Category Archives: DOJ policy and practice

Government Contractors Conducting Investigations: A New Normal?

Posted on August 6, 2018 by

By Dan Portnov Here in DC, government contractors are everywhere and vital to keeping nearly all federal agencies running. Absent an Edward Snowden-level scandal, the integration of contractors and their day-to-day work in government offices largely goes unnoticed (and underappreciated). … Continue reading →

Posted in Criminal Investigation, DOJ policy and practice | Leave a comment

Prosecutors Sure Do Love the Perp Walk

Posted on June 27, 2018 by

By Sara Kropf I recently listened to Preet Bharara’s podcast on a long car ride. He’s the former United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York. After months of conducting interviews of government-side subjects—prosecutors, FBI agents and the … Continue reading →

Posted in DOJ policy and practice, Insider Trading | Tagged | Leave a comment

Surviving Parallel Proceedings

Posted on June 19, 2018 by

  By Dan Portnov Late last week the other shoe finally dropped for Theranos founder and ex-CEO Elizabeth Holmes, as she and fellow executive Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani were indicted on charges of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Following … Continue reading →

Posted in Criminal Investigation, DOJ policy and practice, SEC Investigation, SEC policy and practice, Wiretaps | Leave a comment

The Department of Justice Should Drop the Inauguration Day Protest Cases

Posted on June 11, 2018 by

The Department of Justice has been humiliated in its misguided prosecution of over two hundred Inauguration Day protestors. It has lost every single case to go to trial. It has engaged in intentional violations of the rules. And it has … Continue reading →

Posted in Acquittal After Jury Trial, Brady violations, Discovery/Brady, DOJ policy and practice, First Amendment | Tagged | Leave a comment

Doing the Government’s Laundry

Posted on April 23, 2018 by

By Dan Portnov In certain legal (nerd) circles, coining a phrase or term of art is one of the surest ways to achieve immortality – think Tim Wu’s first use of “network neutrality” in a 2003 journal article or Justice … Continue reading →

Posted in Brady violations, Criminal Investigation, Deferred Prosecution Agreement, Discovery/Brady, DOJ policy and practice, Securities fraud | Leave a comment

The Search Warrant for Lawyer Michael Cohen’s Office – How Did That Happen? DOJ Policies Reviewed

Posted on April 9, 2018 by

On April 9, 2018, news broke that the FBI had raided the office of President Trump’s attorney, Michael Cohen. Apparently the search was the result of referral from Special Counsel Mueller’s team to the SDNY U.S. Attorney’s Office. When I … Continue reading →

Posted in DOJ policy and practice, Public Corruption, Search warrant | Tagged | 4 Comments

David Ganek’s Valiant Effort to “Fight the Power” Fizzles—Where’s the Remedy When Law Enforcement Lies?

Posted on January 8, 2018 by

I’ve written several times before about hedge fund owner David Ganek’s groundbreaking lawsuit against federal agents and prosecutors in New York. See my posts here and here. As I described the case: The plaintiff is David Ganek, the former head … Continue reading →

Posted in Appeal, civil case, DOJ policy and practice, Search warrant | Leave a comment

Is DOJ Changing Its Practice on Press Releases after Dismissal or Acquittal?

Posted on September 28, 2017 by

I’ve written about vented several times (see here and here) about DOJ’s practice of leaving press releases announcing indictments on its website even after the defendant has been acquitted of the charges or after the charges have been dismissed. DOJ’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Dismissal of charges in indictment, DOJ policy and practice, SEC policy and practice | 1 Comment

Can a Defendant Get Attorney’s Fees If He’s Acquitted and There’s Prosecutorial Misconduct?

Posted on August 28, 2017 by

In a civil case, a defendant cannot recover attorney’s fees from a plaintiff, even if the defendant wins. There are a few exceptions to the “American rule,” such as a when there’s a statute governing the case or the contract … Continue reading →

Posted in DOJ policy and practice, Prosecutorial misconduct | 1 Comment

What is an FBI 302? The Problematic Nature of FBI Agents’ Interview Memos

Posted on May 18, 2017 by

Former FBI Director James Comey apparently wrote a memo summarizing his meeting with President Trump. The memo purportedly recounts the president’s statement saying he “hoped” that Comey would drop the investigation into the ties between his campaign and the Russians. … Continue reading →

Posted in Criminal Investigation, DOJ policy and practice, FBI policy and practice | 5 Comments