Sean Shecter Speaks with Law360 on White Collar Enforcement Trends

Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. (June 12, 2023) – Fort Lauderdale Partner Sean P. Shecter recently spoke with Law360 for an article titled “5 Evolving White Collar Enforcement Trends To Watch,” which discusses “key trends” in the white collar enforcement arena that are expected to emerge during the second half of 2023. 

As the article explains, although the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has been engaged in a “crypto crackdown” recently, “there's a lot more happening beyond crypto that has the potential to reshape white collar enforcement in the months ahead.” The article further describes that the widespread use of the AI-powered ChatGPT text engine, sanctions and export controls, and other developments that will likely impact the world of white collar crimes and regulations.  

In discussing how AI-generated voices and images may be used to commit several types of fraud, Mr. Shecter told Law360, "Imagine someone thinking they're on the phone with the president of a company and it's actually an AI-generated bot. That's definitely on the horizon, and it's something enforcement agencies are going to have to deal with." He further noted that leveraging AI to commit white collar scams will not necessarily change the nature of the underlying criminal charges, but could lead to new actions by government enforcement agencies. "This takes it to a whole new level, and we should expect guidelines from the government. Corporate America needs to be in tune with this. It's coming and it's going to be a white collar trend," he added. 

Likewise, Mr. Shecter predicted that the Department of Justice will be focusing on investigating and prosecuting sanctions evasion, export control violations, and related crimes. “Export control violation is the new FCPA. That's going to be the new focus . . . . You're going to see a lot more of these cases." 

Mr. Shecter serves as co-chair of Lewis Brisbois’ Government Investigations & White Collar Defense Practice, and chair of its Supply Chain Due Diligence Practice. A former federal prosecutor, he is also a member of the firm's Complex Business & Commercial Litigation, Sustainability and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Practices. 

Read the full Law360 article here (subscription may be required).