On October 16, 2025, Jonathan Porter and I presented the second webinar in our Government Enforcement, Compliance & Investigations series—our topic: the False Claims Act (FCA). To provide background, we explained the framework of the FCA, how investigations are triggered, and notable recent FCA decisions. Then, for the second half of the hour, we discussed
CFTC Check-In: Regulatory and Enforcement Update
Within the Government Enforcement, Compliance & Investigations Report, we plan to bring you periodic updates from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). In this first one, we are excited to announce a new addition to our team (and co-author of this post)—Jeff Le Riche. Jeff joins us after 20 years with the CFTC. We are thrilled to have him on board.
Now on to our updates from the CFTC.
DOJ’s Continued Focus on Healthcare Fraud and FCA Enforcement: What 2025 Means for Providers and Compliance Professionals
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has made it abundantly clear: healthcare fraud remains at the top of its enforcement priorities for 2025 and beyond. In a May 2025 memorandum, Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti outlined the Criminal Division’s renewed commitment to “focus, fairness, and efficiency” in the fight against white-collar crime—with healthcare
Be Careful What You Search For
As two defendants in an alleged cryptocurrency fraud case are finding out, what you search for on the internet could find its way into the courtroom and be used against you. The use of internet search history as evidence in federal criminal cases is relatively new. In this case, prosecutors are seeking to introduce defendants’ post-trade internet searches as evidence of fraudulent intent. Their searches allegedly ranged from “top crypto law firms” and “wire fraud statute” to “can your device be searched without a lawyer” and “crypto theft deductible.”
The critical question: should internet search history be admissible as evidence at trial? The answer is far from simple. Defendants generally have moved to exclude them, and the arguments for and against exclusion highlight the complex interplay between relevance, prejudice, ambiguity, and privilege.
Impact of Shutdown on Certain Federal Enforcement Agencies
There have been nearly two dozen federal government shutdowns since 1976, and while shutdowns can’t be said to be rare, it is relatively infrequent that they last very long. Only five times during that span has a shutdown lasted longer than one week. As we write this post, we are on Day 3 of the
Cybersecurity Compliance Under the False Claims Act: DOJ Enforcement, CMMC, and What Contractors Need to Know
Recent Settlements
On July 31, 2025, the DOJ announced that a California-based defense contractor, and its private equity owner Gallant Capital Partners agreed to pay $1.75 million to resolve allegations that they knowingly failed to comply with cybersecurity requirements in a contract with the Department of the Air Force. The government acknowledged that the companies
Check Out our New Monthly Webinar Series
On September 23, we launched our Government Enforcement, Compliance & Investigations webinar series, a new monthly webinar program covering Department of Justice criminal enforcement, False Claims Act, antitrust, and state attorney general topics.
In the kickoff webinar, Jody Rudman, Wendy Arends, Matt Diehr, and I joined in a broad discussion on government enforcement. Jody and I
PPP Loan Fraud Civil Enforcement through the False Claims Act
During the first eight months of 2025, our team has paid close attention to the Trump administration’s strategy for civil and criminal enforcement concerning fraud related to Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans. In April, Jonathan Porter and Robert Peabody discussed the Department of Justice’s use of the False Claims Act (FCA)—a civil enforcement tool—to enforce potentially criminal COVID-related fraud. In May, Rebecca Furdek, Kyle Gilster, and Emily Loftis explained the framework for ongoing PPP loan audits and investigations, followed in August by a mid-year update regarding enforcement trends and notable cases.
These and other thought leadership pieces address the origination of the PPP loan landscape during COVID-19; the rise of audits, investigations, and enforcement actions through which these and similar loans have been scrutinized; and the basic elements of the civil and criminal enforcement frameworks used to prosecute fraudulent conduct in connection with these loans.
This post explores the federal government’s ongoing efforts to combat PPP-related fraud, focusing on emerging civil enforcement trends and theories of liability under the False Claims Act.
DOJ and DHS Announce New Task Force to Counter Tariff Evasion
On August 29, 2025, the Department of Justice (DOJ) launched a new Trade Fraud Task Force, which will leverage resources from DOJ’s Civil and Criminal Divisions as well as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to enforce tariff and duties evasion, smuggling, and other import violations. The initiative furthers the Trump Administration’s “America First Trade Policy” announced on Inauguration Day and in Executive Order 14243, which promotes information-sharing between agencies to support the administration’s overall goals of combating waste, fraud, and abuse.
CFTC’s “Crypto Sprint” Kicks Off New Chapter in Crypto and Digital Asset Regulation
On August 1, Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Acting Chairman Caroline D. Pham announced a “crypto sprint” aimed at actualizing recommendations from a recent report published by President Donald Trump’s Working Group on Digital Asset Markets. The initiative serves as Acting Chairman Pham’s first steps toward reshaping digital assets regulation in compliance with the administration’s earlier policy memorandum instructing agencies to pull back on prosecutions in the digital assets space.