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A Luigi Mangione Death Penalty Trial

A Luigi Mangione Death Penalty Trial

April 15, 2025

A Luigi Mangione Death Penalty Trial

By: James Trusty

The Attorney General’s recent announcement that DOJ will seek the death penalty against Luigi Mangione raises a host of interesting legal and philosophical issues, and it almost certainly reflects a dramatic about-face from the Biden administration’s approach towards federal prosecutions for death-eligible offenses. Aside from having personally prosecuted three death penalty trials while I was an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Maryland and when I was Chief of the DOJ Organized Crime and Gang Section, I spent a number of years on the Attorney General’s Capital Review Committee (“CRC”). The Committee was comprised of a number of “grey heads” who had personally handled death penalty cases and who developed a solid working knowledge of the intricate field of capital litigation. Ultimately,…

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Trouble in Paradise: White Lotus Character’s Legal Woes Illustrate Civil Forfeiture’s Overreach

April 14, 2025

Trouble in Paradise: White Lotus Character’s Legal Woes Illustrate Civil Forfeiture’s Overreach

By: Abbey Block

Last Sunday, millions of viewers tuned in to watch the season finale of White Lotus – a widely popular show that centers around the week-long vacation of several ultra-wealthy patrons of the fictional “White Lotus” resort in Thailand.[1] The show follows a dynamic cast of quirky characters as they navigate their opulent getaway. One of those characters in this most recent season was Timothy Ratliff…

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Amending Arbitration Clauses – No Notice, Big Problem?

April 8, 2025

Amending Arbitration Clauses – No Notice, Big Problem?

By: Robert Ward

Many websites’ terms and conditions allow online service providers to make changes without providing prior notice to users. Often, the terms state that the user agrees to read the terms and conditions, and that continued use of the website constitutes acceptance of any modification.  A recent Fourth Circuit decision highlights the potential risk that such unilateral change-in-terms provisions might pose to another common feature of…

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Ninth Circuit Upholds Dramatic Upward Departure in Fraud Case

October 24, 2011

Ninth Circuit Upholds Dramatic Upward Departure in Fraud Case

By: Ifrah Law

Last month, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit upheld a very large upward departure by a U.S. District Judge in Nevada of more than 17 years above the recommended range under the Sentencing Guidelines, based on conduct that the defendant was never convicted of or even charged with.  In this highly unusual case, David Kent Fitch was convicted by a jury of…

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Five Years Later, Skilling’s Sentence Is Still Up in the Air

October 17, 2011

Five Years Later, Skilling’s Sentence Is Still Up in the Air

By: Ifrah Law

On Sunday, October 16, 2011, an op-ed article by founding partner Jeff Ifrah and associate Jeff Hamlin appeared in the Houston Chronicle. The article discusses the upcoming resentencing of former Enron CEO Jeffrey Skilling and the fact that it is now close to the fifth anniversary of his conviction. The following is the full text of the article:   Five years later, Skilling’s sentence is…

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Judge Awards $1.7 Million to Defendant in EPA Malicious Prosecution Case

October 12, 2011

Judge Awards $1.7 Million to Defendant in EPA Malicious Prosecution Case

By: Ifrah Law

On September 30, 2011, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana ordered the United States to pay $1.7 million in a malicious prosecution lawsuit to Hubert Vidrine, based on findings that the U.S. government had maliciously prosecuted Vidrine for alleged environmental crimes. This is a rare ruling by a federal court requiring the government to pay money damages for the overzealous actions…

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District Judge Orders Much-Reduced Sentence in Fraud Case

October 10, 2011

District Judge Orders Much-Reduced Sentence in Fraud Case

By: Ifrah Law

A federal judge has made a major reversal in the case of Steve Warshak, the Berkeley Premium Nutraceuticals founder who was sentenced to 25 years for defrauding customers who bought his “male enhancement” pills, which were advertised in the notorious “Smiling Bob” ad campaign. We have discussed Warshak’s case in a previous blog post. Warshak had been accused of defrauding customers out of $400 million,…

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Judge Imposes Draconian Sentences in Medicare Fraud Scheme

October 7, 2011

Judge Imposes Draconian Sentences in Medicare Fraud Scheme

By: Ifrah Law

On Sept. 16, 2011, a federal judge in Miami sentenced Lawrence Duran to 50 years in prison, the longest sentence ever imposed in a Medicare fraud case, for his role in a massive fraud scheme that resulted in more than $205 million in losses. Duran was also ordered to pay $87 million in restitution. Duran was co-owner of American Therapeutic Corporation with Marianella Valera, his…

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Articles and Presentations by Our Firm Attorneys

A Luigi Mangione Death Penalty Trial

A Luigi Mangione Death Penalty Trial
By: James Trusty

Trouble in Paradise: White Lotus Character’s Legal Woes Illustrate Civil Forfeiture’s Overreach

Trouble in Paradise: White Lotus Character’s Legal Woes Illustrate Civil Forfeiture’s Overreach
By: Abbey Block

Amending Arbitration Clauses – No Notice, Big Problem?

Amending Arbitration Clauses – No Notice, Big Problem?
By: Robert Ward

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