Notable Experience

• One of our partners is defending a company and its top executive in a criminal investigation being conducted by the Fraud Section of the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General (VA-OIG) into potential federal program fraud involving a scuba diving school.

• One of our partners is defending a former company president in a financial fraud investigation being conducted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia and the FBI, and in related state and federal regulatory proceedings.

• One of our partners defended a business owner charged with submitting nearly $1 million in false CARES Act Paycheck Protection Program loans. Convinced the sentencing court to impose a significantly below-Guidelines sentence of only 18 months and an 80% reduction in the amount of restitution requested by the government. United States v. Parker, No. 1:20-CR-296-JPB (N.D. Ga.).

• One of our partners defended three top poultry company executives in a price-fixing investigation conducted by the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice into the broiler chicken industry, including in connection with motions to quash grand jury subpoenas. In re Grand Jury Subpoena, No. 1:22-CV-00511-LMM (N.D. Ga.).

• One of our partners defended a Texas small business owner against a federal mail and wire fraud indictment in the Northern District of Georgia involving an alleged $4 million false invoicing scheme. United States v. Thompson et al., No. 1:19-CR-378-ELR (N.D. Ga.).

• As a federal prosecutor, one of our partners served as co-counsel in one of the largest military contracting fraud cases in U.S. history, alleging fraud in connection with U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) contracts to supply food to U.S. troops serving in Iraq from 2003 through 2010. The case was resolved via a global settlement of criminal, civil, and administrative claims. United States v. The Public Warehousing Company, No. 1 :09-CR-490-TWT-AJB (N.D. Ga.).

• As a federal prosecutor, one of our partners led the investigation and prosecution of the managing partner and CFO of a 900-attorney law firm for a $20 million attorney trust account embezzlement and related crimes, believed to be one of the largest attorney trust account thefts in U.S. history. United States v. Hardwick et al., No. 1:16-CR-65-ELR (N.D. Ga.).

• One of our partners represented one of nation’s top public power companies in a commercial dispute involving the allocation of billions of dollars of ownership interests and cost-overruns relating to the construction of two nuclear power plant units. Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia v. Georgia Power Company, No. 2022-CV-366416 (Fulton Co. Super. Ct.). Settled on terms favorable to client.

• One of our partners is defending an independent sales consultant against fraud, fiduciary duty, and tortious interference claims relating to a dispute over sales of millions of dollars of personal protective equipment. Spring et al. v. Blok Industries, Inc. et al., No. 2020CV339777 (Fulton Co. Bus. Ct.).

• One of our partners won a dismissal of breach of contract and fraud claims asserted against one of the world’s largest online media platforms.  Muniz v. Fenix International Ltd., No. 1:20-CV-3200-LMM (N.D. Ga.).

• One of our partners prevailed against a cryptocurrency promoter in a landmark ruling that a cryptocurrency contract constituted the illegal sale of unregistered securities and was therefore void for illegality. Shea v. Best Buy Homes, LLC, 533 F. Supp. 3d 1321 (N.D. Ga. 2021).

• One of our partners defended a major airline in a $1 billion contract dispute with a parts supplier, including litigating a multi-week arbitration before the International Centre for Dispute Resolution. Settled on terms favorable to client.

• One of our partners won a dismissal of federal RICO and fraud claims on behalf of a technology company in a dispute over the breach of a software contract. Tri-State Consumer Ins. Co., Inc. v. LexisNexis Risk Sols. Inc., No. 1:11–CV–1313–TCB (N.D. Ga.).

• One of our partners defended the majority owners of a successful hospitality company against RICO, fraud, and breach of fiduciary duty claims by a minority LLC member. After the trial court appointed a receivership over certain operations, secured a complete reversal on appeal, including voiding the receivership order, disqualifying the trial judge, and a dismissal. A&M Hosps., LLC v. Alimchandani, 871 S.E.2d 290, 300 (Ga. Ct. App. 2022), reconsideration denied (Mar. 30, 2022).

• One of our partners is defending two digital advertising companies against intrusive third-party discovery issued in one of the largest antitrust cases in the country. FTC v. Meta Platforms, Inc., No. 1:20-CV-3590-JEB (D.D.C.).

• One of our partners represented several Hong Kong-based companies and individuals in a series of federal RICO actions filed in multiple federal districts—including the Southern District of Iowa and the District of Minnesota—seeking to enforce and collect upon certain civil judgments.

• One of our partners defended Hazens Real Estate Group in FBI “Operation Casino Loyale,” a bribery investigation conducted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California into corruption in Los Angeles City government. Successfully negotiated a Non-Prosecution Agreement (NPA) allowing the company to avoid any criminal charges.

