Honest Services Fraud

Honest Services Fraud

The Supreme Court issued two opinions limiting the scope of federal fraud statutes that prohibit “honest services fraud” in Ciminelli v. United States and Percoco v. United States. 18 U.S.C. § 1346 states, “a scheme or artifice to defraud includes a scheme or artifice...
Taylor Update

Taylor Update

In United States v. Taylor, the Supreme Court held that attempted Hobbs Act robbery does not qualify as a “crime of violence” under 18 U.S.C. §924(c). Under 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(3), “crime of violence” is defined as a felony offense and “has an element the use,...
Wire Fraud

Wire Fraud

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) has recently been cracking down on cases of federal wire fraud. Wire fraud is governed by  18 U.S.C. § 1342. 18 U.S.C § 1342 states that the four essential elements of the crime of wire fraud are: (1) that the defendant...
Aggravated Identity Theft

Aggravated Identity Theft

On June 8, 2023, the Supreme Court decided Dubin v. U.S, 599 U.S. ___ (2023), which dealt with the applicability 18 §1028A(a)(1), the federal aggravated identity theft statute, which has a two-year mandatory minimum prison sentence.  The Government uses it frequently...
Federal Agencies

Federal Agencies

What are the Various Federal Investigation Agencies? Federal criminal offenses are investigated by different federal agencies. While federal criminal charges are ultimately brought by the United States Attorney’s Office, their investigators are performed by the...