Sanctions Concerning Arbitration Conduct Reversed, and Criminal,
Civil Procedure and Civil Rights Matters - Criminal Law - U.S.
Fifth Circuit    Positive Software Sols., Inc. v. New Century
Mortg. Corp., No. 09-10355, involved defendant's attorney's
appeal from the district court's imposition of sanctions for her
conduct during arbitration.  The court reversed where the court
lacked inherent authority to impose those sanctions.  In US v.
Dowl, No. 09-31041, the court affirmed defendant's conviction
and sentence for wire fraud and theft of government funds,
holding that  1) the alleged wire supported the wire fraud
count, and the evidence presented at trial supported defendant's
wire fraud conviction; 2) it was not error for the district
court to define "steal," for the purposes of 18 U.S.C. section
641, to mean "the wrongful taking of money or property belonging
to another with intent to deprive the owner of its use or
benefit either temporarily or permanently"; and 3) the district
court was not required to t