• One of our partners defended a prominent contracting firm and several of its executives in connection with grand jury subpoenas, agent interview requests, and other requests for information by the FBI as part of a far-reaching investigation into corruption in City of Atlanta government. No charges filed.

• One of our partners defended a public company that provided vendor services to the Georgia Institute of Technology in an investigation by the Georgia Attorney General’s Office into kickback and bribery allegations. No charges filed.

• As federal prosecutors, our partners first-chaired the successful corruption trial of the CEO, regional vice president, and division manager of a 2,000-employee janitorial services company for bribing a DeKalb County, Georgia government employee, in one of the country’s first federal corruption trials following the Supreme Court’s landmark decision in McDonnell v. United States, 136 S. Ct. 2355 (2016). United States v. Lepore et al., No. 1:15-CR-367-WSD (N.D. Ga.).

• As a federal prosecutor, one of our partners served as co-counsel for the successful investigation and prosecution of a high-profile corruption case against a former member of the Georgia General Assembly for mail, wire, and tax fraud relating to the theft and embezzlement of approximately $1 million in non-profit funds. United States v. Brooks, No. 1:13-CR-0206-AT (N.D. Ga.).

• One of our partners is representing a former tax attorney in connection with a federal grand jury investigation conducted by the Tax Division of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and IRS-CI, IRS civil investigations, and in U.S. Tax Court proceedings relating to syndicated conservation easement tax deduction transactions.

• One of our partners defended an individual taxpayer in a federal grand jury investigation conducted by the Tax Division of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and IRS-CI relating to syndicated conservation easement tax deduction transactions.

• One of our partners defended the owner of a tax return preparation business in a $685,000 criminal tax fraud prosecution brought by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia. Successfully obtained a favorable plea agreement and persuaded the sentencing court to impose a below-Guidelines sentence of six months in custody followed by six months of home confinement. The district judge described defense counsel’s representation as “excellent” and as hitting a “home run” for the client in the “bottom of the ninth.” United States v. Gai, No. 1:21-CR-00130-JPB-JEM (N.D. Ga.).

• One of our partners defended an investment manager in a U.S. Senate Finance Committee investigation into syndicated conservation easement tax deduction transactions and in related IRS investigations. Committee report issued in August 2020 without publicly naming the client.

• One of our partners defended a small business in a tax fraud investigation conducted by the Tax Division of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and IRS-CI relating to captive insurance. No charges filed.

• One of our partners defended a husband and wife in a criminal tax investigation conducted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia and IRS-CI into the possible failure to report foreign bank accounts (FBAR) and filing false tax returns. No charges filed.

• As a federal prosecutor, one of our partners led the investigation and prosecution of a former UBS AG client for willful failure to report foreign bank accounts (FBAR) and income earned in the virtual world, “Second Life.” United States v. Kaminsky, No. 1:14-CR-382-WBH (N.D. Ga.).

• As a federal prosecutor, one of our partners led the investigation and prosecution of the CEO of an income tax return preparation firm and his employees for a scheme to defraud the IRS. After a successful jury trial, briefed issues of first impression in the U.S. Court of Appeals regarding U.S. Virgin Islands taxation rules. United States v. Roberts et al., No. 1:10-CR-138-ODE (N.D. Ga.); United States v. Roberts, 464 F. App’x 796 (11th Cir. 2012).

• One of our partners is defending a technology company executive against a Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) hacking indictment brought by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia and the Computer Crime & Intellectual Property Section of the U.S. Department of Justice involving an alleged cybersecurity incident at a local medical center. United States v. Singla, No. 1:21-CR-228-MLB (N.D. Ga.).

• One of our partners defended the Chief Compliance Officer of a cryptocurrency exchange in a criminal investigation conducted by Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations (IRS-CI) and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia. No charges filed.

• One of our partners defended the target of a cryptocurrency fraud and SIM-swapping investigation conducted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (HSI) and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia. Resolved the matter through the civil forfeiture process, allowing the client to avoid any criminal charges.

• One of our partners defended a Romanian national against an indictment brought by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia alleging that he participated in an ATM-skimming scheme that involved over $1 million in alleged losses to financial institutions. United States v. Cordas, No. 1:19-CR-367-MHC (N.D. Ga.).

• One of our partners led an internal investigation on behalf of a high-profile media company into a suspected computer network intrusion and ransomware attack and represented the company in connection with law enforcement inquiries and potential litigation.

• One of our partners won a dismissal on behalf of a major technology company of a complaint filed in California federal court alleging violations of the California Unfair Competition Law, the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, the California Insurance Information and Privacy Act, and other privacy regulations. Quadrant Information Services, LLC v. LexisNexis Risk Solutions, Inc., No. 4:11-CV-0648-SBA (N.D. Cal.).

