Legal Information Center

Money-laundering charges in federal court are serious. They can trigger long prison terms, steep fines, asset forfeiture, and long-term collateral consequences (loss of employment, professional licenses, immigration consequences, etc.). This article explains the key federal statutes prosecutors use, the penalties those statutes carry, how cases typically proceed in the District of Connecticut, common defenses, and…

Overview Federal narcotics investigations in the District of Connecticut routinely involve large-scale trafficking, conspiracies to distribute controlled substances (often including fentanyl, cocaine, crack, methamphetamine, and pills), and are driven by major task-forces (for example, Drug Enforcement Administration High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area units). Given the federal stakes, it’s critical for a defendant to understand the…

Being arrested for shoplifting in Manhattan can be a frightening and confusing experience—especially when the police hand you a Desk Appearance Ticket (DAT). These tickets require you to appear in court on a future date and are commonly issued for lower-level, non-violent offenses like Petit Larceny (Penal Law § 155.25) and Criminal Possession of Stolen…

The federal government, through the offices of the U.S. Attorneys for the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York (“S.D.N.Y.”) and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York (“E.D.N.Y.”), has in recent years increasingly pursued foreign nationals who orchestrate wire-fraud schemes that target U.S. victims, leverage…

The synthetic opioid crisis in the U.S. has increasingly shifted upstream: rather than just prosecuting those who distribute the finished product (Fentanyl or analogues thereof), federal authorities are now focusing on the chemicals that go into making fentanyl (“precursor chemicals”) and the international supply chain.In particular, both the Eastern and Southern Districts of New York…

On October 23, 2025, a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of New York unsealed a multi-defendant indictment charging 31 people — including NBA head coach Chauncey Billups — in a sprawling scheme to rig high-stakes poker games and launder the proceeds, and in a related set of allegations tied to illegal sports-betting activity.…

In an era of rising scrutiny on health-care billing, insurance practices, and fraud, whistleblowers have a growing role to play. Not only can raising concerns help protect patients, taxpayers, and the integrity of the health-care system—but today, those who come forward may also see real financial and professional benefits. The DOJ’s new corporate whistleblower award…

There are three major international airports in the New York City area – Newark, JFK, and LaGuardia. The attorneys at the Law Office of Matthew Galluzzo PLLC have represented many individuals arrested at these airports and accused of federal crimes based upon searches of those individuals’ electronic devices (cell phones, laptops, tablets etc.). Oftentimes, these…

What Is an “Illegal” Currency Exchange Under Federal Law? Under U.S. law, many businesses that exchange money are classified as Money Services Businesses (MSBs), which include: These businesses are regulated by the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) and must register with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), implement Anti-Money Laundering (AML) programs, and comply with record-keeping…

Yesterday, the jury in the Sean “P. Diddy” Combs federal trial in Manhattan announced that it had reached a verdict as to four of the five counts on the indictment, but could not agree as to the top count, RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act). The judge did not do a formal Allen charge,…