Government Investigation: White-Collar Defense and Investigations

White Collar Defense

White-collar crime cases usually involve alleged deception to procure financial gain. White collar charges include but are not limited to, the following transgressions: fraud, money laundering, insider trading, market manipulation, obstruction of justice, false statements to government agents, kickbacks, bribery, embezzlement, and antitrust violations.

If you have been accused of white-collar crimes, you could be facing significant jail time as well as financial penalties. White-collar crime punishment and jail sentences can vary widely, depending upon the severity of the crime as well as the defendant’s circumstances and criminal history. 

Scarinci Hollenbeck’s expansive white-collar criminal defense services run the gamut of state and federal charges. Our core areas of representation include:

• Antitrust violations
• Bank fraud
• Bitcoin and cryptocurrency matters
• Environmental crimes
• Export controls and sanctions
• False Claim Act (FCA) violations
• Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) violations
• Insider trading
• Life sciences and healthcare fraud
• Money laundering and economic sanctions
• Obstruction of justice charges
• Perjury and false statements
• Public corruption
• Securities and commodities fraud
• Trade secrets and economic espionage
• Tax offenses
• Wire fraud

High-Stakes Matters Requires an Experienced White Collar Crime Lawyer

To safeguard your rights and your reputation, Scarinci Hollenbeck offers an impressive roster of white-collar crime lawyers who are experienced in all phases of criminal matters, including trials and appeals. Our team has successfully represented companies of all sizes as well as individuals and corporate executives accused of financial or other crimes by agencies including U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), the SEC, the CFTC, the FDIC, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, U.S. Treasury’s Office of Inspector General (OIG), the Department of Health and Human Services, and state prosecutors. Since white-collar investigations can also result in significant reputational harm, our team includes attorneys skilled in crisis response and risk management.

Governmental Investigations and Regulatory Enforcement

Even the most sophisticated, well-intentioned businesses can face allegations of regulatory violations. If you have received a letter, notice, or subpoena from U.S. attorneys’ offices, state attorneys general, the DOJ, SEC, CFTC, FINRA, NFA, OFAC, FinCEN, IRS, or federal and state banking regulators regarding an investigation into you or your company, you must hire an experienced government investigation attorney to prepare a narrative that seeks to clear and absolve you from any alleged crimes, regulatory issues, or securities violations.

Failure to comply with SEC, FINRA, or other federal or state regulations can result in one or more of the following: an enforcement action, a bar from the industry, civil fines, or forfeiture. If you or your firm becomes the subject of an investigation or regulatory enforcement action, you may be asked for a proffer session or on-the-record (OTR) testimony. It is imperative to approach this interview or testimony with a sound legal strategy. How you present your information at this interview or testimony can make the difference between no further action being taken against you or your firm, or the investigation escalating into a criminal indictment or enforcement proceeding.

Scarinci Hollenbeck regularly represents individuals, executives, and companies facing investigations and informal proceedings before regulatory agencies and self-regulatory organizations. We have successfully represented clients in all aspects of regulatory defense, including informal discussions, on-the-record interviews, responding to subpoenas, producing documents in response to requests, responding to Wells Notices, negotiating settlements, and defending enforcement actions before administrative law judges, commissions, and federal and state courts. 

The government investigation attorneys of Scarinci Hollenbeck are respected for their ability to handle a wide range of government litigation. Our key services include:

• Reviews and appeals of regulatory decisions at federal, state, and local levels
• Securities enforcement actions before financial regulators, such as the SEC, CFTC, and FINRA
• Crypto asset and cyber compliance
• Data privacy and data security enforcement actions
• Environmental investigations and enforcement 
• Healthcare enforcement actions
• Tax investigations by the IRS, state, and local tax agencies
• Whistleblower actions
• Litigation of complex regulatory disputes, including parallel civil and criminal proceedings
• Employment complaints and enforcement actions

Scarinci Hollenbeck also advises public and private companies ranging from Fortune 500 corporations to startups about internal investigations. Companies and their boards rely on our experienced guidance to conduct internal investigations related to allegations of financial irregularities, security breaches, whistleblowers, market abuse, and other alleged misconduct. To help reduce any potential liability, we help clients establish clear protocols, determine their potential exposure, analyze the need for disclosure to regulators, and minimize the legal and reputational repercussions.  

Clients Benefit from Our Deep Roster of Government Investigation Attorneys

Scarinci Hollenbeck’s regulatory enforcement attorneys work closely with colleagues across our firm’s numerous practice areas to develop the most effective strategies and defenses possible. We also partner closely with our clients to develop strategic plans that will meet their goals efficiently and work tirelessly to implement those plans. Close coordination with clients minimizes the anxiety intrinsic to litigation, investigations, regulatory disputes, and remediation of compliance issues. 

While our primary goal is always to resolve issues quickly with no charges or enforcement actions filed, our team’s seasoned litigators are always prepared to aggressively defend our clients in administrative, civil, and criminal proceedings. Our depth of experience also allows us to seamlessly handle parallel proceedings in courtrooms near and far. 

 

One of the hallmarks of Scarinci Hollenbeck’s White Collar Defense and Internal Investigations Practice is our interdisciplinary approach to solving our clients’ most sensitive and high-risk problems. In seeking to resolve or mitigate the impact of government investigations and enforcement actions, our enforcement attorneys often collaborate with subject matter experts across the firm, including attorneys from our environmental, labor, employment, corporate governance, and securities practice groups.

With experience that rivals some of the region’s largest firms, we are also equipped to take on our client’s most complex and sensitive challenges. The firm’s white-collar defense and investigations team is highly experienced in representing high-profile clients, firms, and private individuals. We have successfully represented clients ranging from the President of Guatemala to billion-dollar private equity firms to members of Lance Armstrong’s cycling team. Our attorneys’ extensive experience gives them the resources to provide you with world-class service, and they will fight ferociously to ensure your narrative is properly represented to the government with the goal of a best-case scenario outcome.

To learn more, schedule a free, confidential consultation with our seasoned government investigation attorneys today.