Category Archives: Important Legal Filings

Georgia Real Estate Investor Pleads Guilty to Bid Rigging and Fraud at Public Real Estate Foreclosure Auctions

Posted on by
A Georgia real estate investor pleaded guilty today for her role in conspiracies to rig bids and commit mail fraud at public real estate foreclosure auctions in Georgia, the Department of Justice announced.

Felony charges were filed on Dec. 19, 2013, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia in Atlanta, against Amy James. According to court documents, from as early as Dec. 6, 2005, until at least Jan. 23, 2009, James conspired with others not to bid against one another, but instead to designate a winning bidder to obtain selected properties at public real estate foreclosure auctions in DeKalb County, Ga.  James was also charged with a conspiracy to commit mail fraud by fraudulently acquiring title to selected DeKalb County properties sold at public auctions and making and receiving payoffs and diverting money to co-conspirators that would have gone to mortgage holders and others by holding second, private auctions open only to members of the conspiracy.  The department said that the selected properties were then awarded to the conspirators who submitted the highest bids in the second, private auctions.

“Today’s guilty plea is the third in the Antitrust Division’s ongoing investigation into anticompetitive behavior at real estate foreclosure auctions in the state of Georgia,” said Bill Baer, Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division.  “The Antitrust Division remains committed to holding accountable individuals who conspire to defraud distressed homeowners and lenders in Georgia and elsewhere.”

The department said that the primary purpose of the conspiracies was to suppress and restrain competition and to conceal payoffs in order to obtain real estate offered at DeKalb County public foreclosure auctions at non-competitive prices.  When real estate properties are sold at these auctions, the proceeds are used to pay off the mortgage and other debt attached to the property, with remaining proceeds, if any, paid to the homeowner.  According to court documents, the conspirators paid and received money that otherwise would have gone to pay off the mortgage and other holders of debt secured by the properties, and, in some cases, the defaulting homeowner.

“Today’s guilty plea reflects the FBI’s commitment toward enforcement of federal antitrust laws that are designed to provide a level playing field among businesses and individuals as they engage in competition for commerce,” said Ricky Maxwell, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Atlanta Field Office.  “The FBI will continue to work with its various law enforcement partners regarding these enforcement matters and asks that the public contact their nearest FBI field office regarding such unfair and illegal business practices.”

A violation of the Sherman Act carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $1 million fine for individuals. The maximum fine for a Sherman Act charge may be increased to twice the gain derived from the crime or twice the loss suffered by the victims of the crime if either amount is greater than the statutory maximum fine.  A count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 for individuals.  The fine may be increased to twice the gross gain the conspirators derived from the crime or twice the gross loss caused to the victims of the crime.

The investigation is being conducted by Antitrust Division attorneys in Atlanta and the FBI’s Atlanta Division, with the assistance of the Atlanta Field Office of the Housing and Urban Development Office of Inspector General and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia.  Anyone with information concerning bid rigging or fraud related to public real estate foreclosure auctions in Georgia should contact Antitrust Division prosecutors in Atlanta at 404-331-7113, call the Antitrust Division’s Citizen Complaint Center at 1-888-647-3258  or visit www.justice.gov/atr/contact/newcase.htm.

Today’s charges were brought in connection with the President’s Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force. The task force was established to wage an aggressive, coordinated and proactive effort to investigate and prosecute financial crimes.  With more than 20 federal agencies, 94 U.S. attorneys’ offices and state and local partners, it is the broadest coalition of law enforcement, investigatory and regulatory agencies ever assembled to combat fraud.  Since its formation, the task force has made great strides in facilitating increased investigation and prosecution of financial crimes; enhancing coordination and cooperation among federal, state and local authorities; addressing discrimination in the lending and financial markets and conducting outreach to the public, victims, financial institutions and other organizations.  Over the past three fiscal years, the Justice Department has filed nearly 10,000 financial fraud cases against nearly 15,000 defendants including more than 2,900 mortgage fraud defendants.  For more information on the task force, please visit  www.StopFraud.gov.

