Bribery and Corruption

• FIFA-Related Matters:
  • We are lead counsel to FIFA, in what the New York Times aptly described as “one of the most complicated international white collar cases in recent memory.” Specifically, we represent FIFA in the global criminal investigations involving, amongst others, allegations that international media companies bribed FIFA officials to obtain sponsorship and broadcasting contracts. 
  • We represented Julius Baer in connection with parallel investigations by the DOJ and Swiss authorities involving allegations that FIFA officials and sports media and marketing officials engaged in money laundering, racketeering and wire fraud in connection with the awarding of global and regional soccer tournament media and marketing rights. Specifically, the investigation is focused on (1) whether FIFA officials and sports media and marketing executives – as alleged in the DOJ’s May 2015 indictment and December 2015 superseding indictment – maintained accounts at the bank that were used to facilitate bribery payments in connection with soccer media and marketing rights contracts, and (2) whether bank executives and employees knew or should have known about such payments.  Julius Baer and its employees are cooperating with DOJ and we are representing them in discussions with U.S. authorities.
  • We represented CONMEBOL in connection with U.S. criminal investigations and prosecutions into allegations of bribery and corruption in the international soccer world. Specifically, Quinn Emanuel is advising CONMEBOL on the investigations and conducting an internal investigation on behalf of the organization.  The United States charged 30 defendants, including a number of past and current CONMEBOL officials with racketeering, wire fraud and money laundering conspiracies, among other offenses, in connection with the defendants’ abuse of their positions to solicit bribes from sports marketing companies.  Two of these defendants, including Juan Angel Napout, a past President of CONMEBOL were convicted after a three month trial in December 2017.  Quinn Emanuel has worked throughout the engagement to ensure that CONMEBOL was viewed as a victim of the scheme set forth in the indictment, and this work has positioned CONMEBOL to receive a large restitution award from the defendants convicted at trial as well as those who pled guilty prior to trial. 
• JBS, J&F, Batista Representation. We are lead counsel to the largest meat producer in the world, JBS S.A. (“JBS”), its controlling shareholder J&F Investimentos S.A. (“J&F”), and J&F’s individual owners, Joesley and Wesley Batista in one of the largest ongoing criminal investigations in the world. Prior to the companies’ engagement of Quinn Emanuel, Brazilian prosecutors, acting unilaterally, imposed a fine of more than R$ 10.3 billion (approximately USD 3.2 billion), the largest corporate fine for corrupt activity in history.  We have been leading the efforts on behalf of the companies and the individuals to secure a resolution in the United States with the Department of Justice and the SEC.  The representation is particularly sensitive given that the Batista brothers developed evidence implicating the sitting president of Brazil, Michel Temer.  This fact, along with the size and scope of the investigation, has made this one of the most challenging representations in recent memory, and the unique expertise of Bill Burck and his team have been necessary to move the matter towards a resolution.  In October 2020, we reached an incredibly favorable resolution for our clients. After being fined more than $3.2 billion in Brazil in 2017 in connection with the scheme, the clients turned to Quinn Emanuel to address their U.S. exposure.  We spent the next 24 months negotiating on their behalf with DOJ and the SEC and were able to resolve the case with a fine amounting to less than 5% of what they paid in Brazil, and no criminal charges for the individuals.  This resolution has allowed the companies to move forward with U.S. expansion plans and has been extremely well-received by the financial markets.    
• McDonnell Corruption Trial. We represented former First Lady of Virginia Maureen McDonnell in connection with federal bribery and obstruction charges brought against her and her husband, former Governor of Virginia Bob McDonnell.  McDonnell was convicted of obstruction of justice and certain corruption charges after a six-week trial in 2014.  After convincing the trial court to vacate the obstruction conviction because it was unsupported by the evidence, we pursued on appeal our arguments that the court incorrectly defined bribery and effectively directed the jury to convict.  The Supreme Court of the United States agreed with our position in the Governor's appeal and vacated the convictions in a unanimous opinion that resoundingly rejected the government's and lower courts' conception of federal bribery laws.  Following the Supreme Court's decision, which gave the government the option to attempt to re-try the case under the new standard, we met with the government to advocate that the charges instead be dismissed with prejudice.  In early September 2016, the government abandoned the case against our client and the Governor.
