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“Five Louisiana men, including four active and former law enforcement officers, were indicted Wednesday on charges of bribery, conspiracy to commit visa fraud, and mail fraud, following a federal investigation initiated by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS fraud detection officers uncovered a pattern of inconsistencies among U visa applications, spurring a multi-agency federal investigation.” 
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“You’ve seen it all over the news: ransomware has run amok. Attacking and squeezing organizations of all sizes and types, this especially insidious malware boils down to something like, hand over the cash or lose your data (and surprise, surprise: the former doesn’t necessarily guarantee the latter). Between nation-state threat actors and the rise of ransomware as-a-service (RaaS) operations, ransomware seems to be the weapon of choice for today’s cybercriminal. As it happens, experts currently estimate that a business is hit by ransomware every 11 seconds.”
Law Offices of David A. Black's insight:
The white collar crime currently sweeping the country – and the world – is ransomware. While we’ve all heard the term, many do not understand what ransomware is. Briefly, ransomware is malicious software that acts to deny access to files in a computer system until the owner of the system pays the person directing the attack. Like other malware, ransomware can be distributed to and infect a website, for example, using typical phishing schemes such as email and links appearing on sites. Interestingly, since 2019, when 85% of ransomware victims paid a ransom, that percentage has consistently declined, and stood at 46% in 2021. During the last quarter of 2023, that percentage declined to 29%.
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Backpage.com founder Michael Lacey was convicted Thursday on a single count of money laundering and acquitted on another. But the Arizona jury deadlocked on 84 other counts against him, leading the federal judge to declare a mistrial.
Law Offices of David A. Black's insight:
Backpage was a classified ad website started around 20 years ago. A number of the principals of the company have been charged with and convicted of numerous offenses, including promoting prostitution, money laundering, and conspiracy. Last week, however, the jury in the trial of one of the founders deadlocked on 84 different charges. He was convicted, however, of money laundering. The judge has declared a mistrial on the charges the jury could not agree on. This is the second retrial in the case, the first also resulting in a mistrial, but not for the same reason. The earlier mistrial was declared when another judge decided the prosecution’s references to child sex trafficking in the case was improper, since there was no child sex trafficking charge against the defendant.
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“Illinois' controversial SAFE-T Act, which will eliminate the use of cash bail, will go into effect in September following the state Supreme Court's ruling that reversed an earlier decision from a Chicago-area judge. The court stated in its 5-2 ruling on July 18 that determining the constitutionality of the Pretrial Fairness Act "is not an endeavor that we take lightly." The elimination of cash bail was set to take effect Jan. 1, but was placed on hold as the Illinois Supreme Court heard an appeal filed by Attorney General Kwame Raoul's office following an earlier ruling from a Kankakee County judge, who deemed it unconstitutional.”
Law Offices of David A. Black's insight:
It has been pointed out by many researchers over the years that a cash bail system – one that ties pre-trial freedom to your ability to pay – is simply unfair. After all, what does your net worth have to do with whether you should be permitted to remain free pending a criminal trial? The State of Illinois has now dealt with the issue. Effective in September, Illinois will eliminate cash bail. This does not mean that everyone will be set free after being arrested. If the court finds that the defendant is a danger to others, or that the defendant is a flight risk, pretrial detention may be ordered. Otherwise, however, criminal defendants will remain free pending trial.
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“Hunter Biden pleaded not guilty to tax charges on Wednesday, in a stunning reversal after a judge said she wasn’t yet prepared to accept a deal he had reached with prosecutors to plead guilty. In a testy, three-hour hearing, a lawyer for President Biden’s son at first clashed with prosecutors over a dispute about the potential for future charges. After a break in which the two sides clarified their agreement, U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika said she needed more information before deciding whether to sign off on it. [hyperlinks omitted].”
Law Offices of David A. Black's insight:
When the Hunter Biden tax case came before the court this week, everyone assumed the matter was resolved through a plea bargain. The essence of the deal was that Biden would plead guilty to two misdemeanor tax charges. He would also enter a diversion program which, if successfully completed, would avoid jail time on a felony firearms charge. When the reports surfaced concerning the court hearing on the plea bargain, they suggested that the judge rejected the agreement. In fact, the judge merely stated that she needed more information on the terms of the deal before deciding whether to approve it. The basis of that change of heart? An on the record disagreement between lawyers for Biden and the Government of essential terms of the plea. Without a deal in hand, Hunter Biden entered a not guilty plea on the tax charges. The plea bargain is still alive, though, subject to court approval and the parties getting on the same page.