Former Denso Corp. Executive Agrees to Plead Guilty to Obstructing Automotive Parts Investigation

Posted on by

A former executive of Japan-based Denso Corp. has agreed to plead guilty to obstruction of justice charges in connection with the Antitrust Division’s investigation into a conspiracy to fix the prices of heater control panels installed in cars sold in the United States and elsewhere, the Department of Justice announced today.  The executive has also agreed to serve one year and one day in a U.S. prison.

A one-count felony charge was filed today in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan in Detroit against Kazuaki Fujitani, a former director of Denso Corp. in Japan.  According to the charge, Fujitani, who was general manager of the Toyota Sales Division at the time of the offense, deleted numerous e-mails and electronic documents in February and March 2010 upon learning that the FBI had executed a search warrant on Denso’s U.S. subsidiary.  The deleted documents contained communications between Denso and one or more of its competitors regarding requests for price quotation made by Toyota for heater control panels for the Toyota Avalon.  The plea agreement is subject to court approval.

“Today’s charge demonstrates the Antitrust Division’s commitment to protecting the integrity of grand jury investigations,” said Brent Snyder, Deputy Assistant Attorney General of the Antitrust Division’s criminal enforcement program.  “The division will vigorously prosecute individuals who destroy evidence in an attempt to conceal their participation in illegal conspiracies.”

In March 2012, Denso pleaded guilty and was sentenced to pay a $78 million criminal fine for its role in conspiracies to fix the prices of heater control panels and electronic control units.

Including Fujitani, 29 individuals have been charged in the department’s ongoing investigation into price fixing and bid rigging in the auto parts industry.  Additionally, 26 companies have pleaded guilty or agreed to plead guilty and have agreed to pay a total of over $2.25 billion in fines.

Fujitani is charged with obstruction of justice, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a criminal fine of $250,000 for individuals.

Today’s charge arose from an ongoing federal antitrust investigation into price fixing, bid rigging and other anticompetitive conduct in the automotive parts industry, which is being conducted by each of the Antitrust Division’s criminal enforcement sections and the FBI.  Today’s charge was brought by the National Criminal Enforcement Section and the San Francisco Office of the Antitrust Division, with the assistance of the Detroit Field Office of the FBI.  Anyone with information on price fixing, bid rigging and other anticompetitive conduct related to other products in the automotive parts industry should contact the Antitrust Division’s Citizen Complaint Center at 1-888-647-3258, visit  www.justice.gov/atr/contact/newcase.html, or call the Detroit Field Office of the FBI at 313-965-2323.

Army Soldier Pleads Guilty for Role in Stealing Fuel in Afghanistan

Posted on by
U.S. Army Sergeant Albert Kelly III, 28, of Fort Knox, Ky., pleaded guilty today to theft charges for his role in the theft of fuel at Forward Operating Base (FOB) Salerno in Afghanistan.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney David J. Hale of the Western District of Kentucky made the announcement.
The plea was entered in federal court in Louisville, Ky., before Magistrate Judge James D. Moyer of the Western District of Kentucky.   Kelly faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison when he is sentenced on May 22, 2014, by U.S. District Judge John G. Heyburn II.
According to court records, Kelly was a soldier in the United States Army and was assigned to FOB Salerno from January 2011 to January 2012.   For most of that time, Kelly served as a specialist, and his duties included overseeing the delivery of fuel into FOB Salerno.   Typically, the fuel was brought into the base by Afghan trucking companies driven by Afghan nationals.   Kelly’s duties included verifying the amounts of the fuel that were downloaded at FOB Salerno and preparing and certifying documents that accounted for the fuel that was downloaded.
From in or about November 2011 through January 2012, Kelly diverted and permitted the diversion of fuel delivery trucks from FOB Salerno to other locations, where the trucks would then be downloaded and the fuel stolen.   To conceal this diversion, he falsely certified that the diverted fuel was in fact delivered and downloaded at FOB Salerno.
In exchange for assisting the fuel theft, Kelly received approximately $57,000 from the Afghan trucking company for diverting approximately 25,000 gallons of fuel.   The loss to the government was approximately $100,000.
This case was investigated by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR).   The prosecution is being handled by Special Trial Attorney Mark H. Dubester, on detail to the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section from SIGAR, and Assistant United States Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky.