• Sigelman FCPA Trial. We convinced the Department of Justice to drop a high profile FCPA prosecution mid-trial, resulting in the client receiving a sentence of probation and no jail time.  In one of only a few FCPA cases ever to be tried, the Government dropped five-and-a-half of six charges against Mr. Sigelman after an admission by the Government’s star witness that he made false statements to the jury on direct examination.  The judge referred to the firm’s cross examination of the Government’s star witness as “bloodletting.”  Sigelman had been facing a possible sentence of 20 years in prison.  Instead, the Government agreed to a plea deal in which he received a sentence of probation with no incarceration.  These types of plea offers in the middle of trial rarely occur. 
• Odebrecht Global Resolution. We represent the Odebrecht Group in connection with civil and criminal investigations flowing from the Lava Jato scandal, the largest corruption scandal in the history of Latin America and what the DOJ has described as “the largest-ever global foreign bribery resolution.”  We helped secure a global resolution of Odebrecht’s criminal liability in the United States, Brazil, and Switzerland which allowed the company to continue operating despite allegations which constituted an existential threat.
• PHL Variable Insurance Company v. Town of Oyster Bay.  The firm achieved an important victory for municipalities struggling with civil litigation caused by the misconduct of their officials.  In a recent decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled that the Town of Oyster Bay, located in the greater New York metropolitan area, could not be liable on a contract that had been agreed to by former corrupt Town officials without the approval of the Town’s governing body, the Town Board.  PHL Variable Insurance Company had alleged that the Town breached an agreement to guarantee a multi-million dollar loan PHL had made to a former Town concessionaire.  PHL also had alleged that it was defrauded by the Town into making the loan.  We obtained a dismissal with prejudice of all of PHL’s claims in district court, successfully arguing that the guarantee was unenforceable because it was never authorized by the Town Board.  We then obtained a unanimous, published decision by the Second Circuit affirming the dismissal.  The decision is a victory not only for the Town but also for other municipalities seeking to enforce their own procedures in order to protect their citizens from public corruption.
• We successfully defended a major sports-governing body in a criminal investigation in Germany that centered on corruption and other criminal allegations in connection with a sports event.  In this context, the prosecutors considered imposing a penalty payment on our client for the alleged misconduct of a former executive but we convinced the authority to close the case at the pre-trial stage. 
• We represented ENRC, a global mining conglomerate, and its successor, ERG, in connection with a UK SFO investigation into alleged bribery involving the company’s Kazakh and African operations. ENRC was listed on the London Stock Exchange but de-listed in part as a result of the SFO’s investigation.  We previously represented the two former executives at the heart of the investigation, the former CEO of ENRC’s African operations and the former Global General Counsel, both of whom have been identified as “suspects” by the SFO.  We have now replaced Deveboise & Plimpton as counsel for the Company. 
• We currently represent Trafigura, the world’s third largest commodity trading company, in connection with allegations that a member of its management board was involved in bribery and money laundering at Brazilian state-run oil company Petrobras. These allegations are related to the Lava Jato scandal in Brazil.
• We served as counsel to the Special Committee of the Board of Directors of one of Europe’s largest engineering and construction firms concerning alleged violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act relating to government procurement contracts in Africa and elsewhere. 
• We represented the Special Committee of Independent Directors of a major clothing manufacturer in response to allegations of customs violations, kickbacks and commercial bribery in its Hong Kong and Singapore operations.
• One of our partners represented one of Africa's largest telecommunications companies in an investigation by U.S. and African authorities of allegations of corruption and bribery relating to the award of a mobile license in Iran.
• We represented a member of the board of directors of Net1, a South African company listed in the United States, in a FCPA investigation of Net1 and the board.  The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission formally dropped its investigation, bringing no charges against our client or Net1.
• We represented the Vice President of a foreign country in connection with foreign corruption allegations by U.S. Department of Justice and successfully resolved the matter with no criminal charges and a favorable civil settlement.
• BTG Internal Investigation. We represent a special committee formed by the Boards of Directors of Banco BTG Pactual S.A. (“BTG Pactual”), the largest investment bank in Latin America, and BTG Pactual Participations, Ltd. (“BTG Participations”), in an internal investigation regarding money laundering and bribery allegations against its former CEO André dos Santos Esteves.  We found no basis to support the allegations against the Bank and its employees. 

