Key Takeaways
- Courts are showing continued skepticism of broad use of federal fraud statutes. Last week, two decisions repudiated creative government interpretations of wire fraud’s “property” requirement.
- In United States v. Ciminelli, the Supreme Court unanimously rejected the “right to control” theory, holding that only “traditional property interests” can support a federal wire fraud conviction, and the right to accurate information to make an informed economic decision is not such an interest.…
In the 2022-2023 term, the Supreme Court will address the definition of “property” under the federal wire fraud statute, which prohibits a person from “obtaining money or property by means of false pretenses.” 18 U.S.C. § 1343. The definition of “property” for the purposes of this statute has been much debated—need “property” be economic in nature? Must it be tangible? Can one’s