Defensa en Asuntos Criminales Económicos
En el clima intenso actual de imposición de leyes y regulaciones, los procesos judiciales pueden pasar de ser normativos y administrativos a penales en un abrir y cerrar de ojos. Cada vez más, los fiscales buscan imputar a las entidades corporativas y a funcionarios y directores de alto nivel para enjuiciarlos y encarcelarlos. Nuestra sólida experiencia nos ha ganado la confianza de altos ejecutivos y funcionarios en investigaciones de alto perfil: Enron, Halliburton, el Programa Petróleo por Alimentos (Oil-for-Food) de la ONU en Iraq, America Online, Banca Privada de Andorra, FIFA y otros.
En este contexto, nuestros clientes confían en nosotros ya que les brindamos un asesoramiento sofisticado y un planeamiento estratégico preciso. Nuestros talentosos abogados penalistas harán todo lo posible para analizar todas las defensas legales posibles y estratégicas. Una defensa vigorosa debe comenzar antes de que los cargos sean presentados y debe anticipar los mismos a través de investigaciones, negociaciones y asistencia legal. A veces, una investigación interna exhaustiva puede hacer que la defensa convenza al gobierno de no presentar cargos. Cuando los cargos no puedan ser evitados, nuestros abogados cuentan con sus décadas de experiencia en los tribunales para forzar al gobierno a que pruebe su caso.
Entre nuestros abogados penalistas se incluyen ex fiscales estatales y federales y también el ex jefe de la División de Asuntos Criminales Económicos de la Fiscalía de Distrito de Manhattan, un ex fiscal federal quien manejaba asuntos de ciberdelitos complejos, quien fue el fiscal encargado del exitoso enjuiciamiento de un miembro activo del Congreso y el ex jefe de la Fiscalía de Distrito de Manhattan en la Oficina de Delitos Financieros Internacionales. Han manejado una infinidad de asuntos de alto perfil incluyendo corrupción pública, lavado de dinero, fraude, ciberdelitos, financiamiento del terrorismo y prácticamente todo tipo de asuntos criminales económicos. Nuestro equipo incluye abogados defensores experimentados, quienes forjaron sus carreras yendo codo a codo contra el gobierno. La combinación de perspectiva de enjuiciamiento y experiencia en defensa nos da una gran ventaja a la hora de construir defensas exitosas. Muchos de nuestros asuntos son internacionales e implican navegar investigaciones legislativas y penales en varias jurisdicciones.
En cuanto a investigaciones, hemos llevado a cabo investigaciones internas en instituciones financieras y en empresas dentro y fuera de los Estados Unidos. En un caso, fuimos contratados justo cuando los fiscales federales se preparaban para entregarle a un corresponsal norteamericano de un banco extranjero una orden de congelamiento de activos. Realizamos una investigación interna, identificamos los problemas dentro del banco y negociamos con los fiscales federales para evitar que presenten la orden de congelamiento, que sin duda hubiera puesto fin a los privilegios del cliente dentro de los Estados Unidos y acto seguido, a su capacidad para funcionar como banco internacional.
Por último, a menudo hemos utilizado nuestro conocimiento de lo que constituye un buen caso para remitirlo a una agencia judicial. Los delatores y víctimas de fraudes masivos nos han contratado para investigar acusaciones de delitos, obtener evidencia y presentar cuestiones a la agencia judicial adecuada.
A continuación, mencionamos algunas de las áreas en las que hemos defendido exitosamente los derechos e intereses de nuestros clientes, ya sean personas u organizaciones:
- Ley sobre prácticas corruptas en el extranjero / investigaciones internacionales sobre sobornos.
