Video Evidence Exonerated Retired NFL Superstar Michael Irvin, the Hall of Fame wide receiver turned NFL Network analyst, was abruptly taken off the Super Bowl coverage for the network in 2023 after it was alleged that he sexually assaulted a hotel worker at an Arizona Marriot in the days leading up to the championship game. However, he denied the allegations and sued the hotel chain and several workers for defamation, seeking $100 million in damages, after security video footage showed that the allegations were unfounded. The video, which Marriot attempted to prevent from being released, show ..read more

DOJ Announces AI-focused Initiatives In a recent speech, Department of Justice Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco announced an artificial intelligence (“AI”) initiative that will see the government seek stricter sentences for crimes perpetuated by individuals using artificial intelligence tools. Recognizing the potential dangers and risks in our ever-changing world and how AI could shape its future, she also announced the creation of Justice AI, an initiative that will convene individuals from various areas of expertise and experience on the subject to “understand and prepare for how AI will ..read more

Tipsters Could Receive Payment for Reporting Criminal Misconduct on Corporations The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced a pilot program to launch later this year that would see non-culpable whistleblowers receive monetary payments in exchange for information of corporate malfeasance. The program was revealed recently by Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco at a legal conference. While there are already avenues for whistleblowers to report to other federal agencies already in place, Monaco stated that the existing programs “are limited in scope,” and “don’t address the full range of corporate ..read more

Prosecutors Dismisses Charges Against Three Men Accused of Stealing Hand Written Notes Containing Hotel California Lyrics Earlier this week, prosecutors abruptly dismissed a case, in the middle of trial, against three men accused of stealing the hand written notes of Eagles co-founder Don Henley that contained the original lyrics for popular songs such as “Hotel California” and others by the band. On trial were three, well-established figures in the collectibles world, who had come into possession of the notes after Henley give them to a writer from a never published Eagles biography, who late ..read more

Federal Government Seeks to Extend Authorization of Warrantless Surveillance The Biden Administration announced that it would seek will ask a court to renew the certification necessary to conduct surveillance authorized by a controversial surveillance program, set to expire in April, referred to colloquially as Section 702, a Justice Department (DOJ) official said. Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) is a provision that was added in 2008 that authorizes the U.S. government to target non-U.S. persons reasonably believed to be outside the United States to acquire “for ..read more

US Supreme Court to Review Potential Limits of Statute A case pending before the Supreme Court, Snyder v. United States, is set for oral arguments on April 14, 2024, with a ruling expected in the following months which could impact how and when the federal government prosecutes individuals under what is titled Theft or Bribery Concerning Programs Receiving Federal Funds or section 666 of Title 18 of the United States Code. At issue is whether the statute encompasses conduct other than a “quid-pro-quo” for an official act from a public official. In other words, does an after-the-fact reward tha ..read more

Convicted Bank Robber Arrested for Valentine’s Day Robbery Donald "Doc" Bennett, an 83-year-old convicted felon who served more than thirty years in prison for a string of robberies in the 1980s, was arrested by the F.B.I. in connection with a recent series of robberies in the Chicagoland area. Bennet was arrested, along with his alleged accomplice Edward Binert, after the two are accused of robbing a Chase bank in Hickory Hills, Illinois on Valentine's Day and taking around $7,000 from the financial institution. Binert apparently admitted to the robbery after his arrest, stating tha ..read more

Proposed Rule to Curb Money Laundering Through Real Estate As we have previously discussed, the United States Treasury Department has recently implemented or proposed new rules to crack down on money laundering through corporate ownership interest and is now seeking to provide more information to law enforcement through the implementation of new rules related to real estate transactions. The proposed rule would require businesses engaged in real estate transactions and transfers to flag and report any entirely cash residential purchases made to an entity or trust. Experts point out that there ..read more

Michigan Mother Convicted of Manslaughter A Michigan mother was convicted of manslaughter due to her son, Ethan Crumbley, shooting and killing four classmates in a 2021 school shooting when he was 15 years old. Jennifer Crumbley and her husband James, who has a separate trial scheduled in March, are believed to be the first parents to be charged with manslaughter in connection to a mass shooting committed by their child, as prosecutors grapple with increasing levels of school and mass shootings across the country. Prosecutors say she and her husband had a duty to stop her son from harming othe ..read more

Rapper Accused of Killing Run-DMC Member Jam Master Jay Will Not Have Rap Lyrics Read at Trial A federal judge in New York City ruled earlier this week that rap lyrics performed by Karl Jordan Jr, aka “Yadi” or “Young Yadi,” will not be admissible at his trial because they lack a “factual nexus” between the content of the lyrics and the accused conduct. The rapper is accused of conspiring to kill Jason “Jay” Mizell, or Jam Master Jay of the rap group Run-DMC, in 2002 with Ronald Washington over a dispute about a drug deal, shooting Jam Master Jay in the back of the head in a Queens recording s ..read more