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“Theodore DiBiase Jr., better known as Ted Dibiase Jr. during his six-year stint in WWE, has been charged with misappropriating millions of federal dollars meant to support families in need in Mississippi. . . . At least five contracts were given to DiBiase’s companies Priceless Ventures LLC and Familiae Orientem LLC for “social services that DiBiase did not provide and did not intend to provide,” according to the U.S. Justice Department. ‘DiBiase allegedly used these federal funds to buy a vehicle and a boat, and for the down payment on the purchase of a house, among other expenditures,’ according to a press release from the Justice Department.”
Law Offices of David A. Black's insight:
An ex-WWE wrestler is charged with theft, wire fraud, money laundering and conspiracy relating to federal funds allegedly received for social services, and then diverted to the man’s private use. The government alleges that the man’s companies received the funds but did not intend to provide – and failed to provide – social services. Rather, the government asserts, the money was used to purchase real estate and other items for the defendant.
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“A Morris County woman has been charged for her role in a conspiracy to commit health care fraud, U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger announced today. [The woman], 33, of Kinnelon, New Jersey, is charged by indictment with one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and four counts of health care fraud. She was arrested today and will have her initial appearance this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Edward S. Kiel in Newark federal court.”
Law Offices of David A. Black's insight:
The criminal laws relating to health care fraud go beyond charges against doctors seeking reimbursement from insurance companies for medical treatment that allegedly was not provided. In a recent case in New Jersey, a woman who controlled a number of pharmacies has been charged in United States District Court with conspiring to commit health care fraud. According to the press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the woman is accused of billing health insurance providers for prescriptions that were not dispensed to patients. The government contends that the practice went on for over 5 years and totaled $10 million in allegedly fraudulent bills. If convicted, the woman faces up to 50 years in prison.
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“New Orleans’s district attorney, Jason Williams, has been acquitted of all charges in a controversial tax fraud trial, clearing a longstanding cloud over his political future and allowing the progressive prosecutor to remain in office in a city that has long been one of America’s leading incarcerators. Williams, along with his private practice law partner Nicole Burdett, faced a 10-count federal indictment accusing the pair of conspiring to evade taxes over a five-year period by allegedly inflating business expenses and failing to file appropriate documentation for cash payments received by the law firm.”
Law Offices of David A. Black's insight:
Jason Williams, the New Orleans’s District Attorney, has been found not guilty after a jury trial. The government alleged that Williams and his law partner conspired to evade taxes by inflating expenses and failing to properly report cash payments made to their law firm. Williams, a Black man known as a “reformist” prosecutor, was charged while he was a member of the New Orleans city council, just after he announced his intention to seek the District Attorney position. Interestingly, no defense witnesses were called in the case, and the government’s star witness, the firm’s tax preparer, offered what was described as “shambolic” testimony.
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“One of Donald J. Trump’s most trusted executives pleaded guilty on Thursday to conspiring with Mr. Trump’s company to carry out a long-running tax scheme, an admission that painted a damning picture of the former president’s family business but did not advance a broader investigation into the man himself. As part of the plea deal with the Manhattan district attorney’s office, the executive, Allen H. Weisselberg, is required to testify at the company’s trial if prosecutors choose to call on him, and to admit his role in conspiring with Mr. Trump’s company to carry out the tax scheme. That testimony could tilt the scales against the company, the Trump Organization, as it prepares for an October trial related to the same accusations.”
Law Offices of David A. Black's insight:
The former Chief Financial Officer of the Trump Organization pleaded guilty this week to a tax fraud scheme involving over a dozen felonies. The crimes involved, among other things, compensating employees through “off-the-books” tax-free benefits and perks. They included being provided with leased Mercedes Benz cars, private school tuition and an Upper West Side apartment. The plea agreement requires Weisselberg to testify at the tax fraud trial of the Trump Organization. In exchange, he will receive a jail term of as little as 100 days (he was facing up to 15 years in prison), and must pay $2 million in taxes, penalties and interest. Interestingly, the plea deal does not require Weisselberg to testify in any broader criminal investigation aimed specifically at Mr. Trump.