Government Intervenes in Lawsuit Against Tenet Healthcare Corp. and Georgia Hospital Owned by Health Management Associates Inc. Alleging Payment of Kickbacks

Posted on by
The government has intervened in a False Claims Act lawsuit against  Tenet Healthcare Corp. (Tenet) and four of its hospitals in Georgia and South Carolina, as well as a hospital in Monroe, Ga., owned by Health Management Associates Inc. (HMA), alleging that the hospitals paid kickbacks to obstetric clinics serving primarily undocumented Hispanic women in return for referral of those patients for labor and delivery at the hospitals.  The hospitals then billed the Medicaid programs in Georgia and South Carolina for the services provided to the referred patients and, in some instances, also obtained additional Medicare reimbursement based on the influx of low-income patients.  Tenet and HMA are two of the largest owner/operators of hospitals in the United States.  HMA was acquired by Community Health Systems last month.  The government also is intervening against the clinics and related entities known as  Hispanic Medical Management d/b/a Clinica de la Mama.

“The Department of Justice is committed to ensuring that health care providers who pay kickbacks in return for patient referrals are held accountable,” said Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Civil Division Stuart F. Delery.  “Schemes such as this one corrupt the health care system and take advantage of vulnerable patients.”

“My office has made the investigation of health care fraud a priority,” said U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia Michael J. Moore.  “In a time when too many people were struggling to get health care for themselves and their children, Tenet and these hospitals plundered a system set up for those truly in need.  This kind of scheme drives up costs for everyone, not just the vulnerable patients and groups like those targeted in this case.”

The lawsuit alleges that four Tenet hospitals, Atlanta Medical Center,  North Fulton Regional Hospital, Spalding Regional Hospital and Hilton Head Hospital in South Carolina, and one HMA facility,  Walton Regional Medical Center (since renamed Clearview Regional Medical Center), paid kickbacks to  Hispanic Medical Management d/b/a Clinica de la Mama (Clinica) and related entities in return for Clinica’s agreement to send pregnant women to their facilities for deliveries paid for by Medicaid, in violation of the federal Medicare and Medicaid Anti-Kickback Statute.  The kickbacks were disguised as payments for a variety of services allegedly provided by Clinica.

The Anti-Kickback Statute prohibits offering, paying, soliciting or receiving remuneration to induce referrals of items or services covered by Medicare, Medicaid and other federally funded programs.  The Anti-Kickback Statute is intended to ensure that a physician’s medical judgment is not compromised by improper financial incentives and is instead based on the best interests of the patient.

“Investigations such as these are a high priority for the FBI, and we are determined to hold accountable providers that enrich themselves at the expense of government programs and damage the public trust,” said FBI Assistant Director Ronald T. Hosko.  “The FBI is dedicated to preventing and combating all forms of health care fraud; working with federal, state and local partners to effectively resolve allegations and engaging with the public to identify potential schemes.”

The lawsuit was filed under the qui tam, or whistleblower, provisions of the False Claims Act, which permit private parties to sue on behalf of the government when they believe that defendants submitted false claims for government funds and to receive a share of any recovery.  The False Claims Act also permits the government to intervene in such lawsuits, as it has done in this case.  The lawsuit is pending in  the Middle District of Georgia .

