Assistant Attorney General Leslie Caldwell said law enforcement, even when it has a warrant, is encountering increasing difficulties getting access to critical information in electronic form to prosecute criminals. The digital era is both a blessing and a threat to law enforcement, Caldwell said Monday at the State of the Net conference. Caldwell was a stand-in for Attorney General Loretta Lynch, who was scheduled to speak but was unable to make it back to snowy Washington from the World Economic Forum in Switzerland in time.

Assistant Attorney General Leslie Caldwell said law enforcement, even when it has a warrant, is encountering increasing difficulties getting access to critical information in electronic form to prosecute criminals. The digital era is both a blessing and a threat to law enforcement, Caldwell said Monday at the State of the Net conference. Caldwell was a stand-in for Attorney General Loretta Lynch, who was scheduled to speak but was unable to make it back to snowy Washington from the World Economic Forum in Switzerland in time.

Jing Wang, former president-global business operations at Qualcomm, pleaded guilty Monday to insider trading in shares of Qualcomm and Atheros, the Department of Justice said (http://1.usa.gov/1k8IhDX). Wang also pleaded guilty to laundering the proceeds using an offshore shell company, in federal court in San Diego before U.S. District Judge William Hayes. “Not satisfied with his lucrative executive position at Qualcomm, Jing Wang traded on insider information about the company’s acquisitions and earnings to gain an illegal advantage in the financial market,” said Assistant Attorney General Leslie Caldwell. Wang also laundered close to $250,000 in insider trading profits “and created a cover-up story to hide his crimes.” The insider trading took place on three separate occasions over a 10-month period in 2010-2011, DOJ said.

Jing Wang, former president-global business operations at Qualcomm, pleaded guilty Monday to insider trading in shares of Qualcomm and Atheros, the Department of Justice said (http://1.usa.gov/1k8IhDX). Wang also pleaded guilty to laundering the proceeds using an offshore shell company, in federal court in San Diego before U.S. District Judge William Hayes. “Not satisfied with his lucrative executive position at Qualcomm, Jing Wang traded on insider information about the company’s acquisitions and earnings to gain an illegal advantage in the financial market,” said Assistant Attorney General Leslie Caldwell. Wang also laundered close to $250,000 in insider trading profits “and created a cover-up story to hide his crimes.” The insider trading took place on three separate occasions over a 10-month period in 2010-2011, DOJ said.

A CBP supervisory officer was arrested Oct. 25 on charges of accepting bribes to allow others, including his ex-wife, to avoid duties on goods imported into the U.S. by falsely declaring the goods had been transported in-bond to another port of entry for export. Sam Herbert Allen of Diamond Bar, Calif., was indicted by a federal grand jury at the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California on one count of conspiracy, one count of accepting bribes, and three counts of making false statements to DHS investigators.

Gibson Guitar and the Department of Justice (DOJ) settled a contentious dispute over allegations of Lacey Act violations related to the purchase of wood from Madagascar and India, both sides said Aug. 6. Gibson agreed to pay penalties, withdraw claims against wood seized as part of the government's investigation and improve compliance efforts, while the government agreed to defer prosecution, according to the agreement.

The Justice Department has issued a December 5, 2011 press release announcing that Lin Feng Xu, an antique dealer in China, has pleaded guilty to smuggling and to violating the Endangered Species Act in connection with the illegal export of African elephant ivory in his carry-on luggage.

As discussion around government proposals and legislation to combat online copyright infringement continues, challenges must be resolved, said government officials and copyright advocates. The government should take care to avoid unintended consequences if tougher penalties are established, some advocates said Tuesday at an Intellectual Property Breakfast Series event. Government officials and copyright advocates also called the possible advent of new generic top-level domains (gTLDs) by ICANN a potentially huge hurdle to enforcement efforts.

Enhanced penalties for intellectual property crimes are necessary to increase the effectiveness of U.S. enforcement efforts, said White House Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator Victoria Espinel. Specifically, Congress should impose felony penalties for illegally streaming content and increase the U.S. sentencing guideline ranges to “address the substantial harm” caused by IP theft, Espinel wrote in a report to Congress Tuesday.

A Justice Department official called on Congress to reauthorize three key provisions in the Patriot Act set to expire in May, including one that allows quick shifting of phone taps from one carrier to another. The testimony came Wednesday during a hearing by the House Judiciary Committee’s Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security subcommittee.