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“Former NFL player Josh Bellamy has been sentenced to three years and one month in federal prison for fraudulently obtaining over $1.2 million in COVID-19 relief funds. Bellamy, 32, of St. Petersburg, Florida, was sentenced Friday in Tampa federal court, according to court records. He pleaded guilty in June to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Besides serving prison time, Bellamy must also pay restitution.”
Law Offices of David A. Black's insight:
The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans provided by the Small Business Administration were part of the federal government’s COVID-19 relief package. Some applicants allegedly received loans after providing false information when they applied. In June of this year, ex-NFL player Josh Bellamy pled guilty to fraudulently obtaining $1.2 million in COVID relief (PPP) funds. The government alleged that those funds were obtained using falsified information and documents. This month, Bellamy was sentenced to 37 months in prison as a result of the guilty plea. There are additional related cases, some of which are still pending, involving alleged co-conspirators.
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“Online fraud is getting sneakier and stealthier as mischievous operatives evolve their techniques. Learn some of the unique tricks afoot today and how to spot them. . .. [T]here is a huge increase in deepfake content on the internet, and amateurs have started to produce impersonation videos of celebrities that are believable to the untrained eye. ‘Fraudsters can use deepfakes for bribery, to spread lies and misinformation or to pose as everyday individuals—such as someone you trust—in order to get personal information and login credentials. This enables them to open fake credit card accounts, take over existing accounts, steal money from unsuspecting victims or access entire databases of user information to sell on the dark web’ . . .”
Law Offices of David A. Black's insight:
Whether it’s called fraud, theft, identity theft or some other name, fraudulent internet activity is certainly on the rise. What is becoming more apparent – and perhaps more disturbing – is that an arena once ruled by those with serious technical know-how is now available to those with minimal technical abilities and backgrounds. What this means is that all of us are more vulnerable to gimmicks and frauds that were once the exclusive domain of sophisticated internet users, but now may be utilized by those with a relatively minimal amount of internet savvy. Interestingly, a lot of your personal information is available to anyone willing to take the time to find it. And that information can be used for a variety of purposes, including a host of illegal schemes designed to part you and your money. Beware of emails, text messages and other communications that ask you to divulge your personal information! But remember that if you are charged with online fraud, there are defenses that may apply in your case, which could lead to a dismissal or a not guilty verdict.
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“When most people hear about “credit card fraud,” they envision some complex scheme involving discovering your card number or other information through hacking. While that certainly does occur, and may constitute credit card fraud, the definition of the offense in Arizona is much broader than you might think.”
Law Offices of David A. Black's insight:
In this blog post, Phoenix criminal defense lawyer David A. Black discusses the specifics of the crime of Credit Card Fraud in Arizona. While many people assume that the offense is limited to certain kinds of activities – hacking to discover the credit card information of others, for example – Arizona law makes it clear that definition of credit card fraud includes a host of activities related to unlawfully using, obtaining, or applying for a credit card. The offenses have different elements of proof and include a wide range of classifications and potential penalties. Depending upon the specifics of the charge or charges against you, you could be facing a misdemeanor or a serious felony. In fact, most of the offenses listed under the statute, A.R.S. 13-2101, are felonies.
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“A criminal complaint has been filed charging three individuals with conspiracy to commit health care fraud, conspiracy to commit false statements relating to health care matters, and false statements to health care matters, in connection with a scheme to produce and sell fraudulent nursing transcripts and diplomas. . .. According to [the] affidavit in support of the criminal complaint, [the three defendants] conspired with others to commit health care fraud by producing and selling fraudulent nursing transcripts and diplomas, which were used to indicate that various individuals completed necessary courses and clinical hours to obtain medical licenses and practice in the health care field.”
Law Offices of David A. Black's insight:
White collar crime is a broad area of criminal law. It includes not only acts such as money laundering, credit card fraud and similar offenses. It also includes health care fraud. In this case, the suspects are charged with providing people with altered and/or backdated transcripts and certifications to permit those people to apply for nursing licenses. According to the federal complaint, the fake credentials were purchased for between $6,000 and $18,000. The acts allegedly took place in Virginia, Maryland, and Florida. The complaints are pending against a number of individuals, and the individuals charged are, of course, presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
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“The Corporate Transparency Act, otherwise known as the CTA, is . . . a statute that brings the United States into compliance with the rest of the world in terms of beneficial ownership reporting. If you have tried to open a bank account or any other type of financial account overseas, the things that the Corporate Transparency Act asks for would not be very surprising.”
