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Tag Archives: District

6th Circuit Court of Appeals Undoes Amazingly Soft 1 Week Sentence for CEO Convicted in $18 Million Fraud

By Anthony Lake on Posted in Sentencing

Michael Peppel, the former CEO of  MCSi Inc., based in Dayton, Ohio, was convicted on charges of conspiracy, fraud, and money laundering for a scheme which defrauded investors of $18 million. Peppel allegedly cooked MCSi’s books to cause its stock value to remain high. Peppel faced between eight to 10 years’ imprisonment. However, according to… Continue Reading

Roswell Man Sentenced to 7 Years for $9 Million in Fraudulent Sales on eBay

By Anthony Lake on Posted in Identity Theft

Robert Hill, of Roswell, Georgia, was a successful seller on the consumer to consumer sales site, eBay, selling more than $9 million in merchandise over 10 years from his eBay store, atlantis_discount_ warehouse_llc. The problem for Mr. Hill, however, is that the merchandise–including computers, iPads, iPods, iPhones, Wii game systems, cameras, golf clubs, and tools–was… Continue Reading

“BadB” Sentenced to 88 Months in $9 Million Worldwide Identity Theft Scheme, Including from Atlanta-Based Company

By Anthony Lake on Posted in Uncategorized

“BadB,” also known as Vladislav Anatolievich Horohorin, a citizen of Russia, Israel and Ukraine, was sentenced on Friday to 88 months’ imprisonment in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia for participating in a worldwide identity theft scheme which resulted in losses of $9 million. Horohorin was indicted in 2009 in the District… Continue Reading

Pine Mountain, GA, Couple Indicted on Federal Tax Charges

By Anthony Lake on Posted in Tax Fraud

A Pine Mountain, Georgia, couple have been indicted in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia for allegedly engaging in conspiracy and filing fraudulent tax returns. The government has charged Natashia and Detrick Tucker, who own and operate a tax preparation business, T&T Express, with illegally claiming inflated tax refunds for their… Continue Reading

Grovetown, GA, City Council Member Convicted in Alabama

By Anthony Lake on Posted in Pleas

Leland J. “Sonny” McDowell, a member of the Grovetown, Georgia, City Council, as well as an employee of Southern Detention Technologies, a fingerprint machine company, entered a plea of guilty on March 27 to bribery in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Alabama, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. McDowell was charged with offering… Continue Reading

Second Circuit Reverses Attorney’s Conviction for Exclusion of Public from Jury Selection

By Anthony Lake on Posted in Jury Selection

Raghubir Gupta, a New York attorney, was convicted in 2008 in the Southern District of New York of preparing fraudulent immigration applications and sentenced to 51 months’ imprisonment. On Friday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit reversed Gupta’s conviction, holding that the trial court violated Gupta’s Sixth Amendment rights by excluding the… Continue Reading

3 UBS Execs Convicted of Municipal Bond Bid Fraud

By Anthony Lake on Posted in Fraud

Three former Union Bank of Switzerland–UBS–executives were convicted on Friday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, as reported by NASDAQ. Peter Ghavami, Gary Heinz and Michael Welty were found guilty of fraud relating to bids to invest the proceeds from municipal bonds and other municipal finance contracts between 2001… Continue Reading

New Jersey Senator Acquitted of Corruption Charges

By Anthony Lake on Posted in Fraud

From the reporters at NorthJersey.com comes news that former New Jersey State Senator Wayne Bryant was acquitted last Friday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New Jersey. The charges against Bryant were based upon a “monthly retainer” agreement between Bryant and Eric Wisler, a developer and partner in the DeCotiis Law… Continue Reading

Former FirstCity Bank CEO Sentenced to 12 Years for Multimillion Fraud Scheme

By Anthony Lake on Posted in Bank Fraud

Former President, Chief Executive Officer, Acting Chairman and Vice Chairman of FirstCity Bank Mark A. Conner was sentenced to 12 years’ imprisonment in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, as reported in the Canton-Sixes Patch. He had been indicted in March, along with FirstCity Vice President Clayton A. Coe. Conner and… Continue Reading

