10 Ways to Avoid an FTC Investigation in 2021
10 Ways to Avoid an FTC Investigation in 2021 The Federal Trade Commission ("FTC")—created in 1914—enforces the consumer protection laws in the United States at the federal level. These laws prevent fraud and deceptive and unfair business practices and prohibit anticompetitive conduct. The FTC's mission is to protect consumers and...
Read moreI Was Served with a Subpoena. Now What?
If you have been served with a subpoena, you need to respond, and at this point crafting your response should be among your top priorities. But, how should you respond, exactly? What information do you need to be prepared to provide? What information are you entitled to withhold? Do you...
Read moreHow Do I Get Out of a Subpoena to Testify?
If you have been served with a federal subpoena, there are various reasons why you might prefer not to testify. Under any circumstances, providing testimony before a federal agency or in federal district court presents risks, and there is no reason to face these risks unnecessarily. Of course, if you...
Read moreDoes a Subpoena Have to Be Served in Person?
Being served with a subpoena immediately leaves you with lots of questions, and the subpoena itself provides very few answers. It also provides you with very little time to get your bearings and make the decisions you need to make in order to protect yourself. If you received your subpoena...
Read moreWhat Happens if You Ignore a Subpoena?
Receiving a federal subpoena can raise lots of questions: Why have you been subpoenaed? What information or records do you need to provide? Are you entitled to withhold privileged information or records? What happens if you simply ignore it? With regard to this last question, ignoring a federal subpoena is...
Read moreThe IRS Called Me about Tax Fraud. What Do I Need to Know?
Each year, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) audits and investigates taxpayers across the country who are suspected of underreporting or underpaying their federal tax liability. This includes not only liability for federal income tax, but also unemployment tax, Social Security and Medicare taxes, and federal excise taxes. An IRS audit...
Read moreFactors Used in Determining Whether to Grant/Deny A Foreign National Prisoner Transfer
Introduction Prisoners in both federal and state custody can request an international prison transfer to serve the remainder of their sentence in their home country. Prior to initializing such transfer process, compliance with treaty provisions, federal legislations, and state laws (if relevant) is required. For instance, prisoners can only be...
Read moreDOJ Announces Settlement of Two Cases Involving Allegations of Fraudulently Billing Medicare for Electro-Acupuncture Services
On August 25, 2020, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that a pain management physician in Texas had agreed to settle charges of Medicare fraud involving electro-acupuncture services. The announcement comes less than two months after the DOJ announced a similar settlement involving a Texas anesthesiologist. DOJ: Pain Management...
Read moreFederal Laws You Need to Know When Running for Office
Introduction Running for federal office can be both an energizing but challenging time for potential candidates. After qualifying as a candidate, there is a host of federal laws that regulate the campaign contribution process. Federal election campaign finance laws (1) regulate the amount, frequency, and source of contributions; (2) place...
Read moreHow Can You Protect Your Assets if You are Potentially Facing a Federal Investigation or Litigation?
At the federal level, civil and criminal penalties for statutory violations and judgments awarded in private civil litigation are almost always substantial. In many cases, individuals can face fines in the hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars, and many federal statutes increase the penalties for corporate entities by a...
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