Law Offices of David A. Black's insight:
One of the difficulties the U.S. government says it has experienced in combatting terrorism involves those who seek to disguise money or other assets to prevent the government from learning that the assets were produced by, or intended to be used for, illegal activity. Under the Corporate Transparency Act, the idea is that by requiring information relating to beneficial ownership, the government would be able to find out who actually owns and controls companies. The act, which was scheduled to go into effect this past January, has met resistance involving its constitutionality. At the present time, there is an outstanding injunction barring enforcement of the reporting requirements of the law. The plaintiffs in that case (decided this month), successfully argued that the CTA exceeds the government’s enumerated powers under the U.S. Constitution. We can expect to hear more about this as the case moves through the appellate courts.
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“The United States of America and ReNew Health Group LLC have settled a nursing home whistleblower claim involving allegations that the nursing home chain submitted false Medicare claims. In a settlement, Renew Health has agreed to pay $7 million to resolve claims under the False Claims Act for knowingly submitting false Medicare claims for its nursing home residents.”
Law Offices of David A. Black's insight:
The Justice Department has announced the settlement of the largest COVID Nursing Home fraud case in the history of the United States. The settlement, which is in excess of $7 million, comes after an investigation resulting from statements by a whistleblower. Ordinarily, Medicare reimbursement for nursing home beds requires at least a 3-day hospital stay prior to any disbursement. During the pandemic, the 3-day requirement was lifted for COVID patients. The government alleged that the nursing home in question abused the waiver by submitting claims under the COVID waiver program for patients who did not have COVID.
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“When self-checkout kiosks began to pop up in American grocery stores, the sales pitch to shoppers was impressive: Scan your stuff, plunk it in a bag, and you’re done. Long checkout lines would disappear. Waits would dwindle. Small talk with cashiers would be a thing of the past. Need help? Store associates, freed from the drudgery of scanning barcodes, would be close at hand to answer your questions.”
Law Offices of David A. Black's insight:
Many retail stores decided a few decades ago to dispense with most of their checkout workers and lay the burden on customers to handle their own checkout. Some people resented the notion that they had become, in essence, unpaid employees of the store involved. As it turns out, however, self-checkout appears to be a failed experiment in a number of ways. Rather than fulfill the claims made when the self-checkout boom began, it turns out that the entire idea has been unworkable. You still have lines to deal with, the checkout machines are a nightmare to operate, and, because the change has led to a dramatic increase in retail theft – shoplifting – many stores are rethinking the entire process.
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“Hunter Biden pleaded not guilty to tax charges on Wednesday, in a stunning reversal after a judge said she wasn’t yet prepared to accept a deal he had reached with prosecutors to plead guilty. In a testy, three-hour hearing, a lawyer for President Biden’s son at first clashed with prosecutors over a dispute about the potential for future charges. After a break in which the two sides clarified their agreement, U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika said she needed more information before deciding whether to sign off on it. [hyperlinks omitted].”
Law Offices of David A. Black's curator insight,
July 27, 2023 4:18 PM
When the Hunter Biden tax case came before the court this week, everyone assumed the matter was resolved through a plea bargain. The essence of the deal was that Biden would plead guilty to two misdemeanor tax charges. He would also enter a diversion program which, if successfully completed, would avoid jail time on a felony firearms charge. When the reports surfaced concerning the court hearing on the plea bargain, they suggested that the judge rejected the agreement. In fact, the judge merely stated that she needed more information on the terms of the deal before deciding whether to approve it. The basis of that change of heart? An on the record disagreement between lawyers for Biden and the Government of essential terms of the plea. Without a deal in hand, Hunter Biden entered a not guilty plea on the tax charges. The plea bargain is still alive, though, subject to court approval and the parties getting on the same page.
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“The trial against ex-OpenSea product manager Nathaniel Chastain is set to begin later this week, nearly a year since he was arrested in New York City for wire fraud. Chastain’s arrest came on the tail-end of an FBI investigation into his non-fungible tokens (NFT) dealings, which alleged he had secretly bought NFTs and resold them for two to five times their original value.”
