White Collar Crime Report: Index-Summary

LABOR

– Aliens

See ALIENS AND CITIZENSHIP

– Boston “Big Dig” highway construction project

See BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION

– Departing employees' theft of company data, report issued, 153
– Employee benefits

See EMPLOYEE BENEFITS
– – Pensions

See PENSIONS

– Government workers

See GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES

– Internal probes of employee misconduct, privacy issues, Analysis and Perspective, 397
– Involuntary servitude, 13th Am. bars prosecution of nurses who resigned en masse (N.Y. App. Div.), 102
– Job bias plaintiffs charged with hiring man to sexually assault them in order to obtain larger settlement of civil suit (W.D. Mo.), 92; guilty pleas, 484
– Privacy, workers' computer use

– – E-mails from employee's work computer to personal counsel, attorney-client privilege applies (N.J. Super. Ct. App. Div.), 492
– – Social networking sites, employer monitoring of usage outside of workplace raises legal issues, 498

– Taxes, nonpayment of employment taxes

– – Abuse of trust, sentence enhancement inapplicable to tax evasion (6th Cir.), 419
– – Employee management and leasing company operator sentenced (M.D. Fla.), 388
– – Willful failure to pay, conviction does not require proof of defendant's ability to pay (9th Cir., amended ruling), 330

– Unions

See UNIONS

– Wages

See WAGES

– Worker safety

See OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH

LAWYERS

See ATTORNEYS

LEGISLATION, FEDERAL

– Ed. Note: This heading covers bills with assigned numbers. For information on measures not yet assigned numbers, see specific subject headings.
– House

– – HR 239, Laptop computers, bill to limit warrantless border searches introduced, 74
– – HR 682, Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge (STOCK) Act, to ban insider trading by Congressional members and staff, bill introduced, 107; academics urge financial services panel to revise bill in wake of financial crisis response, 496
– – HR 1947, Accountability in Deferred Prosecution Act, to provide oversight and curb abuses by prosecutors, bill introduced, 467
– – HR 2067, Protecting America's Workers Act, bill to amend the OSH Act to expand coverage and increase penalties for willful violators, introduced, 332
– – HR 2675, Antitrust Criminal Penalty Enhancement and Reform Act of 2004 Extension Act, bill to extend limitation on damage liability by cooperating party, 427
– – HR 3326, Defense Dept. appropriations bill, amendment requiring secretary of defense to study and report on contracting fraud approved by Senate, 717
– – HR 3679, Government contract awards to corporations with felony convictions, bill to prohibit introduced, 717

– Senate

– – S 49, Public Corruption Prosecution Improvements Act, bill to provide DOJ with additional resources to investigate and prosecute corruption cases, Judiciary Comm. passes, 220
– – S 386, Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act, bill to regulate private mortgage companies and revise definition of money laundering “proceeds,” introduced, 148; Senate Judiciary Comm. passes, 185; amendments to cover TARP funds and create Financial Markets Commission approved by Senate, 291; House passes, international tax evasion provision dropped, 333; House passes with Senate amendments, 365; attorneys discuss impact of new law, Special Report, 395; prosecutor says False Claims Act changes may lead to more criminal cases, 503
– – S 657, Federal court proceedings, bill to provide media coverage introduced, 262
– – S 787, Clean Water Restoration Act, bill to clarify Clean Water Act jurisdiction, Environment and Public Works Comm. to vote, 424; small businesses testify about burdens expected if law enacted, 531

LOANS

– Aiding friend to defraud banks, brokerage firm manager charged with falsifying account control agreements to secure loans (N.D. Cal.), 204; co-defendant sentenced, 634
– Mortgages

– – Fraud

See MORTGAGE FRAUD

– – Senators Dodd (D-Conn) and Conrad (D-ND) acceptance of mortgages on favorable terms did not violate rules, ethics committee finds, 568

– Political fundraiser arrested for scheme to defraud Citibank (S.D.N.Y.), 584; indictment issued, 661
– Securities fraud, fake shares pledged as collateral for Citibank loan, technology firm head pleads guilty (S.D.N.Y.), 550
– Stock-loan transactions, kickback schemes

– – Lending agent indicted for payments to broker-dealers (E.D.N.Y.), 699
– – Morgan Stanley executive convicted of conspiracy (E.D.N.Y.), 208

– U.S. Export-Import Bank

– – Bribery, bank employee pleads not guilty (D.D.C.), 173
– – Business owner sentenced for loan fraud (C.D. Cal.), 99

LOBBYING

– Abramoff scandal

– – Boulanger pleads guilty (D.D.C.), 95
– – Cooper, former House staffer and government official indicted (D.D.C.), 581; further action on case delayed, 700; trial further delayed, 737
– – Copland, former aide to Cochran (R-Miss), pleads guilty (D.D.C.), 168
– – Feeney (R-Fla), responses to House ethics probe into golf trip led by Abramoff are protected by Speech or Debate Clause (D.C. Cir.), 475; DOJ will not appeal decision, 564
– – Ring, indictment of former aide to Doolittle (R-Cal), head of DOJ integrity section removed as supervising prosecutor (D.D.C.), 423; motions to dismiss charges and disqualify prosecutors rejected, 445; pretrial hearing held, 585; mistrial declared as jury deadlocks, 738
– – Safavian, GSA official convicted for lying about ties to Abramoff (D.D.C.), 9; motion to overturn jury verdict denied, 565; sentencing, 743
– – Verrusio, former House Comm. aide indicted (D.D.C.), 168

– Coal energy association says grassroots lobbying firm working as subcontractor sent forged letters to members of Congress on pending legislation, 566; Markey (D-Mass) releases 5 more forged letters sent to members of Congress, 605
– Destruction of evidence subject to subpoena, lobbyist linked to Weldon (R-Pa) sentenced (D.D.C.), 251
– Ethics

– – Campaign contributions linked to lobbying firm, House ethics committee reviews claims Democrats traded earmarks for, 426
– – Federal advisory committees, lobbyists as members may be banned by White House, 721
– – Mass. governor signs reform bill, 502
– – Revolving-door and gift restrictions for federal employees, executive order issued, 78

– Extortion, lobbyist's convictions reversed (9th Cir.), 166
– Lobbying Disclosure Act

– – De-registration allowed if direct contacts avoided, amended guidance, 433
– – First Amendment challenge by Natl. Ass'n of Manufacturers rejected (D.C. Cir.), 637
– – Possible noncompliance cases referred to DOJ, 530
– – Reporting requirements for events involving lawmakers, new guidelines released, 77

– Stimulus funds, lobbyists frustrated with limits on requests for, 293; issues remain with White House policy easing ban on discussion of stimulus efforts, 432

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

See specific states