- Fraude postal y fraude electrónico
- Lavado de dinero
- Corrupción política / fraude en servicios honestos
- Fraude de valores
- Fraude fiscal
- Delito informático y robo de identidad
- Sanciones y violaciones de control de exportaciones
- Fraude aduanero
- Acciones de delatores
- Crimen organizado
- Confiscación de bienes
- Investigaciones y testimonios parlamentarios
- Respuestas a citaciones y notificaciones del gran jurado
- Juicios y apelaciones penales
Representación de empresas o empleados de empresas bajo investigación.
Noticias
As a Manhattan prosecutor, attorney John Moscow handled complicated white-collar criminal investigations. He's been following the public court filings in the AG's probe, and believes the lack of Trump documents is remarkable — and intentional.
Business Insider, June 19, 2022Cristián Francos has again been recognized as a global leader in the field of investigations by Who’s Who Legal in its Investigations: 2022 guide.
May 31, 2022“Statements made in a civil deposition are admissible in a criminal proceeding against the person who made the statement. That’s why people can invoke their Fifth Amendment protections against self-incrimination at civil proceedings as well as criminal,” said Adam Kaufmann, a partner at the law firm of Lewis Baach Kaufmann Middlemiss who previously served as chief of the Manhattan DA’s investigative division.
The Daily Beast, April 27, 2022Arthur Middlemiss and Cristián Francos secured the return of all funds seized by the U.S. Department of Justice from U.S. accounts maintained by two broker-dealers based in Uruguay and New Zealand, respectively, both of which operated in Argentina.
April 18, 2022- Dan Abrams Live, February 23, 2022
Prosecutors must "go and verify each statement of fact in the return," said John Moscow, who also prosecuted complex economic crimes during his 30 years at the Manhattan DA's office.
"You don't say the return is false until you can prove that its constituent parts, taken together, are false," said Moscow, who is now senior counsel with Lewis Baach Kaufmann Middlemiss. "And that takes time."
Business Insider, February 22, 2022“This is bad news for Trump,” said John Moscow. “He can’t say, ‘I had top-level accountants doing this work.”’
BloombergQuint, February 14, 2022Adam Kaufmann, speaking to Fox5's Teresa Priolo, said, "It's a little bit like blood in the water, I would say. There has to be something hard and objective that says: 'This is a problem.' That gives an accountancy -- or perhaps a law firm, in certain situations -- the signal they need to take some kind of adverse action."
Fox 5 NY, February 14, 2022Adam Kaufmann joined Dan Abrams on NewsNation Now to discuss New York's ongoing investigation into the Trump Organization.
NewsNation Now, October 5, 2021Lewis Baach Kaufmann Middlemiss PLLC is pleased to announce that John Moscow has been named to the 2021 New York Super Lawyers list. Each year, no more than five percent of the lawyers in each state are selected to receive this honor. In addition, A. Mackenna White has been named to the 2021 New York Rising Stars list. Each year, no more than 2.5 percent of the lawyers in the state are selected to receive this honor.
September 30, 2021"The fact that they are having sealed proceedings is consistent with an ongoing grand jury investigation and suggests the district attorney may be considering further charges or defendants," said Adam Kaufmann, a former investigations division chief at the Manhattan District Attorney's Office who is currently a partner with the law firm Lewis Baach Kaufmann Middlemiss.
NPR, September 20, 2021Weisselberg may now be questioning whether continued loyalty will be rewarded, said John Moscow, a former senior white-collar prosecutor in the Manhattan district attorney’s office. Though still at the Trump Organization, Weisselberg was removed as CFO following the indictment, and he no longer serves as treasurer and secretary for many of the company’s subsidiaries.
“That’s a big change in his life, and if other people at the company are being told not to talk to him because they might be called to testify, that’s a change too,” said Moscow. “If I’m representing someone in that office, I would have to advise my client that someone like him may flip and may be wearing a wire.”
Bloomberg, September 17, 2021“This case had many flaws,” said Angerame’s lawyer Anthony Capozzolo. “The clients had their reputations tarnished in a way that simply was not fair or just.
“We are thankful for this decision, and the clients are eager to move on with their lives.”
