by annfitz | Dec 11, 2018 | Aggravated Identity Theft, Federal Crime, Federal Sentencing Guidelines, Federal Trial, Mandatory Minimums, Safety Valve
With acquittal rates at historic lows in the federal system, sentencing has become the most crucial stage of the federal criminal justice process. In most cases, the pre-sentence investigation report (PSI) prepared by the probation officer and the sentencing hearing...
by annfitz | Dec 10, 2018 | Conspiracy, Federal Crime, Federal Trial, Fraud, Money Laundering, Pump and Dump Scheme, Securities Fraud, Southern District of Florida, White Collar Crime, Wire Fraud
James Schneider, a Boca Raton securities attorney was convicted by a federal jury last week after a two-week trial in Miami of one count conspiracy to commit securities and wire fraud, five counts of securities fraud, six counts of wire fraud, conspiracy to commit...
by annfitz | Nov 14, 2018 | Denaturalization, Federal Crime, Federal Trial, Immigration Fraud, Operation Janus, Southern District of Florida, U.S. Citizenship Application, U.S. Supreme Court, White Collar Crime
Etevaldo Ferreira De Souza, 47, of West Palm Beach, was found guilty by a jury on November 9 of one count of making false statements in a naturalization proceeding, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1015(a). According to the evidence presented at trial, De Souza was charged...
by annfitz | Nov 13, 2018 | Bank Fraud, Conspiracy, Federal Crime, Federal Trial, Fraud, Investment Fraud, Money Laundering, Securities Fraud, Southern District of Florida, Tax Evasion, White Collar Crime, Wire Fraud
A federal judge delayed the criminal trial of Palm House developer Robert Matthews, his wife and a real estate attorney until next summer. All three defendants, who are free on bond, face charges related to the unfinished Palm House hotel-condominium project in Palm...
On behalf of Law Office of Ann Fitz | Nov 6, 2018 | Federal Crime, Federal Trial, Fraud, Identity Theft, Southern District of Florida, Tax Fraud, White Collar Crime
A Port St. Lucie, Florida, man was convicted by a federal jury yesterday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida of ten counts of aiding and assisting in the filing of false income tax returns and three counts of filing false income tax...
On behalf of Law Office of Ann Fitz | Sep 20, 2018 | Conspiracy, Federal Crime, Federal Trial, Health Care Fraud, Medicare Fraud, Opioid Crisis, Southern District of Florida, White Collar Crime
As previously blogged on this site, on June 28, 2018 the Department of Justice announced what was called “the largest health-care fraud takedown in history,” with more than 1,000 law enforcement officers charging 601 people — including 76 doctors, 23 pharmacists, 19...
On behalf of Law Office of Ann Fitz | Sep 20, 2018 | Federal Sentencing Guidelines, Federal Trial, Guilty Plea, Mandatory Minimums, Sixth Amendment, U.S. Supreme Court, White Collar Crime
In a recent publication, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) found, “There is ample evidence that federal criminal defendants are being coerced to plead guilty because the penalty for exercising their constitutional rights is simply too high...
