Paul V. KellyBlog Posts
FBI Issues Warnings Regarding COVID-19 Fraud SchemesThe Special Agent in Charge of the Boston office of the FBI, Joseph Bonavolonta, has issued an advisory aimed at alerting and keeping individuals and companies safe in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. His memo reported on emerging schemes and frauds being perpetrated by criminals looking to capitalize on the current crisis. The FBI...… Continue ReadingApril 16, 2020 |
AG Barr: Prosecutors, BOP Should Consider COVID-19 Crisis in Determining Bail, Early ReleaseSeveral current and former federal officials recently sent letters to the President and the Attorney General urging action to protect persons in custody or facing arrest and detention during the COVID-19 crisis. In response, Attorney General Barr has issued separate directives to all U.S. Attorneys and DOJ Department Heads and to the Director of the...… Continue ReadingApril 7, 2020 |
FBI Warns of Teleconferencing and Online Classroom Hijacking During COVID-19 PandemicAs large numbers of people turn to video-teleconferencing (VTC) platforms to stay connected in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis, reports of VTC hijacking (also called “zoom-bombing”) are emerging nationwide. The FBI has received multiple reports of conferences being disrupted by pornographic and/or hate images and threatening language. For example, two schools in Massachusetts reported...… Continue ReadingApril 2, 2020 |
Judges, Senators, DOJ Officials: Action Required by President, AG to Protect Inmate Population during COVID-19 CrisisIn a letter to the President dated tomorrow (March 27, 2020), several hundred federal judges, former U.S. Attorneys, Assistant U.S. Attorneys, and Department of Justice (DOJ) officials are asking the government to implement a plan to dramatically reduce the number of incarcerated individuals in the federal prison system and to address “the threat of disastrous...… Continue ReadingMarch 26, 2020 |
Maritime Technician Exonerated in Theft of Trade Secret CaseFollowing a month-long trial in Hartford, Connecticut, before Chief U.S. District Judge Alvin Thompson, a jury returned a split verdict in a case charging two defendants with conspiracy and theft of trade secrets. The jury completely exonerated one of two defendants, Jay Williams, represented by Jackson Lewis, while returning guilty verdicts on certain counts against...… Continue ReadingJuly 10, 2018 |
U.S. Department of Justice Reverses Hands-Off Enforcement Policy on MarijuanaJust days after retail sales of recreational marijuana became legal in California, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced a new marijuana enforcement policy that calls for rescinding the long-standing, lenient policy set by the Obama Administration. Now it is up to the individual U.S. Attorney’s Offices to determine whether and how to pursue criminal prosecutions in...… Continue ReadingJanuary 8, 2018 |
Plans to ‘Reframe’ Title IX Enforcement AnnouncedThe Trump Administration believes that Obama-era guidance regarding sexual assault on college campuses created a “failed system” that was a “disservice to everyone involved,” Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said on September 7, 2017. According to DeVos, “There must be a better way forward.” Enacted in 1972, Title IX is a federal law that prohibits discrimination...… Continue ReadingSeptember 7, 2017 |
Former NHL Player Receives Probation For Drug OffenseFormer NHL player Kevin Stevens avoided a federal prison sentence following a hearing this week in U.S. District Court in Boston. Stevens, who played in the NHL for 16 years (1987-2002), including parts of 11 seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins, also starred at Boston College and for the 1988 U.S. Olympic team. In the early...… Continue Reading The post Former NHL Player Receives Probation For Drug Offense appeared first on Collegiate & Professional Sports Law Blog.May 6, 2017 |
Department of Justice Renews Commitment to Enforcement of Foreign Corrupt Practices ActDuring his campaign, President Donald Trump raised uncertainty with statements that he disapproved of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Since then, however, the Department of Justice has emphasized its continued enforcement efforts for FCPA violations. On April 18, 2017, at the Anti-Corruption, Export Controls & Sanctions Compliance Summit, DOJ’s Acting Principal Assistant Attorney General Trevor...… Continue ReadingMay 5, 2017 |
Former NHL Player receives probation for drug offenseFormer NHL player Kevin Stevens avoided a federal prison sentence yesterday following a hearing in U.S. District Court in Boston. Stevens, who played in the NHL for 16 years (1987-2002), including parts of 11 seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins, also starred at Boston College and for the 1988 U.S. Olympic team. In the early 1990s,...… Continue ReadingMay 5, 2017 |