New York Post, July 29, 2021In what defense attorneys characterized as a rare outcome for a government corruption indictment, a Manhattan judge dismissed charges that the New York Attorney General’s office brought against a former World Trade Center electric operations manager and two subcontractors.
[Judge] Wiley dismissed the full indictment based on testimony before a grand jury, which Lewis Baach Kaufmann Middlemiss partner Adam Kaufmann said is a not a common outcome for a bribery indictment filed by the AG. “Indictments don’t get tossed on grand jury minutes to begin with,” Kaufmann said. He added: “This was one of the most deeply flawed cases I have ever seen.”
New York Law Journal, July 28, 2021Former President Donald Trump's company and its Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg were indicted on 15 criminal charges Thursday for allegedly evading about $900,000 in taxes with the help of the Trump Organization and its payroll corporation. Yamiche Alcindor reports with Adam Kaufmann, former prosecutor and chief of the investigative division in the Manhattan district attorney's office.
PBS News Hour, July 1, 2021Adam Kaufmann appeared on ABC News Prime to discuss the Trump Organization indictment and what might be next in the prosecution.
ABC News, July 1, 2021- Reuters, July 1, 2021
- MSNBC, June 1, 2021
Adam Kaufmann, who served 18 years as a prosecutor in the Manhattan district attorney’s office, appeared on MSNBC's The Last Word to discuss why witnesses are granted immunity when testifying before a grand jury in New York and what to expect of the grand jury in the criminal probe of Donald Trump.
MSNBC, May 26, 2021- Líder Legal, February 10, 2021
- Idealex Press, February 3, 2021
LBKM partner Cristián Francos has been appointed as Senior Vice Chair of the IBA’s Business Crime Committee.
January 26, 2021Cristián Francos been recognized as a Global Leader in Who’s Who Legal: Investigations 2021. Who’s Who Legal is one of the world’s leading directories of legal practitioners.
January 2021Spanish newspaper El Mundo reported on a ruling by Spain's Constitutional Court holding that the imprisonment of Nervis Villalobos, a former Venezuelan official, was unconstitutional. Partner Manuel Varela represented Mr. Villalobos in the appeal.
El Mundo, December 23, 2020- March 17, 2020
Six LBKM professionals have been selected to the 2019 New York and Washington, DC Super Lawyers lists - an honor limited to 5 percent of the lawyers in each state. In addition, one LBKM professional has been selected to the 2019 New York Rising Stars list.
October 2019Colleges and universities must recognize the risk of potential corruption in their admissions process, and build intelligent controls to guard against fraud. Lewis Baach’s Arthur D. Middlemiss explains that schools should employ cost-efficient compliance measures and warns of the dangers in failing to do so.
Bloomberg Law Insight, March 29, 2019A government coverup of the Cohen reports “makes no sense,” said Aaron Wolfson, a lawyer who previously oversaw suspicious activity reporting for JPMorgan Chase. “I find that laughable.”
Washington Post, May 17, 2018Mr. Francos was quoted in the article saying, “If someone received a bribe, then someone had to have paid the bribe,” he said. “Companies should be well prepared [to be investigated].” He continued to say, many Argentinian companies that are contracted by the state do not have established policies in terms of compliance and integrity, and will likely rush to put together new compliance programmes. Francos said “this shock could be good” to improve standards quickly. “This [scenario] creates a problem for companies, but also an opportunity that will bring change to Argentina’s business culture,” he said.
Global Investigations Review, November 13, 2017On Monday, Dec. 12, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision clarifying subsection 1 of the bank fraud statute, 18 U.S.C. §1344, in Shaw v. United States. Notwithstanding a veritable ocean of case law, regulations and statutes that delineate the difference between a bank’s property and that of its customers, the court quickly pushed such technical arguments to the side, holding that — for the purposes of the bank fraud statute — there is no practical difference between targeting a bank customer’s funds and targeting the bank’s own funds.