The government’s intervention in this matter illustrates its emphasis on combating health care fraud and marks another achievement for the Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team (HEAT) initiative, which was announced in May 2009 by Attorney General Eric Holder and Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius.  The partnership between the two departments has focused efforts to reduce and prevent Medicare and Medicaid financial fraud through enhanced cooperation.  One of the most powerful tools in this effort is the False Claims Act.  Since January 2009, the Justice Department has recovered a total of more than $19 billion through False Claims Act cases, with more than $13.4 billion of that amount recovered in cases involving fraud against federal health care programs.

These matters were investigated by the Commercial Litigation Branch of the Justice Department’s Civil Division, the Fraud Section of the department’s Criminal Division, the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Middle and Northern Districts of Georgia, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Office of the Attorney General for the State of Georgia.

The case is captioned United States ex rel. Williams v. Health Mgmt. Assocs. Inc., Tenet Healthcare, et al., No. 3:09-CV-130 (M.D. Ga.).

The claims asserted against Tenet, the HMA facility and Clinica are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.

Virginia-Based Contractor to Pay $6.5 Million to Settle Allegations of False Claims on Navy Contracts

Posted on by
Vector Planning and Services Inc. (VPSI), an information technology, systems engineering, program management and consulting firm headquartered in Chantilly, Va. ,  has agreed to pay the government $6.5 million to settle False Claims Act allegations that the company inflated claims for payment under several Navy contracts, the Justice Department announced today.   VPSI’s West Coast center of operations is in  San Diego, Calif.

“The Department of Justice will vigorously protect taxpayer funds from false claims,” said Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Civil Division Stuart F. Delery.   “Contractors who wish to do business with the military must act with honesty and integrity, or they will be held accountable for their actions.”

VPSI has a number of contracts with the Navy and its contractors to provide information technology, systems engineering and management consulting services.   Under these contracts, VPSI is entitled to bill the government for its indirect costs, which are costs such as overhead that cannot be allocated directly to a particular contract.   The government alleged that, from 2005 to 2009, VPSI inflated its indirect cost billings to the government by improperly including direct costs, for which it had already been paid, in indirect cost accounts that were then allocated across its government contracts and billed again.   The government further alleged that VPSI submitted claims for other costs that were never incurred.

“Our office will work aggressively with our investigative partners to protect taxpayer funds from abuse,” said U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California Laura E. Duffy.   “Today’s settlement demonstrates our commitment to pursue defense contractors who knowingly defraud or overcharge military programs.”

The allegations resolved by the settlement were originally brought by a whistleblower in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California, under the  qui tam, or whistleblower, provisions of the False Claims Act.   The Act permits private parties to sue, on behalf of the government, companies and individuals who have falsely claimed federal funds and to share in any recovery.   The whistleblower in this case will receive  $1.28 million.

This settlement is the result of a coordinated effort by the Justice Department’s Civil Division, the Civil and Criminal Divisions of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service and the Defense Contract Audit Agency.

The case is captioned United States ex rel. Hai Ba Trung v. Vector Planning and Services Inc., et al., 3:12-cv-02353-LAB-BGS (S.D. Calif.).   The claims settled by this agreement are allegations only; there has been no determination of liability.