Money Laundering and Fraud

• Our client, iTalk Global CEO Jie “Jack” Zhao, was acquitted on all counts in a case arising from the “Varsity Blues” investigation into college admissions fraud.  The government alleged that Mr. Zhao bribed Harvard’s fencing coach, Peter Brand, to recruit his two sons to Harvard’s fencing team, thereby facilitating their admission to Harvard.  He and coach Brand were charged with bribery and conspiracy to commit bribery and honest services fraud.  Following a three-week trial in federal court in Boston, a jury found both defendants not guilty of all of the charges against them. 
• We successfully represented our client Aabar as the victim in a criminal trial against a Swiss private bank and the bank’s former CEO for allegations of money laundering and deficient organization. This was the first-ever trial involving a Swiss corporation under a relatively new provision introducing corporate liability in Swiss law. It is a ground-breaking case in Swiss corporate and criminal law with far-reaching effects in particular in the Swiss banking world.
• We represented Erick Archila, the owner of Grupo A, one of Guatemala’s largest media conglomerates, and former Minister of Mines and Energy of Guatemala, in connection with a high-profile money laundering investigation by the Guatemalan government involving allegations that he provided hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of gifts to the former President and Vice-President of Guatemala.  Guatemala issued an arrest warrant against Mr. Archila in June 2016.  This is one of the largest, high-profile criminal prosecutions launched by the Guatemalan government in recent history.  Specifically, we represented Mr. Archila in U.S. extradition proceedings initiated by Guatemala resulting from the arrest warrant.  The U.S. government has not processed Guatemala's extradition request.  Additionally, we represented Mr. Archila in proceedings before INTERPOL and the ICHR and with immigration co-counsel, in U.S. asylum proceedings.  Importantly, in March 2018, we successfully obtained a decision by INTERPOL cancelling Mr. Archila’s international arrest warrant.  It is extremely rare for INTERPOL to cancel international arrest warrants.  The ICHR and asylum proceedings are ongoing.
• We represented Leon Pasternak, the Deputy Chairman of Australian radio company Southern Cross, in a regulatory investigation of Mr Pasternak’s purchase of Southern Cross shares, which the regulator alleged constituted insider trading. After almost 4 years of investigations, we obtained confirmation that the regulator would not take enforcement action.
• FBME Preliminary Injunction. We obtained an unprecedented preliminary injunction that prevents the U.S. Treasury Department and its Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, or “FinCEN,” bureau from enforcing a final rule that otherwise would have cut our client bank, FBME, off from U.S. dollars (and thus from the global financial system) to devastating effect.  This is the first successful stand a bank has made against FinCEN’s implementation of this deadly sanction, which reflects a determination by FinCEN under Section 311 of the USA PATRIOT Act that a foreign bank is an institution of “primary money laundering concern” and should be cut off from the U.S. financial system.  We persuaded the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia that our client faced irreparable harm from implementation of the rule and was likely to prevail on the merits on the grounds that FinCEN’s ruling was procedurally defective and arbitrary and capricious.  We succeeded despite being up against classified evidence submitted ex parte and in camera that allegedly established FBME’s involvement in money laundering and terrorist financing, as well as the heightened deference that courts accord Executive agencies whenever concerns about national security and foreign policy are invoked, as they were here. 
• We represent BSI, a Switzerland-based, international private bank, in connection with the global criminal investigations involving 1MDB, Malaysia's sovereign wealth fund. This is one of the most important, high-visibility criminal money laundering investigations in the world.  The Swiss authorities have ordered the bank to be liquidated and have launched the first ever criminal money laundering investigation against a bank.  The U.S. authorities are also conducting a wide-ranging investigation. 
• We represent Alonso Ancira Elizondo, a dual Mexico-U.S. citizen and Chairman of the Board of Altos Hornos de Mexico, S.A.B de C.V. (“AHMSA”), Mexico’s largest integrated steel producer, in a multi-pronged dispute with the Mexican government and Pemex, the Mexican state-owned oil company. We are using a multi-disciplinary approach to defend Mr. Ancira against renewed criminal proceedings, proactively advocate his position to U.S. authorities, and seek opportunities for offensive litigation to protect Mr. Ancira and his company.  We are coordinating with Mexican civil and criminal counsel in Mr. Ancira’s overall strategy.
• We represented Actelion Pharmaceuticals in a three-year U.S. Department of Justice investigation into marketing practices related to the drug Tracleer.  The investigation concluded without any criminal charges being filed and with the dismissal of a related civil action.
• We represented the Board of Supreme Audit in Iraq in investigating fraud in the Oil for Food program. 
• One of our partners was lead investigations counsel for Triple Canopy/Constellis, the private security company, in a global investigation concerning allegations of False Claims Act violations in Uganda. 
• We represented the Special Committee of the Board of Directors of Idealab to investigate claims by venture capital investors alleging various improper stock transactions and self-dealing on the part of the company’s management. 
• We represented Tier Technologies in a six-month Audit Committee investigation following an accounting restatement and in related shareholder and U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission proceedings. 
• We represented Terayon Communications Systems in a year-long Audit Committee investigation arising out of an accounting restatement and in related U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and shareholder actions over operations in Canada, Israel, and Brazil. 
• One of our partners represented Teledyne for allegedly overcharging the federal government in connection with defense contracts.
• One of our partners represented General Re, a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, in investigations by federal and state agencies into financial reinsurance arrangements and obtained a non-prosecution agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice.
• One of our partners represented HCA, Inc. for alleged Medicare and Medicaid overbilling.
• One of our partners represented BlackRock in investigations by the U.S. Department of Justice, Securities and Exchange Commission, and New York Attorney General, in investigations concerning market timing, late trading and revenue sharing.
• One of our partners represented the former public company IDB Communications in U.S. Department of Justice and Securities and Exchange Commission investigations for alleged financial accounting fraud and insider trading by senior officers.
• One of our partners represented Tyco in connection with U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission investigations stemming from the conduct of its former officers Dennis Kozlowski, Mark Belnick, and Mark Swartz.
• One of our partners represented ICGS, the joint Northrop Grumman Lockheed Martin entity formed to rebuild the U.S. Coast Guard through the Deepwater program, involving a $25 billion series of contracts.  This involved various government investigations, fraud and False Claims Act subpoenas, and qui tam investigations.  Our partner successfully defended after foreign whistleblower initiated action.

