July 12, 2023

July 12, 2023

Florida man Adam Todd and his companies, Digitex LLC, Digitex Limited, Digitex Software Limited, and Blockster Holdings Limited Corporation, have been banned from registering with the CFTC and trading in CFTC-regulated markets, and ordered to pay almost $4 million in disgorgement and $12 million in civil monetary penalty.  According to the agency, the defendants failed to register with the CFTC, failed to comply with certain regulations, attempted to manipulate the...

July 12, 2023

An attorney formerly employed at the SEC for over 14 years has been sentenced to 6 years in prison and ordered to pay almost $1.4 million in restitution for defrauding over 1,000 investors while on supervised release for an earlier offense. In 2010, after leaving the SEC, Phillip Offill of Texas was sentenced to 8 years in prison and 3 years of supervised release for participating in multimillion dollar pump-and-dump...

In Their Own Words. . . . Senator Chuck Grassley

"The cornerstone of the United States government is accountability to the people it serves. Whistleblowers put their jobs and reputations on the line to uphold that bedrock principle. . . .  Protecting whistleblowers is good government, plain and simple, and that’s something we can all get behind." Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), in his press release announcing his bipartisan resolution -- co-sponsored with Senator Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) -- designating July 30,...

Constantine Cannon Attorney Chris McLamb Recognized in “Lawdragon 500 X – The Next Generation” List

Constantine Cannon is pleased to announce that attorney Chris McLamb has been named to Lawdragon’s “2023 Lawdragon 500 X – The Next Generation” list. According to Lawdragon, this inaugural list recognizes top attorneys who “will define where the legal profession of our country goes.”  During its selection process, Lawdragon conducted hundreds of hours of research on thousands of candidates.  The final list features attorneys from a broad array of practices...

July 11, 2023

Fertilizer manufacturer J.R. Simplot Company has agreed to pay a $1.5 million civil penalty and implement waste management measures valued at $150 million in order to resolve allegations of failing to properly identify and manage hazardous waste streams at its Idaho plant, in violation of multiple environmental protection laws, including the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act; Clean Air Act; Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA); and Emergency Planning...

July 11, 2023

The owner of one of California’s largest chains of pain management clinics has agreed to pay nearly $11.4 million to the federal government and the states of California and Oregon to settle allegations of defrauding Medicare and state Medicaid programs of millions of dollars.  A nearly four-year investigation by government data analysts found that Dr. Francis Lagattuta and his business, Lags Medical Clinics—which operates more than 20 facilities in California...

July 11, 2023

Bank of America has been ordered to pay more than $100 million to harmed consumers, $90 million in penalties to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), and $60 million in penalties to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) for multiple acts of misconduct.  The bank was found to charge consumers double fees on insufficient funds, withhold promised cash and point rewards on credit cards, and illegally obtain...

July 10, 2023

Whistleblower attorney Chris McLamb was quoted in a Bloomberg Law article, DOJ in ‘Driver’s Seat': Supreme Court’s FCA Ruling Explained.

Antitrust Matters Episode 13: Epic v. Apple Ninth Cir. Appeal: Reactions to and Analysis of the Decision

Antitrust Matters provides engaging and timely conversations about competition policy in the digital age. Antitrust has always mattered to consumers and businesses, and to antitrust lawyers and economists, but today it also is in the political and public discourse more than ever. From the prices we pay for food, travel, financial services, payments to the way we interact daily using digital apps and platforms, antitrust touches each and every one...

July 7, 2023

National Grid has agreed to pay $5.38 million in connection with the release of hazardous chemicals into soil and groundwater surrounding a former gas plant in Massachusetts.  The plant operated for a century, ending in 1952, and yielded toxic byproducts such as oils, sludges, and tars, which have gone on to contaminate natural resources in the area.  DOJ