Former Virginia Subcontractor Pleads Guilty to Bribery

Posted on by
Dwayne Allen Hardman, 44, of Charleston, W.V., pleaded guilty today to paying bribes to public officials.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and Dana J. Boente, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia,  Special Agent in Charge  Robert Craig of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service   Mid-Atlantic Field Office (DCIS), Acting Executive Assistant Director Charles T. May Jr. of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) Atlantic Operations and  Special Agent in Charge Royce E. Curtin of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office made the announcement after the plea was accepted by U.S. Magistrate Judge Douglas E. Miller in the Eastern District of Virginia.
Hardman was charged by criminal information on Feb. 12, 2014, with paying a bribe to public officials.   Hardman faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison when he is sentenced on June 6, 2014.
According to a statement of facts filed with the plea agreement, in November 2004, Hardman and another businessman established a government contracting corporation in Chesapeake, Va., to provide support to the Military Sealift Command (MSC) on various telecommunications projects.   Shortly thereafter, in early 2005, Hardman and his business partner agreed to pay cash bribes to two MSC officials in exchange for official action to steer government contracts to Hardman’s corporation.   From March 2005 and until 2007, Hardman, his business partner and others paid the MSC officials approximately $3,000 each month in cash bribes.   During this time, Hardman and his business partner withdrew approximately $144,000 in cash, which was then provided to the two MSC officials in exchange for their assistance in securing MSC contracting and subcontracting business for Hardman’s company.
According to court documents, in February 2009, Hardman left his former business and formed another government contracting company in Chesapeake with another businessman.   The two MSC officials again agreed to steer contracting work to Hardman’s new company in exchange for receiving bribes from Hardman and his new business partner.   In May 2009, Hardman and his new business partner paid each of the two MSC officials $25,000 in cash bribes.
On Feb. 12, 2014, one of the MSC officials, Kenny Toy, who was the Afloat Programs Manager for MSC’s N6 Command, Control, Communication and Computer Systems Directorate, pleaded guilty to accepting bribes in conjunction with this scheme.
This case was investigated by Special Agents of the FBI, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service.   Trial Attorney Emily Rae Woods of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen W. Haynie are prosecuting the case.

Former Chief Executive Officer of Oil Services Company Pleads Guilty to Foreign Bribery Charges

Posted on by
The former chief executive officer of PetroTiger Ltd., a British Virgin Islands oil and gas company with operations in Colombia and offices in New Jersey, pleaded guilty today for his role in a scheme to pay bribes to foreign government officials and to defraud PetroTiger.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman of the District of New Jersey and Special Agent in Charge Aaron T. Ford of the FBI’s Newark Division made the announcement.
Knut Hammarskjold, 42, of Greenville, S.C., the former co-CEO of PetroTiger, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Josephy E. Irenas in Camden, N.J., to an information charging one count of conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and to commit wire fraud and is scheduled for sentencing on May 16, 2014.   Gregory Weisman, 42, of Moorestown, N.J., the former general counsel of PetroTiger, pleaded guilty to the same charges on Nov. 8, 2013.   Charges remain pending against Joseph Sigelman, 42, of Miami and the Philippines, the other former co-CEO of PetroTiger, for conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to violate the FCPA, conspiracy to launder money and substantive violations of the FCPA.
According to the charges, the defendants allegedly paid bribes to an official in Colombia in exchange for the official’s assistance in securing approval for an oil services contract worth roughly $39 million.   To conceal the bribes, the defendants allegedly first attempted to make the payments to a bank account in the name of the foreign official’s wife, for purported consulting services she did not perform.   The charges allege that Sigelman and Hammarskjold provided Weisman invoices including her bank account information.   The defendants made the payments directly to the official’s bank account when attempts to transfer the money to his wife’s account failed.
In addition, court documents allege that the defendants attempted to secure kickback payments at the expense of several of PetroTiger’s board members.   According to the criminal charges, the defendants were negotiating an acquisition of another company on behalf of PetroTiger, including on behalf of several members of PetroTiger’s board of directors who were helping to fund the acquisition.   In exchange for negotiating a higher purchase price for the acquisition, two of the owners of the target company agreed to kick back to the defendants a portion of the increased purchase price.   According to the charges, to conceal the kickback payments, the defendants had the payments deposited into Sigelman’s bank account in the Philippines, created a “side letter” to falsely justify the payments, and used the code name “Manila Split” to refer to the payments amongst themselves.
Sigelman and Hammarskjold were charged by sealed complaints filed in the District of New Jersey on Nov. 8, 2013.   Hammarskjold was arrested on Nov. 20, 2013, at Newark Liberty International Airport.   Sigelman was arrested on Jan. 3, 2014, in the Philippines.   The charges against Sigelman, Hammarskjold and Weisman were unsealed on Jan. 6, 2014.
The conspiracy to commit violations of the FCPA count carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a fine of the greater of $250,000 or twice the value gained or lost.   The conspiracy to commit wire fraud count carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of the greater of $250,000 or twice the value gained or lost.
As to the charges in the complaint pending against Sigelman, they are merely accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The department has worked closely with and has received significant assistance from its law enforcement counterparts in the Republic of Colombia and greatly appreciates their assistance in this matter.    The department also thanks the Republic of the Philippines, including the Bureau of Immigration, and the Republic of Panama for their assistance in this matter.   Significant assistance was also provided by the Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs.
The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Newark Division.   The case is being prosecuted by Assistant Chief Daniel S. Kahn of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Mendelsohn of the District of New Jersey.

