United States v. Kritopoulos — 1st Cir. (Oct 7, 2026)
We hear a First Circuit argument in a mortgage-fraud case. The defendant was a real-estate developer in Salem, Massachusetts, prosecuted over a scheme involving losses to mortgage lenders. He was sentenced to prison, and the judge initially left the restitution amount for later. Restitution is court-ordered repayment to victims for losses caused by a crime. The Criminal Justice Act, or CJA, allows defendants who cannot afford necessary expert services to seek public funding for those services. An ex parte request is considered without the prosecution participating. Here is the argument.
United States v. Kritopoulos (No. 22-1828) — U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, argued October 7, 2026.
Sources
Argument audio — First Circuit:https://www.ca1.uscourts.gov/sites/ca1/files/oralargs/22-1828_20261007.mp3
Case and argument date — First Circuit:https://www.ca1.uscourts.gov/doar/results/2026-10
Case background — Salem News, Julie Manganis:https://www.salemnews.com/news/local_news/case-against-salem-developer-set-for-fall-trial/article_9dbf35ce-c5c0-536b-b367-69e044b2169a.html
Prosecution background — U.S. Attorney, Massachusetts:https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/pr/salem-man-found-guilty-all-counts-decade-long-mortgage-fraud-scheme
Sentence and deferred restitution — U.S. Attorney, Massachusetts:https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/pr/salem-man-sentenced-four-years-prison-decade-long-mortgage-fraud-scheme
Restitution — 18 U.S.C. §3663A:https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/3663A
Restitution — Lagos v. United States, Supreme Court majority:https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/584/16-1519/
Expert funding and ex parte applications — 18 U.S.C. §3006A(e):https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/3006A
CJA expert-funding procedure — United States v. Abreu, First Circuit:https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F3/202/386/592680/
- 0:00Introduction