Topic
Every decision we've filed under Fraud.
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed the convictions and sentences of two defendants who orchestrated a fraudulent discount scheme involving medical supplies. The court rejected arguments that the scheme was merely a legal deception and upheld the admission of prior bad acts evidence to prove intent.
The Eleventh Circuit vacated a federal dismissal order and remanded with instructions to dismiss without prejudice, clarifying that the Rooker-Feldman doctrine does not bar claims for damages against private parties in state court proceedings. The court held that the plaintiff's federal claims were wholly insubstantial because they lacked a plausible foundation in federal law and did not involve state action.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit dismissed an appeal filed by Kaci Anne-Rene Lima following her bank fraud conviction. The court enforced an appeal waiver contained in Lima's plea agreement, finding that her sentence did not exceed the statutory maximum and that the waiver was entered knowingly and voluntarily.
The Fourth Circuit affirmed Ceara Smith's conviction and sentence, ruling that her valid plea agreement appeal waiver barred her challenge to the sentencing enhancement. The court also denied Anders relief after reviewing the record and finding no non-waived meritorious issues.
The Eleventh Circuit dismissed an appeal by a defendant who had signed a plea agreement containing a sentence appeal waiver. The court found the waiver enforceable because the defendant was specifically questioned about it during the plea colloquy and understood its terms.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit affirmed a district court dismissal of a Title VII claim alleging failure to accommodate religious beliefs. The appellate court found no reversible error in the lower court's determination that the plaintiff failed to meet the statutory time limit for filing her claim.
The Fifth Circuit affirmed a sentence for bank fraud conspiracy where the district court applied vulnerable victim enhancements. The appellate court found the lower court's determination that older bank customers were unusually vulnerable was not clearly erroneous.
The Seventh Circuit affirmed the federal corruption convictions of former Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan. The court found sufficient evidence that Madigan exchanged legislative influence for financial benefits funneled to his political allies.
The Eleventh Circuit dismissed Ana Romero's appeal of her wire fraud conspiracy sentence because she knowingly and voluntarily waived her right to appeal in her plea agreement. The court found the waiver enforceable under Bushert standards and determined that Romero's arguments did not fall within any of the waiver's narrow exceptions.
The Fifth Circuit affirmed Sharmaine Jackson's sentence, ruling that the district court did not clearly err in applying a sentencing enhancement for vulnerable victims. The court held that targeting older customers with large balances who rarely checked their accounts rendered them unusually vulnerable under federal sentencing guidelines.