Economic Sanctions

• Our Firm represented Reza Zarrab, a Turkish gold trader charged in the Southern District of New York with engaging in hundred of millions of dollars worth of transactions that constituted money laundering, Iran Trade sanctions violations, and bank fraud. Because Mr.  Zarrab acted entirely from overseas, and the only connection alleged by the government between his conduct and the United States was the transferring of funds from one foreign country to another in U.S. dollars, the case raised jurisdictional issues of first impression.  Our partners, including William Burck, were featured with other New York and Washington lawyers as members of a legal "dream team" assembled by Mr. Zarrab.
• We are representing Yani Benjamin Rosenthal Hidalgo, a prominent Honduran businessman and former candidate for president in that country, in defending against a criminal charge, brought in the Southern District of New York, that he and businesses in which his family has interests engaged in laundering funds that were the proceeds of international drug trafficking and bribery. Rosenthal is also contesting OFAC's determination to designate him under the so-called Drug Kingpin Act as a Specially Designated Narcotics Trafficker.
• We represent Swedbank AB (“Swedbank”) in various investigations before U.S. regulators, including OFAC.  These ongoing U.S. investigations relate to AML, CTF, sanctions and other controls issues that became a focus of regulators following the Panama Papers leak in April 2016 and, more recently, Swedish media reports highlighting connections between Swedbank and the Danske Bank money laundering and “Magnitsky Affair” scandals, among other things.  In March 2020, Swedbank’s local supervisory regulators in Sweden and Estonia released the findings of their investigations relating to AML controls, with the Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority imposing an approximately $400 million fine.  Shortly thereafter, on March 23, 2020, Clifford Chance US LLP publicly released a report of its own internal investigation on these matters, which provides extensive detail related to Swedbank’s historical AML and sanctions issues in Sweden and the Baltics. We are facilitating Swedbank’s cooperation with U.S. regulators, as well as advising Swedbank on navigating U.S. legal issues in the context of its other ongoing matters with non-U.S. authorities.
• One of our partners represented Mahmoud Reza Banki in obtaining reversal in the Second Circuit Court of Appeals of criminal convictions on charges of violating the Iran Trade Regulations and operating an illegal money transmitting business. The government maintained that Mr. Banki was violating the law by receiving funds from his family in Iran, through a "hawala" money transfer service.  The reversal resulted in the vacating of a sentence of 30 months' imprisonment.
• We are defending a multinational commodities trading company in investigations by the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, and the Manhattan District Attorney's Office of alleged violations of U.S. trade sanctions on doing business in Iran, Sudan and Cuba.
• A partner defended an Iranian-American client in a trade sanctions case. The client received Presidential Pardon in the so-called Iranian "prisoner exchange" in 2016.
• We provided Iran sanctions compliance advice to one of the largest bulk material supply companies in the Middle East.
• One of our partners represented a U.S. manufacturer of refrigerators, washing machines, and other “white goods” in an investigation and voluntary disclosure to government investigators regarding potential sanctions violations in connection with shipment of restaurant equipment to Cuba.
• Quinn Emanuel represented a Dubai-based company in connection with a DOJ criminal investigation into its relationships with sanctioned companies operating in the Middle East and Africa, ultimately obtaining a non-target letter from DOJ on behalf of our client.
• Our partners advised an international trading company on various compliance issues related to transactions involving Russian counterparties.
• We advised a sovereign wealth fund on issues related to U.S. trade sanctions.
• On behalf of a multinational corporation, we conducted an internal investigation in the Middle East of alleged FCPA violations, money laundering, trade sanctions violations, and fraud.
• Our Firm advised a global shipbuilding company on compliance issues related to their business with sanctioned countries, including Cuba and Sudan.
• We assisted a Swiss chemical company in applying to OFAC for the release of funds that had been blocked pursuant to the Russian sanctions regime.
• We provided Iran sanctions advice to the Government of Azerbaijan.

Economic Espionage and Trade Secrets

• Chen Espionage Investigation.  We represented Dr. Qun Chen, a senior executive of Shanghai United Imaging Healthcare Co. Ltd., a leading Chinese medical imaging company, in a criminal economic espionage investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York that resulted in the indictment of three NYU scientists.  We successfully extricated Dr. Chen from the Southern District’s investigation.
• Dismissal of Trade Secret Misappropriation Claim.  In Koninklijke Philips N.V. et al. v. Elec-Tech International Co., Ltd. et al. (N.D. Cal.), we successfully obtained a dismissal of a high-stakes trade secret misappropriation claim brought in federal court by one of the world’s largest producers of light-emitting diodes and related products against Chinese competitor Elec-Tech International Co., Ltd. (ETI), several of its subsidiaries, and three of its officers. 
• Motion to Quash Granted in Espionage Case.  We represent the Pangang Group and three of its subsidiaries.  These Chinese companies—large metal manufacturers—were indicted in a closely watched criminal case brought under the Economic Espionage Act.  The government attempted to serve the indictment on our clients by delivery and mailing of a summons on an uncharged U.S. corporation that it alleged acted as an “agent” of the defendants.  Our motion to quash the government’s attempted service was granted.

Constitutional and Civil Rights

• We are defending Robert Kraft, the owner of the New England Patriots, in connection with solicitation of prostitution charges brought against him by the State of Florida. The charges stem from an investigation launched by the Town of Jupiter Police Department (“JPD”) in October 2018 concerning alleged prostitution taking place at a day spa in Jupiter, Florida.  As part of that investigation, the JPD obtained a sneak-and-peek search warrant that authorized the JPD to conduct covert video recording inside the private massage rooms within the spa between January 18–22, 2019.  According to the JPD, those covert recordings captured footage of Mr. Kraft engaging in paid sex acts while at the spa.  We recently challenged the constitutionality of the sneak-and-peek search warrant on various grounds, including that it failed to adequately minimize the extent to which lawful conduct was surveilled, which is a constitutional requirement for this type of surveillance.  Specifically, we argued that the warrant was facially invalid insofar as it permitted the JPD to conduct unfettered recording of all activity—legal or illegal—and any type of person (male or female) entering the spa.  After extensive briefing and a three day suppression hearing, our motion to suppress was granted.  According to the Court, the sneak-and-peek warrant “fail[ed] to consider and include instructions on minimizing the impact on women…in a setting with a high legitimate expectation of privacy” and contained “no minimization techniques or directives” to be implemented by the JPD when “viewing male spa clients receiving lawful services.”  Importantly, the judge also suppressed all other evidence derived from the illegal video recordings, including a subsequent traffic stop that allowed the JPD to identify Mr. Kraft.  The State has since appealed the ruling and the matter will soon be heard by the Florida Fourth District Court of Appeal.  In the meantime, the case is stayed and the videos remain sealed. 

