Jeff is one of the few attorneys in the country with the honor of having served as a special agent for the FBI, a line federal prosecutor, a lawyer in private practice with a large law firm, and U.S. Attorney.
With his unique combination of credentials, Jeff has a 360-degree perspective on client challenges that allows him to identify the underlying facts of investigations and litigation in order to efficiently determine the appropriate course of action. He has secured favorable results for clients, both in enforcing client rights and defending against a wide array of civil, regulatory and law-enforcement agencies. Jeff is particularly experienced with False Claims Act matters including qui tam defense, as well as white collar crime defense. He has conducted more than 150 internal investigations involving a wide variety of issues.
Jeff routinely resolves litigation and investigations led by the federal government against clients, including Fortune 100 companies. His goal is to protect clients from indictment or other penalties, and he has a successful track record with a wide variety of federal agencies in cases throughout the country. His recent work also includes:
- Representation of a medical provider in a DOJ investigation alleging improper pricing; matter resolved with no press attention for a pittance of predicted penalties.
- Representation of a major healthcare company in a multi-year investigation regarding payments made to providers as required; government declined intervention in the multimillion-dollar False Claims Act matter.
- Representation of client in DOJ criminal investigation involving deadly chemical release in the workplace; DOJ and relevant state Attorney General declined intervention.
- Representation of employee of multinational company who provided insider information to hedge fund traders through an expert networking firm; client received probation in the criminal case, and no incremental punishment was handed down by the SEC in the related civil matter.
- Appointment by the U.S. Attorney General to review the FBI’s investigation of the National Security Advisor; uncovered significant amounts of exculpatory materials and recommended to Attorney General that case be dismissed.
Jeff began his career as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) for PricewaterhouseCoopers, and he calls upon this early experience in matters involving alleged financial malfeasance, as well as in instances where clients are victims of fraud or other financial crimes. Whether in the context of an internal investigation or responding to enforcement actions, Jeff develops plans of action that align with client objectives in response to a wide variety of issues.
Prior to joining the firm, Jeff served as an FBI special agent in St. Louis for 10 years and as a federal prosecutor for another decade, leading prosecutions of notorious securities and corporate fraud cases. In 2017, he was named U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri, the District’s top-ranking federal law enforcement official, and directed an office with 70 criminal and civil attorneys. Jeff oversaw thousands of federal prosecutions in the District, including those related to white-collar crime, public corruption, terrorism, organized crime, firearms, and narcotics.