Law360, December 13, 2016“The court’s decision is in keeping with the long-standing principle that a fraud can be prosecuted under the criminal law even if the victim does not suffer a loss — which is an important distinction between criminal fraud and civil fraud,” said A. Katherine Toomey, a partner at Lewis Baach PLLC.
Law360, December 12, 2016- Insiders 'Back on the Hook' After U.S. Supreme Court Insider Decision
For two years, stock traders and the attorneys who represent them said the law surrounding insider trading was a muddle, with no one knowing what exactly is or isn’t legal.
The U.S. Supreme Court Dec. 6 said it had ‘‘easily’’ settled the question (Salman v. United States, 2016 BL 404795, U.S., No. 15-628, 12/6/16).‘‘Going forward, even remote tippees of inside information are at risk if the government can demonstrate that the defendant knew he was trading on inside information and the chain of disclosure is sufficiently close, even if no money changes hands.’’ Eric Lewis, Lewis Baach PLLC
Bloomberg BNA White Collar Crime Report, 2016 Both the speed and the unanimity of the decision sent a strong message re-affirming existing insider trading prosecutions, according to Eric Lewis, a partner at Lewis Baach, a Washington DC law firm specializing in financial crimes.
"It was somewhat surprising that the Supreme Court took this case," Lewis told ValueWalk, noting that it had been two decades since the high court took up an insider trading case.
ValueWalk, December 6, 2016- KYC360, May 3, 2016
- Adam S. Kaufmann lauded as "high-powered attorney and crisis manager," Vanity Fair, February 16, 2016
- A former Siemens executive became the first person to plead guilty to U.S. criminal charges of helping run a bribery campaign that moved tens of millions of dollars to Argentine officials in connection with a $1 billion national ID card project.
Mr. Francos is mentioned in the article.
Law360, September 30, 2015 - Law360, August 11, 2015
- Juristas norteamericanos y chilenos analizaron avances en materia de regulación del lavado de dineroMarch 25, 2013
- Iranian's check raises 70 million questionsThe arrest of an Iranian official in Germany provided indications that Venezuelan banks may be helping Iran evade economic sanctions.El Nuevo Herald, 2013
- The Deal Pipeline, February 22, 2012
- Saudi Arabia’s most high profile legal battle indicates just how dangerous the world’s capital markets remain a decade after Sept. 11, 2001.Trends Magazine, September 11, 2011
Publicaciones, Presentaciones y Eventos
- July 2021
The United States needs to consider carefully whether its treaty advantages and broad jurisdictional statutes should be aggressively used to bring foreign defendants to the United States when the American interest is limited and when other countries may have a greater interest in applying their own statutes, and their own penalty structures.
New York Law Journal, March 26, 2021The Manhattan District Attorney’s investigation has nothing to do with federal law, public acts, or violations involving the political or electoral process. Moreover, as possible charges brought by a sovereign state, they cannot be pardoned by an outgoing President.
New York Law Journal, January 12, 2021The increasing global focus on corruption has led to stronger international cooperation and coordination among regulators, resulting in landmark enforcement actions in new jurisdictions. [...] This panel offered private and public sector prespectives on the latest enforcement trends, the key elements of the new anti-corruption laws, and what all this means for businesses and individuals involved in transnational corruption cases.
Krakow, Poland, May 16, 2018- November 2017
- For global transparency and financial integrity, the US must ensure that the dollar remains dominanthttp://www.independent.co.uk, October 31, 2017
Mr. Liston, an attorney for Rogicki in both the SEC and state court matters, told Law360 on Friday that his client has "accepted full responsibility for his actions.", an attorney for Rogicki in both the SEC and state court matters, told Law360 on Friday that his client has "accepted full responsibility for his actions."
www.law360.com, October 20, 2017- May 16, 2013
- April 24, 2013
- April 9, 2013
- Annual Review - Financier WorldwideApril 2012
- June 13, 2009