• One of our partners led an internal investigation on behalf of a law firm that was the victim of a $500,000 business email compromise scam and represented the firm in connection with law enforcement inquiries and potential litigation, including successfully securing the reversal of the carrier’s initial denial of coverage decision, which resulted in the client recovering nearly all stolen funds.

• As a federal prosecutor, one of our partners led the prosecution of one of the developers of SpyEye, a destructive banking Trojan that resulted in approximately one billion dollars in losses around the world, and successfully defended the district court’s calculation of sentencing losses on appeal. United States v. Bendelladj, 710 Fed. Appx. 384, 387 (11th Cir. 2017).

• As a federal prosecutor, one of our partners led the prosecution of a Russian national for a coordinated attack on global payment processor RBSWorldPay, which involved illegally accessing files containing 44.5 million pre-payroll and gift card numbers and using the data to facilitate $9 million in ATM withdrawals from over 2,100 ATMs in 280 cities worldwide. United States v. Seleznev, No. 1:11-CR-491-SCJ-LTW-13 (N.D. Ga.).

• As a federal prosecutor, one of our partners led the Atlanta portion of the LulzSec/Anonymous computer hacking investigation, then one of the largest multi-district cyber investigations in U.S. history, involving intrusions and distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks on Fox, PBS, Sony, the FBI, the U.S. Senate, and other entities. United States v. Monsegur et al., No. 1:11-CR-379 (N.D. Ga.).

• As a federal prosecutor, one of our partners prosecuted two-Iranian based threat actors for perpetrating a ransomware attack on the City of Atlanta’s computer network, damaging nearly 4,000 City computers. United States v. Savandi, No. 1:18-CR-0473-UNA (N.D. Ga.).

• One of our partners is defending a clinical laboratory in a False Claims Act (FCA) investigation being conducted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia.

• One of our partners defended a compounding pharmacy in a False Claims Act (FCA) investigation conducted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia. Negotiated a corporate settlement on favorable terms, with no admission of wrongdoing and no individual liability. United States ex rel. Doe v. DermaTran Health Solutions, LLC, et al., No. 1:17-CV-1765-HLM (N.D. Ga.).

• One of our partners defended a former healthcare IT company executive in a False Claims Act (FCA) investigation relating to electronic health records (EHR) software sales conducted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont, the Fraud Section of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), and the FBI. No charges filed.

• One of our partners defended a medical device company executive in parallel civil and criminal investigations conducted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia and the FBI into alleged kickbacks, improper rebates, and improper billing practices. No charges filed.

• One of our partners defended the owner of an occupational therapy business in a criminal healthcare fraud investigation conducted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida, including in connection with the execution of a workplace search warrant by the FBI and the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG).

• As a federal prosecutor, one of our partners co-led the investigation and prosecution of pharmacy insiders and their co-conspirators—including a successful jury trial—for a healthcare fraud conspiracy involving forged prescriptions for expensive chemotherapy drugs submitted to national pharmacy chains. United States v. Scott et al., No. 1:08-CR-495-CAP (N.D. Ga.).

As seasoned courtroom advocates and former judicial law clerks—including on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit—we are uniquely positioned to litigate your most complex and challenging appeals.

We have briefed and argued numerous federal criminal appeals as defense counsel and as federal prosecutors, including those listed below. These matters have included issues of first impression involving the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, the honest services fraud statute, and other federal criminal statutes and issues.

• United States v. Durrett, No. 12-15727 (Bribery, Public Corruption)
• United States v. Flenaugh, No. 14-11121 (Access Device Fraud)
• United States v. Freeman, No. 11-10931 (Mail Fraud, Wire Fraud)
• United States v. Gibbs, No. 19-13510 (Daubert)
• United States v. Lepore, No. 17-10222 (Bribery, Honest Services Fraud)
• United States v. Norris, No. 14–10259 (U.S. Sentencing Guidelines)
• United States v. Roberts, No. 11-10773 (Tax Fraud)
• United States v. Scott, No. 09-16457 (Healthcare Fraud)
• United States v. Siler, No. 12-14211 (Statutory Interpretation – Federal Assault Statute)
• United States v. Smith, No.  14–15118 (Prosecutorial Misconduct)
• Thompson v. United States, No. 14-15179 (Ineffective Assistance of Counsel)
• United States v. Thompson, No. 20-14404 (Compassionate Release)
• United States v. Cantrell, No. 12–13096 (Rule 404(b) Evidence)
• Hafez v. Frazier, No. 10–10787 (State Habeas Relief)