Independent Contractor in Afghanistan Pleads Guilty for His Role in Offering $54,000 in Bribes to a U.S. Government Official

Posted on by
Earlier today at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn, N.Y., Akbar Ahmad Sherzai, 49, of Centreville, Va., an independent contractor for a trucking company operating in Afghanistan that was responsible for delivering fuel to U.S. Army installations, pleaded guilty to his role in offering a U.S. Army serviceman $54,000 in bribes to falsify documents to reflect the successful delivery of fuel shipments that Army records indicate were never delivered.  Sherzai faces a maximum of 15 years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Loretta E. Lynch made the announcement.
“The defendant sought to use deception, corruption and greed to enrich his company at the risk of jeopardizing the U.S. Army’s supply lines in Afghanistan,” said U.S. Attorney Lynch.  “Attempts to corrupt American officials will not be tolerated, either at home or abroad.”  U.S. Attorney Lynch extended her grateful appreciation to the Special Inspector General for the Afghanistan Reconstruction, Homeland Security Investigations and the FBI for their assistance in this case.
The U.S. Army regularly contracts with local Afghan trucking companies to transport U.S. military equipment, fuel, and other supplies throughout Afghanistan.  To ensure the companies fulfilled these requests, the U.S. Army used transportation movement requests (TMRs), which, when properly completed, verified that the shipments were successfully completed before approving payments to the trucking companies.
In April 2013, Sherzai approached a U.S. military serviceman to discuss fuel delivery missions that had been classified by the U.S. Army as “no-shows,” meaning that the fuel had not been delivered.  Sherzai offered the serviceman a bribe to falsify the TMRs to reflect successful deliveries so that Sherzai’s company would receive payment and avoid penalties for failed fuel deliveries.  The serviceman, under the supervision of law enforcement, continued to meet with Sherzai to discuss payments for the falsification of records.  On two separate occasions, Sherzai paid the serviceman bribes in cash on American military bases in Afghanistan.  On another occasion, Sherzai arranged for the serviceman’s bribe to be transferred to the United States through a hawala, an informal money transfer system.  In total, Sherzai paid the serviceman $54,000 in cash to falsify fourteen TMRs.  Each “no show” delivery mission, absent the fraudulent TMRs, would have resulted in a fine of the company by the U.S. government of $75,000.
Sherzai was arrested on a criminal complaint on Sept. 24, 2013.  The guilty plea proceeding was held before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert M. Levy.
The government’s case is being prosecuted by Assistant U. S. Attorney Amir H. Toossi and Trial Attorney Daniel Butler of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section.

 

# # #

Comcast Deal: If Netflix Is Fine, Regulators Might Be Too

Posted on by

Comcast Deal: If Netflix Is Fine, Regulators Might Be Too

“This deal can be enjoined if it gives too much clout to Comcast-Time Warner as a purchasing entity even though consumers may be unaffected,” Stucke said.

Maurice Stucke comments on Comcast deal to CNNMoney

Posted on by

Comcast deal to face antitrust hurdles

“”The FCC is going to be the wild card,” said Maurice Stucke, antitrust law professor at the University of Tennessee and an attorney at law firm GeyerGorey. “This is the opportunity for the new chief to take a stance and become a vocal regulator.””