Tax Evasion

• We represented Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd., which is the world’s largest pure private bank and publicly listed on the Swiss stock exchange, in resolving criminal liability related to its historical U.S. private banking business. In February 2016, Julius Baer entered into a deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York (SDNY) and paid a total of $547 million as part of its settlement.  Julius Baer was one of the first Swiss banks to reach a resolution outside of the U.S. Department of Justice Program for Non-Prosecution Agreements or Non-Target Letters for Swiss Banks, which was negotiated between the U.S. and Swiss governments and announced in August 2013.  The penalty component of Julius Baer’s settlement ($81 million) represented a departure of approximately 85% below the bottom end of the recommended sentence range under the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.  Julius Baer’s resolution stands as the largest percentage downward departure that DOJ has publicly reported in any context.  As Julius Baer complied with the requirements of the DPA – which required, among other things, ongoing cooperation with the U.S. Department of Justice for a period of three years – the SDNY  moved to dismiss the criminal charges against the bank.  On February 4, 2019, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York formally dismissed the charges. 
• We obtained a significant initial victory for a high net worth UK businessman and his associates in a tax investigation (known in the UK as COP9) brought by Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs (“HMRC”) in which HMRC suspected them of having committed tax fraud. Our clients faced criminal prosecution and we were able to reach an agreement with HMRC not to pursue any criminal action against our clients. 
• We are representing several major Swiss Banks in the unprecedented and high visibility DOJ Swiss Bank Program which allowed Swiss Banks’ to resolve potential criminal liability for helping Americans evade taxes, if they satisfied certain requirements. We have obtained non-prosecution agreements and other favorable outcomes for several Swiss banks in this Program. 
  • For example, we represented BSI SA (“BSI”), one of the world’s largest private banks, in the DOJ Swiss Bank Program. BSI was the first, out of approximately 100 banks participating in the Swiss Bank Program, to obtain a non-prosecution agreement. 
  • We also represented EFG Bank (“EFG”), one of the largest banks in Switzerland, in connection with the DOJ Swiss Bank Program. We obtained a non-prosecution agreement for EFG, which was one of the largest banks in the Program.  In contrast to other banks in the Program, this penalty is 1.9% of the Bank’s peak U.S. assets under management.  This is less than half the penalty that other banks in the Program have had to pay. 
• We represent Eric Baker, founder and CEO of Viagogo – a global online platform for live sports, music, and other entertainment tickets – in connection with a criminal investigation undertaken by German enforcement authorities for alleged violations of European Union (“EU”) and German tax laws. The representation includes, among other things, defending Mr. Baker in his personal capacity and engaging with foreign enforcement authorities – both civil and criminal – throughout the EU and Germany specifically. 

Fraud

• Appeal after final judgment of conviction and sentence.  The firm obtained an appellate victory for our clients, Dr. Ronald Grusd and his medical practices California Imaging Network Medical Group and Willows Consulting Company, from the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in a criminal appeal arising from a novel prosecution of honest services and health care fraud based on alleged procurement of patient referrals in violation of California Workers’ Compensation Law.  We joined the case after a two-week jury trial in the Southern District of California in which our clients were found guilty of honest services mail and wire fraud, healthcare fraud, and violations of the Travel Act, and sentenced to 10 years in prison.  The firm challenged both the convictions and sentence on appeal.  After oral argument, the Ninth Circuit issued a summary order unanimously vacating and remanding the case for resentencing based on an erroneous guidelines calculation that failed to take into account the fair market value of the medical services Dr. Grusd and his companies provided to workers’ compensation patients they treated.
• Securities Fraud Acquittal.  We represented David Demos, a former trader and managing director at Cantor Fitzgerald & Co., who was indicted on five counts of securities fraud.  Demos was acquitted of all charges.
• Complete Dismissal in AIG matter.  We obtained a complete dismissal, with prejudice, of a major False Claims Act case against AIG that alleged AIG defrauded the Federal Reserve Bank of New York by hundreds of millions of dollars during the financial crisis.  The case, brought by a former AIG human resources executive-turned-whistleblower, alleged that two insurance subsidiaries that AIG sold to the Federal Reserve in exchange for $25 billion in debt reduction had, for decades, engaged in unlicensed insurance business in New York.  The plaintiff alleged that AIG was complicit in the illegal insurance activity, concealed it from regulators, and deliberately misled the Fed during the negotiations in order to consummate the transaction.  This case posed a potential $2.5 billion liability for AIG under the False Claims Act’s treble damages provision.  We previously convinced the Justice Department to decline to intervene in the suit, and after a three-hour long oral argument on our motion to dismiss, we have now obtained a complete dismissal, with prejudice, in an opinion that adopted nearly every one of our arguments and found that any attempt by the plaintiff to supplement his complaint would be futile.
• Diaz DOJ and SEC Investigation.  Martin Diaz-Alvarez is one of Mexico’s most prominent bankers.  In 2014, the Mexican government falsely accused Mr. Diaz of a $500 million fraud involving the collapse of Oceanografia S.A. de C.V. (“Oceanografia”), Mexico’s largest oil services company.  This is the largest financial fraud case in the history of Latin America.  We successfully extricated Mr. Diaz from parallel DOJ and SEC investigations. 
• Time-Served Sentence.  We obtained a sentence of “time served” (only 4 months) for Isidoro Garbarino, who had been indicted for defrauding customs out of millions of dollars of duties for Russian and Iranian caviar and then fled the U.S. for more than 20 years.
• SEC Declines to Bring Charges Against Apple.  We were selected by Vice President Al Gore to represent a special committee of the board of Apple in connection with an investigation into Steve Jobs’ approval and personal receipt of backdated stock options.  The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission specifically cited the quality of our investigation as a factor in declining to bring charges against the company.
• Renault.  Quinn Emanuel advises and assists Renault in the Carlos Ghosn case in criminal investigations led by investigating magistrates in Nanterre and Paris. Renault has been granted the status of victim in both investigations. Quinn Emanuel is assisting Renault at the different steps of the criminal investigation with the aim of recovering the losses suffered because of the behavior of its former CEO. Quinn Emanuel’s Paris and DC offices are involved in the case.

