Nearly half of our attorneys have served in the United States Attorney’s Office or the office of the Federal Public Defender, bringing a wealth of experience to their white collar defense and corporate investigations practices. The team has successfully defended publicly traded and privately held companies and their officers and directors, as well as individuals, against government claims of wrongdoing. They have expertise in a wide range of areas, including public corruption, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, financial, securities, health care and tax fraud, environmental crimes, workplace safety, False Claims Act, procurement fraud, consumer fraud, and antitrust matters.
Examples of representative matters include:
- Won dismissal of all charges against a client in one of the few Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) cases to come to trial.
- Obtained the dismissal of a $20 million qui tam action alleging that a national construction company had engaged in bid-rigging, had improperly obtained projects from the federal government through programs designed to benefit small minority businesses, and had falsified costs associated with its projects.
- Secured the dismissal of charges against an individual charged with smuggling cash into the country in violation of federal currency reporting laws.
- Representing the County of Los Angeles and the L.A. County Sheriff in connection with a high-profile and long-running civil rights case; ensuring compliance with a consent decree.
- Secured settlements for the former chief executive officer of the nation’s one-time largest mortgage originator in lawsuits filed by the SEC, former shareholders, and investors in mortgage-backed securities who alleged securities fraud and insider trading.
- Secured a probationary sentence for financial executive in a securities fraud case related to the Varsity Blues college admissions scandal.
- Obtained the declination of criminal charges against a former Navy captain following a five-year investigation into allegations that the client oversaw government contractors who overbilled the United States Air Force by inflating the hours they worked to support a drone program located at a Middle East air base.
- Obtained the declination of criminal charges against the former president of a prominent Southern California card club targeted for alleged money laundering and currency reporting violations.
- Obtained the declination of criminal charges against a prominent public official investigated by the FBI for honest services fraud.
- Obtained the diversion and eventual dismissal of charges against a Southern California businessman charged with federal money laundering and currency reporting offenses.
- Representing a law firm that acts as the outside city attorney for a municipality in connection with a grand jury investigation.
- Represented a law firm and certain of its partners in connection with a potential advice of counsel defense by former executives of a firm client.
- Represented an individual accused of a conspiracy to distributed misbranded drugs.
- Represented an investment bank in connection with an SEC investigation into the structuring of synthetic collateralized debt obligations.
- Represented a commercial bank in connection with an investigation by the New York Attorney General into the bank’s foreign exchange practices.
- Defended a broker-dealer against fraud and other charges brought by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority.
- Represented a television network in a grand jury investigation relating to the content of broadcasts that allegedly depicted harm to animals.
- Represented a Fortune 10 company during a U.S. Department of Labor investigation into alleged violations of statutorily mandated health benefits.
- Represented an individual questioned by the Drug Enforcement Administration in connection with an investigation into the death of the late pop star Prince. No charges were filed against the individual.
- Defended the founder and executive director of high-performing charter school in a trial concerning charges of misappropriation of public funds, embezzlement, tax fraud, and conflict of interest.
- Represented the regulatory affairs director of a medical device company in connection with an off-label marketing investigation.
- Represented various municipalities in connection with criminal and civil conflict of interest investigations.
- Represented the executive of an investment firm in connection with an investigation into the alleged of theft of trade secrets.
- Represented an attorney in connection with an embezzlement and obstruction of justice investigation.
- Represented a movie producer in connection with the prosecution of an investment fraud scheme.
- Defended a high-profile public official and health care executive in litigation alleging charges of bribery, conflict of interest, embezzlement, and tax fraud.
- Represented an executive in connection with a DOJ and SEC investigation of a medical device company for alleged FCPA violations.
- Represented multiple individuals in connection with a criminal antitrust investigation of price-fixing in the airline industry.
- Represented a senior executive in a global criminal investigation regarding alleged collusion among Japanese auto parts manufacturers.
- Represented a Mexican federal law enforcement officer in connection with a money laundering prosecution.
- Represented a government contractor in False Claims Act litigation pertaining to a Veterans Affairs (VA) contract.
- Represented multiple physicians in connection with DOJ investigations and prosecutions of health care fraud and violations of the False Claims Act and Anti-Kickback Statute.
- Represented a health care executive in connection with litigation regarding allegations of federal health care fraud and public corruption investigations.
- Represented an oil company and oil company executives in connection with a matter concerning allegations of environmental crimes.
- Represented an executive in an investigation and numerous litigations concerning the Deepwater Horizon explosion.
- Represented an executive in connection with an international investigation concerning foreign bribery allegations.
- Represented a company in connection with an investigation concerning revenue recognition conducted by the SEC.
- Represented a major pharmaceutical company in a Department of Justice investigation into off-label marketing.
- Represented a global financial institution in connection with allegations of insider trading by one of its employees.
- Defended the manager of a TV news station and supervisory employees of an explosives manufacturing company in two separate Occupational Safety and Health Administration homicide investigations.
- Advised and counseled some of the nation’s largest banking institutions in disputes with borrowers and asset-backed insurers relating to unpaid loans and insolvencies. Disputes ranged from domestic litigation between banks and major borrowers arising from underwater real estate loans to international litigation over loan portfolios covering resort properties in the U.S. and throughout the world.
- Represented two U.S-based international banks against claims of Vietnamese citizens who held deposits in those banks when Saigon fell and the banks’ assets were confiscated by the Communist government.
- Represented an investment banking firm in litigation and appeal relating to licensing requirements for the sale of a business.
- Represented a bank director in connection with a civil Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) investigation of alleged Bank Secrecy Act and money laundering violations.
- Defended a bank manager against allegations of money laundering and bank fraud.
- Represented a former KPMG partner in connection with civil litigation regarding tax shelters.
- Defended multiple other individuals against allegations of bank fraud, wire fraud, passing counterfeit instruments, money laundering, and narcotics distribution.
- Represented individuals and other entities in connection with investigations involving money laundering and violations of the Bank Secrecy Act.
- Defended a tax preparer in a trial concerning charges of aiding and abetting tax fraud.
- Represented the vice president of an investment advisory firm who was facing allegations of antitrust bid-rigging and fraud in connection with their bond investment work.
- Represented administrators and a custodian in a securities class action brought by investors in the largest feeder fund into Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities.
- Represented a global financial institution in a common law fraud and negligent misrepresentation case regarding investments made by Norwegian municipalities.
- Represented a global financial institution in a common law fraud case concerning a rogue trader’s foreign exchange activities.
- Served as counsel to the Brunei Investment Authority and related entities in cross-border litigations stemming from Prince Jefri’s management of Amedeo Group.
- Engaged as counsel for the Bank of China in civil prosecutions in Australia, England, Hong Kong, and California to recover funds stolen during an internal fraud scheme.
- Represented the Republic of the Philippines in worldwide actions to recover assets, in the aftermath of the overthrow of Ferdinand Marcos, that the Marcos family had secreted in the U.S., France, Switzerland, and Hong Kong.
- Represented all the executive vice presidents and senior vice presidents of Indymac Bank during a criminal investigation by the U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California and parallel civil investigation by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
- Represented a former senior officer of Countrywide Bank who was being investigated by the U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California for insider trading.
- Represented the senior vice presidents of New Century Corporation during investigations by the U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, bankruptcy trustee, and the SEC.
- Conducted internal and international investigations into frauds committed by executives employed by domestic and multinational companies, and defended the resulting securities claims brought by shareholders and government entities.