non-resident customers of the bank’s Estonia-based branch. Danske Bank also settled charges brought by the U.S. Securities and Excha ..read more

Host Gregg N. Sofer is joined by Jay Town, former U.S. Attorney and current Vice President and General Counsel at Gray Analytics, and Husch Blackwell partner Jeff Jensen to discuss the recent criminal prosecution of former Uber Chief Security Officer Joe Sullivan. They explore some of the fascinating tactics employed by the government and discuss the implications of the prosecution on the future of cybersecurity regulatory compliance. The discussion ends with some practical considerations for corporate officers and risk professionals responding to cybersecurity incidents and covers how to deve ..read more

Host Gregg N. Sofer is joined by two special guests: a former federal prosecutor and a person sentenced to federal prison as a result of one of his mortgage fraud investigations. Today’s episode, the last in a three-part series, continues our interview that provides a rare, one-of-a-kind look into both sides of a white collar prosecution. This unique, dual-perspective interview follows the timeline of the case, gathering insight from the government's point of view as well as the perspectives of one of the investigation’s targets. In this final installment, we explore the aftermath of the inves ..read more