Asset Forfeiture

• We obtained a temporary restraining order (“TRO”) in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the Southern District of New York to prohibit the creditors of our client, Oro Negro, a Mexican oil services company, from seizing the company’s only assets:  five offshore oil drilling rigs—an attempt which, if successful, would have led to the company’s total destruction.  The creditors’ plan to seize the rigs began with the institution of baseless criminal investigations in Mexico against Oro Negro and its employees, falsely alleging that they had misappropriated funds to which the creditors were entitled.  After obtaining from a Mexican criminal court, a “restitution order”—issued ex parte and replete with procedural and substantive irregularities—purporting to allow the creditors to take possession of the rigs, the creditors rented helicopters and flew out to the rigs, located in Mexican waters, and forcibly sought to take possession of them.  We quickly moved to obtain a TRO to stop the creditors in their tracks before they could take possession of the rigs.  Following the New York court’s granting of our TRO, the creditors agreed to enter a court-ordered stipulation pursuant to which they will cease and desist from any further efforts to seize the platforms.
• Favorable Resolution of Asset-Forfeiture Case.  We successfully represented  the Vice President of Equatorial Guinea in a precedent-setting civil  forfeiture proceeding brought by the DOJ that raised novel issues regarding the role of foreign law under the U.S. money laundering statutes.  We successfully resolved the case.
• Criminal Copyright Case.  We represented Megaupload Limited in the largest copyright case in U.S. history in connection with criminal charges brought by the DOJ and successfully set aside a restraint order that had frozen the client’s assets located in Hong Kong.
• We represent the Citadel entities and certain of their key employees, including Ken Griffin, founder and CEO of Citadel LLC, in connection with investigations and litigation arising from the trading restrictions imposed on “meme” stocks by various broker-dealers in late January 2021.  This representation has included advising Mr. Griffin in connection with his testimony to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Financial Services, and litigating on behalf of Citadel Securities in an MDL in which plaintiffs allege that Citadel Securities conspired with Robinhood and others to restrict trading and artificially depress the prices of certain securities. 
• We represent William Taylor, the former Chief Operating Officer and President of MiMedx Group, Inc., a publicly-traded medical device company.  In October 2020, we defended Mr. Taylor in a criminal case in the Southern District of New York against charges of securities fraud and conspiracy.  Mr. Taylor was acquitted of securities fraud, the more serious charge, and convicted of conspiracy.  This was the only white collar case to go to trial in the Southern District of New York during the pandemic.  We continue to represent Mr. Taylor in an SEC enforcement action in the Southern District of New York against similar allegations.
• We represent Mark Nordlicht, the founder and former Chief Investment Officer of Platinum Partners, a New York-based hedge fund that at its peak had more than $1 billion in assets under management.  Mr. Nordlicht is the lead defendant in what the Justice Department has alleged is “one of the largest and most brazen investment frauds perpetrated on the investing public.”  Following trial in 2019, Mr. Nordlicht was convicted on three counts of an eight-count indictment, at which point he hired Quinn Emanuel to take over his defense and draft post-trial briefs and handle any appeal.  On the basis of our post-trial briefs, Mr. Nordlicht’s convictions were vacated as a “manifest injustice” and the case was set for retrial.

Employment/Immigration

• Dismissal of All Felony Charges. We represented IFCO executives charged with immigration violations after the government detected undocumented workers at the company’s factories.  We won dismissal of all felony charges, and the case settled for a misdemeanor fine of less than $10,000.

Campaign Finance Law Violations

• We represented Steve Bonner, the former CEO of Cancer Treatment Centers of America, in an internal investigation regarding serious campaign finance law violations that had occurred at the company over the last decade.  We secured a favorable conciliation agreement for our client with the Federal Election Commission for our client, which declined a referral of the matter to the DOJ.

Environmental

• Pre-Trial Dismissal and Jury Acquittal in BP Deepwater Horizon matter. We obtained pre-trial dismissal of the most serious charges related to the BP Deepwater Horizon Explosion & Oil Spill, and subsequently obtained an acquittal at trial on all remaining charges.  We represented an individual facing 23 federal criminal counts arising out of the BP Oil Spill.  He was accused of causing oil pollution and manslaughter.  Over a three-year period, we first obtained dismissal of all the manslaughter counts before trial on the grounds that the statutes the government was prosecuting under did not apply to off-shore activities at that point in the ocean.  As to the remaining counts, a jury unanimously acquitted our client, finding that he did not cause the disaster.  The acquittal was covered extensively by The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Houston Chronicle, and Texas Monthly. 

