Category: Federal Crimes

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Supreme Court Hears Safe-t Act Arguments

Criminal justice reform is a complicated process involving small victories and occasional backsteps. As much as some wish for sweeping reform that sticks, the reality is more nuanced. Recently, Illinois passed the SAFE-T Act. One of the laws included in part of the act eliminated the use of cash bail as of January 1, 2023. This law restricts judges from requiring a monetary amount to afford bail—and instead holding those who qualify is a fleeing...

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Federal Crimes

3 Medicare fraud and abuse laws of importance to physicians

Medicare fraud costs the federal government billions of dollars each year and investigating this kind of fraud involves several government agencies. Here are three examples of fraud and abuse laws that apply to physicians. 1. The False Claims Act (FCA) The goal of the FCA is to protect the federal government against overcharging. The Act imposes civil liability on anyone who “knowingly submits or causes the submission” of a fraudulent claim with respect to a...

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Federal Crimes

Illinois woman pleads guilty in disability fraud case

Naturally, disability fraud is taken very seriously when someone uses it to claim federal benefits or workers’ compensation. It’s also a crime, however, to just take advantage of people’s generosity and other programs geared toward people with disabilities by pretending to be someone you are not — or to have medical conditions you don’t actually have. A 35-year-old Illinois woman recently pled guilty to one count of mail fraud and four counts of wire fraud...

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Federal Crimes

2 found guilty of witness tampering in federal trial

Two people have been convicted of witness tampering — among other charges — in a federal drug case. The 46-year-old Michigan man is now facing life in prison. His co-conspirator, a 45-year-old Illinois woman, is facing 20 years behind bars. A third co-conspirator previously entered a guilty plea in the case. The Michigan man learned the name of the person who assisted investigators in his drug arrest. Enlisting the help of his associates, he managed...

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Federal Crimes

What’s ‘Zoom-bombing,’ and can it get you into big trouble?

You’ve heard of Zoom, the video conferencing app that everybody from schoolchildren to senior executives is using these days, right? It creates electronic “rooms” for meetings that can be joined by anyone with the right link. Those electronic rooms can also get invaded by hackers, who “Zoom-bomb” the meetings they manage to invade with all sorts of questionable (or offensive) videos, electronic content or pornographic material. That might sound like the sort of little prank...

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Federal Crimes

Former Illinois state senator enters guilty plea for bribery

Martin Sandoval, a 56-year-old former Illinois state senator, pleaded guilty in late January 2020 to tax fraud and bribery charges. He has admitted to taking $250,000 in bribes from a local red-light cameral company as well as other individuals and their business interests. As part of the plea agreement, he also admitted to having his accountant underreport his earnings to the Internal Revenue Service from 2012 to 2017. Sandoval is working closely with authorities as...

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Federal Crimes

U.S. House passes bill making animal cruelty a federal crime

Illinois animal lovers might be happy to learn that the U.S. House of Representatives has approved a bill that makes animal cruelty a federal crime. The measure was passed by a unanimous vote on Oct. 22. The Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act, also known as PACT, expands on another anti-animal cruelty bill that Congress passed in 2010. That law made it illegal to create and distribute videos of animals being crushed or otherwise tortured...

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Federal Crimes

Man faces multiple federal charges

An Illinois resident was charged with multiple counts of money laundering after it was discovered that he was running an illegal sports betting business. The 35-year-old defendant paid a fee to use an online sports betting platform in Costa Rica. He would then collect money from bettors and pay out their winnings in cash. In addition to money laundering, the defendant was also charged with two counts of bankruptcy fraud. Authorities say that the defendant...

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Federal Crimes

Businessman sentenced in Operation Varsity Blues case

Illinois residents may have heard that actress Felicity Huffman was sentenced for her role in the Operation Varsity Blues college admissions scam. However, a second parent has also been convicted for paying an individual $250,000 to help get his son into college as a water polo recruit. The 53-year-old businessman was sentenced to four months in jail in addition to a $95,000 fine and 500 hours of community service. In court, the man said that...

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Easy to work with – and hard to work against. A veteran of many high profile federal and state cases, clients are often surprised by how approachable they find Damon. But having seen him at trial dozens of times over the years, I can attest to his powerful motions practice, ability to conduct relentless cross-examinations, and give moving openings/closings. With personal and professional qualities that make him easy to work with – and hard to work against – anyone in need of a criminal defense attorney would be in great hands with Damon Cheronis.

Andy B. Chicago, IL

A lawyer who truly cares and listens to his clients. Damon, is a lawyer who truly cares and listens to his clients. He was totally prepared for the case so he was never surprised by the prosecutions evidence or arguments. He and was able to put the prosecutors in a defensive mode. He was by far the best attorney in the court room. I would highly recommend him to everyone.

John D. Chicago, IL

More than just and attorney! Very professional, always pays attention to detail and hungry to fight for his clients. The price I paid does come close to how hard he works. More than just and attorney! I definitely would recommend Damon to anyone I knew who needed a good attorney.

Ashley C. Chicago, IL