Law Offices of David A. Black's insight:
An insider trading trial is set to begin in late April. The defendant was an employee of OpenSea, which, according to the company, is the world’s first and biggest marketplace for NFT’s (“non-fungible tokens”). These are cryptographic tokens that cannot be replicated. The value is in the information stored on the tokens, which is unique and verifiable. They can be bought and sold like any other piece of art. It is alleged that the defendant bought and sold the NFT’s secretly, using confidential information, and reaping several times their original value. He is charged with money laundering and wire fraud.
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“White-collar crime refers to a range of fraud committed by business and government professionals. You might be shocked to discover just how prevalent white-collar crime is and how little it gets prosecuted. . . White-collar crimes are estimated to make up only 3% of federal prosecutions. . . . White-collar crime prosecutions decreased 53.5% from 2011 to 2021. . . . As of 2021, annual losses from white-collar crimes are anywhere from $426 billion to $1.7 trillion.”
Law Offices of David A. Black's insight:
The term “white collar crime” is often bandied about, but rarely defined in any detailed manner. In fact, over half of white collar crime consists of fraud, but numerous additional categories exist. They include, among others: identity theft; embezzlement; forgery; counterfeiting; bribery; tax evasion; money laundering; and some forms of racketeering and extortion. A recent look at the issue also turned up two additional, and perhaps surprising, facts: first, around 90% of white collar crimes never get reported; and second, prosecutions for white collar crimes has decreased by over 50% during the last ten years or so.
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“Federal prosecutors today filed criminal charges against nine defendants – seven of them dockworkers at the Port of Long Beach – who allowed more than $2.1 million in fraudulent claims to be submitted to their labor union’s health insurance plan for sexual services or for physical therapy that never was provided. The conspiracy’s ringleader, Sara Victoria, 46, of San Pedro, is charged in an information filed today with one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.”
Law Offices of David A. Black's insight:
Health care fraud charges are not new. But a recent filing against dockworkers and others in California appears to reveal a novel twist on health care. Nine people – seven of whom are dockworkers at the Port of Long Beach – have been named in criminal charges filed by the United States Attorney’s Office in the Central District of California. The charges include alleged submission of over $2 million in fake claims to their union’s health insurance carrier. The feds claim those charges included sexual services billed to the insurer as chiropractic services and physical therapy. According to the U.S. Attorney’s press release, the ringleader of the operation, as well as at least some of the co-defendants, have entered into plea agreements in the case.
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“The New York judge overseeing a tax fraud case against the Trump Organization on Monday rejected any effort to delay next month's trial, acknowledging concern that former President Donald Trump's company might be trying to "stall" the criminal case. At a pre-trial hearing in a New York state court in Manhattan, Justice Juan Merchan warned against delaying tactics, even as a Trump Organization lawyer said the decision by longtime chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg to plead guilty changed how the defense will present its case.”
Law Offices of David A. Black's insight:
The Trump Organization is facing a criminal trial for tax fraud in New York. The company, which manages real estate, including golf clubs and hotels, around the world, has pleaded not guilty to the charges. It’s former CFO, however, has pled guilty, admitting to evading tax payments on over $1 million in benefits disguised as work expenses. The judge in the case refused the request by the company’s attorneys for a delay in the jury trial, which is scheduled to begin in October. If convicted at trial, the company would be facing significant financial penalties. In the meantime, the New York Attorney General continues its investigation of the company and is expected to file a civil lawsuit in the near future.
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“A recent New York Times piece highlighted blackmail threads taken on small restaurants that threaten and blackmail the owners. These threats say the person will leave a one-star review, hurting the business's reputation in Google Maps and Google Search if they do not send money through digital gift cards. Google responded on Friday by posting a notice in the Google Business Profiles Help forums saying Google is aware of this issue and taking action.”
Law Offices of David A. Black's insight:
We suppose it was only a matter of time before someone decided to threaten a poor Google review unless they were paid off by the proprietor. Depending upon the state you’re in, this could be deemed theft, extortion, or blackmail. In any event, it has become a growing problem, particularly with small businesses such as restaurants. Obviously, these types of business rely heavily on positive reviews to bolster their business. And when a series of horrible reviews hits Google, the results for the restaurant could spell disaster. Some enterprising scammers decided that they would launch the scheme as a regular practice, demanding payment in gift cards in exchange for removing the phony review. But Google has provided victims with some relief by giving them the means to have the scam reviews pulled off and urging those victims not to pay the money demanded.
