On May 28, 2025, in V.O.S. Selections, Inc. v. United States,[1] a three-judge panel of the United States Court of International Trade struck down sweeping tariff programs, holding that the President exceeded his authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act[2] (IEEPA).[3] The case arose from a group of small businesses and a coalition of state governments that challenged tariffs imposed by President Trump under a series of 2025 executive orders.

The United States federal government is riddled with fraud. This fraud is not the same as the “fraud” that is demonized by the second Trump administration, Elon Musk, and conservative talking heads; foreign criminal organizations are using complex schemes to defraud the federal government, while hurting vulnerable Americans in the process. 

On February 19, 2025, the Canadian government held the first working meeting of the new Integrated Money Laundering Intelligence Partnership (IMLIP) to facilitate the sharing of money laundering and organized crime intelligence between law enforcement and Canada’s large banks. Kevin Brosseau, Canada’s Commissioner of the Fight Against Fentanyl, opened the initial meeting.[1]

On May 14, 2025, Barrick Mining requested provisional measures against the Government of Mali to subvert their effort to put the Loulo-Gounkoto gold mine under government control. This request marks the latest escalation in this dispute, following a move on January 10 in which Barrick Mining brought an action in the International Court for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) against the Government of Mali.[1]

On May 22, 2025, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) unveiled an indictment of Rustam Rafailevich Gallyamov for his role in the Qakbot malware scheme.[1] The DOJ accuses Gallyamov, a Russian national, of developing Qakbot – a malicious ransomware that hijacks the unsuspecting user’s computer system – and assisting in its distribution to a variety of criminal gangs and networks.[2]

On May 22, 2025, the United States (U.S.) Attorney General and the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Joint Criminal Opiod and Darknet Enforcement (JCODE) team, and international law enforcement partners, such as Europol, announced the results of Operation RapTor, including the arrests of 270 dark web vendors, buyers, and administrators in Austria, Brazil, France, Germany, the Netherlands, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the U.S.[1]

On May 14, the Council of Europe (CoE) officially adopted the Convention on the Protection of the Environment through Criminal Law. This was done through the decision adopted by the Committee of Ministers at the 134^th session, under the Heading Issue 3: Implementation of the Reykjavík Declaration – Follow-up Decisions.[1]

On May 23, 2025, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced significant relief from sanctions imposed on Syria, with the issuance of a new General License, and the State Department issued a temporary waiver under the Caesar Act. 

On May 22, 2025, twenty-one-year-old Michail Chkhikvishvili, a native of Tbilisi, Georgia, was extradited from Moldova to the U.S. to face a four-count indictment relating to the solicitation of hate crimes. 

On May 21, 2025, Douglas Edelman, a former defense contractor, pleaded guilty to tax crimes concerning his efforts to defraud the United States and evade taxes on income that he earned from his contracts with the U.S. Department of Defense.[1]