60 Federal Judges and Prosecutors File Brief in Shaygan Prosecutorial Misconduct Case

By Anthony Lake on Posted in Prosecutorial Misconduct, Uncategorized

As noted by the Wall Street Journal’s Law Blog, on Thursday more than 60 Federal judges and prosecutors filed a brief in the case of Dr. Ali Shaygan, the South Florida physician who was charged with 141 criminal counts and prevailed, as we have previously discussed here, here and here. The brief urges the the… Continue Reading

Former Director of Montgomery Bank & Trust Indicted for Embezzling $17 Million; Has Fled; Possible Suicide

By Anthony Lake on Posted in Bank Fraud

Aubrey Lee Price, former Director of Montgomery Bank & Trust, was indicted yesterday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia in Savannah on charges of embezzling approximately $17 million from the bank. Price, however, disappeared in mid-June, according to SFGate. Price left a rambling confession which has caused investigators to believe… Continue Reading

Former Yankees Pitcher and 7-Time Cy Young Award Winner Roger Clemens Acquitted on All Counts in Federal Perjury/Obstruction Prosecution

By Anthony Lake on Posted in Acquittal

The Federal criminal story of the week is the acquittal of former New York Yankees pitcher Roger Clemens in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on two counts of perjury, three counts of making false statements and one count of obstructing Congress. The charges against Clemens arose from his testimony before Congress… Continue Reading

National Lampoon’s Federal Fraud Trial

By Anthony Lake on Posted in Fraud

The trial of the former CEO for the National Lampoon, Inc., Timothy S. Durham, on ten counts of wire fraud and one count of securities fraud, commenced yesterday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, as reported by the San Francisco Chronicle. Durham is alleged to have defrauded approximately 5,000 investors,… Continue Reading

The Trial of Lance Emanuel Brown for the Defenestration of the Columbus Federal Courthouse

By Anthony Lake on Posted in Miscellaneous

As reported in the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, a jury in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia convicted Lance Emanuel Brown yesterday of malice mischief, for throwing a brick through the glass door of the U.S. Post Office and Courthouse in Columbus, Georgia. Brown’s act of vandalism resulted in $1,400 worth of damage. Brown… Continue Reading

Preview of the John Edwards Trial and the Potential Problems With the Government’s Case

By Anthony Lake on Posted in High Profile Cases

 The trial of former North Carolina Senator, Vice President nominee and candidate for President Johnny Reid (“John”) Edwards for alleged mishandling of campaign funds is underway in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina. Opening statements in the case will take place next Monday. The outcome of the trial will be… Continue Reading

KY Attorney Bryan Coffman Ordered to Forfeit Millions from Oil-Drilling Scam

By Anthony Lake on Posted in Forfeiture, Fraud

Lexington, Kentucky, attorney Bryan Coffman was convicted last year in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky on eight counts of mail fraud, nine counts of wire fraud, two counts of securities fraud, 10 counts of money laundering and one count of money laundering conspiracy. His wife, Megan Coffman, was acquitted of the… Continue Reading

Atlanta Securities Lawyer Gregory Bartko Sentenced to 23 Years for Securities Fraud

By Anthony Lake on Posted in Securities Fraud, Sentencing

Image source: www.gurneylawfirm.com/attorney-profile Gregory Bartko, a securities lawyer and Atlanta resident, was sentenced last Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina to 23 years’ imprisonment for securities fraud, as reported in the Columbus, Indiana, Republic. Bartko was convicted in 2010 at the conclusion of a 13-day trial on six counts… Continue Reading

Judgment of Acquittal and Dismissal of Charges Against Seven Members of Hutaree Militia

By Anthony Lake on Posted in Acquittal, indictment

Last week, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan granted a judgment of acquittal in favor of seven members of the Hutaree militia, dismissing all charges against the defendants following the conclusion of the government’s case against them at trial, as reported by the Detroit Free Press. Tina Stone; David Stone, Jr.;… Continue Reading

78 Year-Old Indicted Warner Robbins City Councilman Released After Violating Probation for Alleged Fiancee Less Than Half His Age

By Anthony Lake on Posted in Noteworthy Cases

Former City Councilman of Warner Robins, Georgia, John Williams, was released last Friday after spending two days in prison for violation of his Federal pretrial release, according to 13WMAZ in Macon. Williams has been charged with extortion in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia for trying to obtain money from a car dealer… Continue Reading