Criminal Anti-Trust

• Not Guilty Verdict. One of our partners represented Manuli Rubber Industries of Italy executive Francesco Scaglia in the “Marine Hose Price Fixing Cartel” trial in West Palm Beach, Florida.  The case was one of the largest international criminal antitrust cases ever prosecuted by the Department of Justice.  The jury returned its “not guilty” verdict within hours after a month-long trial.
• We represent a pharmaceutical client in a criminal investigation launched by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Criminal Antitrust Division in Washington, D.C. concerning price increases for generic drugs.  The Grand Jury subpoena was served by the Department of Justice in an ongoing investigation into alleged price fixing by key players in the generic drug industry that was commenced in late-2014.  The recent rise in the prices of generic drugs in the United States also has been the subject of a congressional inquiry. 
• One of our partners represented a broker-dealer in connection with a criminal antitrust investigation by the Department of Justice arising out of alleged bid-rigging in the municipal derivatives market.
• We obtained a grant of leniency from the Department of Justice for a company whose employees had engaged in an international price-fixing scheme related to the internet marketplace for consumer goods.
• We represent the National Association of REALTORS® in multiple investigations opened by DOJ’s Antitrust Division. The investigations concern rules and policies that govern the marketing of residential real estate on multiple listing services.  In November 2020, we obtained a letter from the Assistant Attorney General for the Antitrust Division that memorialized the closing of investigations into two multiple listing service policies.

Our White Collar Partners Around The World

Among our preeminent white collar partners are:

New York

• Marc Greenwald, Co-Chair of the Firm’s Investigations, Government Enforcement and White Collar Criminal Defense Practice Group, former federal prosecutor, Southern District of New York, and former policy adviser at the U.S. Treasury Department.
• Michael Carlinsky, Co-Managing Partner of the Firm globally, founder and Managing partner of the New York office, Chair of the Firm’s Complex Litigation practice and consistently ranked among the top U.S. litigators by numerous legal publications including Chambers and Partners, Benchmark Litigation.
• Manisha M. Sheth, Co-Chair of the Firm’s Government and Regulatory Litigation Practice Group, former Executive Deputy Attorney General of the Economic Justice Division at the Office of the New York Attorney General, and former federal prosecutor, Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
• Adam Abensohn, former federal prosecutor, Eastern District of New York.
• Kevin Reed, former federal prosecutor, Southern District of New York.
• Kathleen Sullivan, former Harvard Law School Professor and former Dean Stanford Law School.
• Tai Park, former federal prosecutor in the Southern District of New York, fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers since 2006, and ranked in The Best Lawyers in American, 2022.
• Jomaire Crawford, recognized as “Rising Star” by New York Law Journal for her plaintiff and defense side practice, handling a range of high-stakes civil, criminal, and regulatory matters for individuals, non-profits, and corporate clients.

Los Angeles

• Jim Asperger, Co-Chair of the Firm’s Investigations, Government Enforcement and White Collar Criminal Defense Practice Group, former federal prosecutor and Chief of the Major Frauds Section, Central District of California, former Supreme Court clerk, and Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers.
• Steve Madison, Co-Chair of the Firm, Investigations, Government Enforcement and White Collar Criminal Defense Practice Group, former federal prosecutor Chief of the General Crimes Section, Central District of California, and Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers.
• Dave Grable, former federal prosecutor, Northern District of New York.
• Duane Lyons, former federal prosecutor and Chief of the Criminal Complaints Section, Central District of California.
• Bill Price, former federal prosecutor, Central District of California, and Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers.
• Kristin Tahler, represented individuals and corporations in some of the highest profile white collar matters of the last decade. Kristin Tahler has been recognized for Global Disputes, especially White Collar by 2021 Lawdragon 500 Global Litigation Lawyers
• Christopher Tayback, former federal prosecutor, Central District of California, former prosecutor in the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office, and Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers.
• Crystal Nix-Hines, former U.S. Ambassador to UNESCO in Paris, France; her work has been recognized by numerous awards including Law 360’s “Class Action MVP”; Lawdragon’s “500 Leading Plaintiff Financial Lawyers”; the Daily Journal’s “Top Women Lawyers of 2021”; Benchmark Litigation’s “Top 250 Women in Litigation,” and Lawyers of Color’s “Nation’s Best” Award. 

San Francisco and Silicon Valley

• John Potter, Co-Chair of the Firm’s Investigations, Government Enforcement and White Collar Criminal Defense Practice Group, and former federal prosecutor and Deputy Chief, Government Fraud Section, Central District of California.
• Diane Doolittle, Co-Chair of the Firm’s National Trial Practice Group, and former prosecutor in Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office.
• Bob Feldman, former federal prosecutor, Northern District of California, and Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers.

Washington, D.C.

