Our lawyers have substantial experience in the defense of government allegations of fraud and other misconduct, in both civil and criminal settings. We have represented many individuals and business concerns, including investment advisors, securities dealers, defense contractors and health care providers.
The number of civil and criminal statutes, both state and federal, regulating every business and profession has grown considerably in recent years. Parallel to this growth, enforcement efforts have burgeoned. Special investigation and prosecution units have been established in the offices of every federal prosecutor and of many state prosecutors. Bankers, securities dealers, defense contractors and physicians, to name only a few, are subject to intense and frequent scrutiny for civil and criminal wrongdoing.
In the most common situation, we are contacted by a client while an investigation is still underway. Our lawyers make every effort to steer the investigation toward a favorable conclusion. We often conduct internal corporate investigations into the allegations made by the government. These investigations are concluded before any formal allegations are made. If wrongdoing is found, we assist the client in altering procedures to ensure that a recurrence of the problem does not happen, and we work with the government agencies to diffuse or avoid liability. When there has been no misconduct, our lawyers work closely with the government agencies to be sure that the appropriate information is communicated to them.
On occasion, the government will file formal criminal charges or civil enforcement actions at the conclusion of an investigation. Our lawyers have successfully defended clients from charges of insider trading, government procurement fraud, bankruptcy fraud, bank fraud, securities fraud, financial improprieties in the receipt of government funding, misuse of government funds, tax fraud and industrial espionage. We have also successfully defended companies in “whistleblower” suits that have accused companies of improper actions.