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“[A 35-year old Atlanta man], reportedly submitted a fraudulent positive COVID-19 test in May 2020, according to the Justice Department. As a result, his employer -- an unidentified Fortune 500 company -- shut down, causing a loss of more than $100,000, the department said. . .. The investigation uncovered other crimes, including fraudulent documentation from Davis to get benefits from his employer. In the fall of 2019, he submitted false paperwork to support paid bereavement leave for the death of his child -- a child who never existed.”
Law Offices of David A. Black's insight:
A man has been sentenced in federal court for several fraud-related offenses, including the false reporting to his employer that he had tested positive for COVID-19. That action ultimately led to the shut-down of the plant where the man worked. He was sentenced to three years in prison. The charges against the man included not only the false test results. He was also charged with receiving bereavement time off from work due to the death of a child who never existed, as well as wire fraud and mortgage fraud. The sentence was imposed as the result of a guilty plea entered by the defendant in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. In addition to prison time, the defendant was ordered to pay $187,500 in restitution to the employer to whom he reported the fake COVID-19 test results.
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“Senator Rand Paul was accused of “insider trading” after he revealed that his wife bought stock in the firm that makes antiviral drug remdesivir in early 2020, disclosing the purchase more than a year after the reporting deadline. The Kentucky Republican acknowledged the stock buy on Wednesday in a Senate filing, the Washington Post reported, noting that Paul missed the mandatory 45-day deadline to disclose such trades by around 16 months.”
Law Offices of David A. Black's insight:
Senator Rand Paul has been accused insider trading, although neither criminal charges nor an SEC complaint has been filed as of this date. The accusers say in early 2020, just after COVID-19 made its debut on the world state, and prior to the virus being declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization, his wife purchased up to $15,000 worth of stock in the company that manufactures the anti-viral drug remdesivir. Paul sits on the Senate Health Committee, and it is alleged that he may have used knowledge gained in his Senate position in the decision to make the stock purchase. The stock trade was required to be reported within 15 days under federal law but was not reported until recently – approximately 16 months late. If charges are filed, they could include not only securities fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1348, but also a violation of the STOCK Act of 2012 (Stop Trading On Congressional Knowledge). Paul says the lapse was simply a mistake that led to a form not being filed. If criminal charges or an SEC lawsuit are filed, it will obviously be a huge issue for the Kentucky Senator.
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“The federal government has sued Kaiser Permanente, alleging the health care giant committed Medicare fraud and pressured doctors to list incorrect diagnoses on medical records in order to receive higher reimbursements, officials said Friday. The U.S. Department of Justice lawsuit, filed Thursday in federal court in San Francisco, consolidates allegations made in six whistleblower complaints. Kaiser, based in Oakland, is a consortium of entities that together form one of the largest nonprofit health care plans in the U.S. with more than 12 million members and dozens of medical centers.”
Law Offices of David A. Black's insight:
Kaiser Permanente, one of the largest non-profit health care plans in the country, has been sued by the United States Department of Justice. The DOJ alleges that the health insurance giant committed Medicare fraud by pressuring doctors to list diagnoses, which the DOJ says were incorrect, in order to inflate the cost of the procedures performed on patients, eventually leading to higher reimbursement to Kaiser. The lawsuit comes on the heels of approximately half a dozen whistleblower complaints on the issue. While the allegations in the new lawsuit include Medicare fraud, the case is a civil action. Nevertheless, Kaiser Permanente faces damages and penalties of perhaps hundreds of millions of dollars if the Justice Department prevails in the case.
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Immigration and related issues have become a hot topic of discussion across the country. A recent indictment presents a twist on the usual issues being discussed. Specifically, a federal indictment alleges that there was an illegal scheme involving four active and former law enforcement to obtain U visas for immigrants. A “U visa” permits non-citizens to remain in the United States if they have suffered significant mental or physical abuse as victims of certain crimes and provide help to law enforcement in the prosecution of those crimes. The U visa allows the holder to remain in the United States for up to four years and may permit the individual to apply for a green card. The defendants in the case include three police chiefs and a marshal in several cities in Louisiana. They are accused of presenting false statements about non-existent crimes to allow immigrants to apply for the visas. The defendants face decades in prison if convicted.