• William Burck, Co-Managing partner of the Firm globally, Co-Managing partner of the Firm’s Washington, D.C. office, Co-Chair of the Firm’s Investigations, Government Enforcement and White Collar Criminal Defense Practice Group, former federal prosecutor, Southern District of New York, former Special Counsel and Deputy Counsel to the President of the United States, former U.S. Supreme Court clerk, and one of only a handful of lawyers recently named a “White Collar MVP” by
• Juan Morillo, Co-Chair of the D.C. Office’s Investigations, Government Enforcement and White Collar Criminal Defense Practice Group, and a prominent criminal defense lawyer as ranked by numerous legal publications, including Benchmark Litigation, Financial Times, and Legal 500. Juan Morillo is also one of only a handful of lawyers recently named a “White Collar MVP” by
• Stephen Hauss, former prosecutor in the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, his work has been recognized by Law360, The American Lawyer, Global Investigations Review, and Who’s Who Legal Investigations.
• Michael Liftik, former Deputy Chief of Staff and Senior Enforcement Advisor to the Chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission, with nearly 10 years of SEC enforcement experience.
• Michael Lyle, former Director of the White House Office of Administration in the Clinton Administration, and former General Counsel for the White House Office of Administration.
• Robert Zink, former head of the U.S. Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Fraud Section.
• John Bash, former United States Attorney for the Western District of Texas, former Special Assistant to the President and Associate Counsel to the President.
• Sarah Heaton Concannon, Co-Chair of Quinn Emanuel’s SEC Enforcement Defense practice, former Senior Trial Counsel at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
• Jan-Philip (JP) Kernisan, who routinely represents organizations and executives facing government and/or regulatory investigations by U.S. authorities, including but not limited to the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, and the New York Department of Financial Services. JP Kernisan was recognized by Law360 as a “Top Attorney Under 40 – Sports & Betting” in 2020.
• Alexander J. (AJ) Merton, former trial attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice, Tax Division, where he began through the Attorney General’s Honors Program.
• Dawn Yamane Hewett, multi-lingual litigation advocate with over a dozen years of experience successfully representing clients notably in high-stake government investigations, former Deputy General Counsel for Strategic Initiatives at the U.S. Department of Commerce, where she handled a broad range of legal issues for the Department, including anti-corruption.

Chicago

• Jonathan Bunge, former federal prosecutor and Deputy Chief of the General Crimes Section, Northern District of Illinois, and Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers.
• Leonid Feller, former federal prosecutor, Eastern District of Michigan, and faculty at the University of Michigan Law School. 

Miami

• Alex Spiro, former Manhattan prosecutor, and faculty at Harvard Law School.
• Sam Williamson, former federal prosecutor in the Southern District of New York and the Middle District of Tennessee, and former Chair of Kirkland & Ellis’ Asia-based Government Enforcement and Investigations Practice.

Boston

• Stacylyn Doore, recognized by best Lawyers in America: Ones to Watch, “Women in the Law”, 2022
• Bill Weinreb, former Deputy Chief of National Security, lead prosecutor in the investigation and trial of Boston Marathon bomber Dzokhar Tsarnaev, recognized by DOJ’s highest award, the Attorney General’s Award for Exceptional Services (2016), and DOJ’s second-highest award, the Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service (2012).

Australia

• Michelle Fox, repeatedly identified as one of the leading lawyers in Australia by Chambers, Who's Who Legal, and Legal 500 Asia Pacific.
• Michael Mills, Founder of the Firm's Sydney Office, and widely recognized as one of Australia's most highly regarded advocates by Best Lawyers Australia, Chambers, Legal 500 Asia-Pacific, and Who's Who Legal.

France

• Kami Haeri, Chair of Commercial Litigation and White Collar practices of the Paris office, repeteadly identified as one of the leading lawyers in France by Forbes Magazine and GQ Magazine, former elected member of the Paris Bar Council, and faculty at Sciences-Po Paris, the Paris Bar School and the University of Cergy.
• Eric Russo, former prosecutor at the court of Appeals of Paris and at the National Financial Prosecutor’s office (PNF), and faculty at the Ecole Nationale de la Magistrature, the Paris Bar School and the French Association of company lawyers (AFJE).

Brussels

• Nadine Herrmann, Chair of the Firm’s EU competition and antitrust practice, extensive experience in EU and national investigations, recognized by Law360, Handelsblatt, ManagingIP.
• Trevor Soames, Managing Partner of the Brussels office has over 30 years’ experience in running major antitrust, regulatory and FCPA/anti-corruption investigations and led the defence teams in significant EU and national investigations, recognized by Who’s Who Legal, Chambers Europe, Commercial Disputes Resolution, Global Competition Review, IFLR, Law 360.

Switzerland

• Thomas Werlen, Managing Partner of the Swiss Office and former General Counsel of a listed multinational pharmaceutical company, recognized as a leading Swiss lawyer by Handelszeitung and Bilanz, has been heavily involved as lead counsel in bribery investigations in international sports and in investigations of Swiss banks in connection with the US-Swiss Tax Program. Thomas Werlen has been recognized for Global Disputes, especially White Collar by 2021 Lawdragon 500 Global Litigation Lawyers

China

• Xiao Liu, former Counsel to Skadden Arps in Beijing, recognized in Chambers Global 2018 and Chambers Asia Pacific 2018 as a “rising star” in the China market “with expertise in FCPA investigations and enforcement matters, and has vast experience representing Chinese companies and individuals in investigations by the U.S. government authorities such as the SEC, DOJ, FINRA, and Federal Reserve, and in federal and state courts in the United States.