Category Archives: Federal Government Watch
Cyber Fraud Manhunt – FBI’s Most Wanted List for Internet Crime Gets Five New Additions: Computer Crimes and Internet Fraud Very Profitable
This week, there’s lots of discussion in the news media about the Obamacare web site, and the revelation that standard procedures for testing the safety and security of the software for personal data being placed into the system by Americans seeking information at the Affordable Care Act site (healthcare.gov) were not followed. (For more, see…
Mortgage Fraud “Straw Buyer” Cases Are Major Target of Federal Fraud Investigations
Back in July 2013, we pointed out how mortgage fraud indictments have become a big part of federal arrests, investigations, plea deals, and trials and that media coverage will be reporting on a lot more federal mortgage fraud cases after Teresa Giudice and her husband, Giuseppe “Joe” Giudice, who appear in the reality show “The…
Texas DWI Arrests: Drunk Driving Crackdown by Police and Prosecutors Just Keeps Getting Bigger as Paramedics Do Roadside BAC Tests and Feds Push for Lower .05 BAC Limit
Make no mistake, Texas law enforcement – from troopers on the road to district attorneys heading up offices filled with prosecutors in counties all around the state – are focused upon arresting and charging people for DWI. And things are getting tougher out there for anyone on the road with even a single glass of…
National Drug Use Study: Marijuana and Heroin Use Skyrocketing and Local Prosecutors Are Revving Up for Severe Sentences
The federal government monitors drug use — specifically illegal drug use (including alcohol) — in several ways, including research studies like the one just released this week by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). This study, done each year by the SAMHSA, is the National Survey on Drug Use and Health and…
Medicaid Fraud Is Big (BIG) Target of Both Federal Authorities and Texas Law Enforcement in 2013
Health care fraud — fake billing to Medicare or Medicaid — can be very profitable for doctors, dentists, hospitals, care facilities, home health care providers, equipment suppliers: really, it’s a big temptation for anyone who is in a position to file a payment request to either federal government health care program. Which means that both…
Texas Stop and Frisk: The New York City Stop and Frisk Law Just Held Unconstitutional – Texas Law Is Not Involved Here
There’s a lot of chatter this month about “stop and frisk laws” and the recent ruling by U.S. District Judge Shira Scheindlin who presides over a federal trial court up in the heart of New York City. In a lengthy (195 pages) decision (read it here), the Manhattan federal judge ruled that it violates the…
Police and Your Phone: The Justice Department Pushes Supreme Court To Okay Police Searching Your Phone Without a Search Warrant. Will Your Smartphone Be Private Anymore?
We’ve posted about police in Texas circumventing search warrants to get cell phone tower information by getting special court orders from Texas judges and how many are concerned that this is a constitutional violation of our rights to privacy. (The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, which presides over Texas in federal appellate matters, has ruled…
Federal Drug Crimes Get Different Treatment by U.S. Attorneys Per Eric Holder – What Does This Mean for Texas Defendants?
Federal drug crimes are going to be treated differently by federal prosecutors; here’s why and what it means to people in Dallas and Fort Worth and the rest of Texas that face drug arrests based on federal law. Federal Drug Crimes Punishment Set Out if Federal Sentencing Guidelines Federal crimes that result in convictions force…
Mail Fraud is Popular Federal Charge For Federal Prosecutors – Especially Now that Financial Fraud Crimes are Big Target of Federal Attorney General Eric Holder
Mail fraud? It’s a charge that is filed against more people that many realize. In fact, Texas criminal defense lawyers who represent people facing charges in federal court are well aware that United States Attorneys and federal prosecutors are famous for using the federal mail fraud felony statute against citizens. Their attitude is explained in…
Structuring Arrest in Dallas Results in Plea Deal: What is Structuring and Why is 10,000 The Magic Number?
Many people in today’s economy don’t need to worry about whether or not their bank deposit is $10,000 or more because they’re never depositing that much cash into their bank account at any one time. On the other hand, many Texas businesses routinely have these big five-digit deposits, and they have bookkeepers or accountants that…
