As a nationally recognized federal prosecutor and a leader in complex criminal litigation, Cynthia brings firsthand knowledge to the compliance, regulatory and investigative issues of her clients.
During her years with the U.S. Department of Justice, Cynthia spearheaded and led a multiagency task force of more than 20 federal and state law enforcement agencies, which included the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. Department of Labor, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and local police departments. Her task force also consisted of more than 60 nonprofit agencies and healthcare providers and a partnership between three different federal districts.
As the task force head, Cynthia drove investigations which took down criminal enterprises operating both in the U.S. and overseas and was responsible for some of the largest and most complex investigations in the Department's history. The U.S. Attorney General honored her work by selecting her task force as one of the top in the nation and her prosecutions have received bipartisan praise before the U.S. Congress.
Cynthia has received national and international accolades for her innovative strategies and investigatory techniques. In private practice, she leads internal investigations on behalf of corporations, healthcare providers, and educational institutions. Cynthia drives both large scale and discrete investigations, represents companies against Whistleblower actions, and handles compliance programs, internal audits, and self-disclosures. She also represents both corporations and individuals who find themselves under civil or criminal investigation by a federal or state agency in white collar matters. Cynthia’s experience has also included:
- Representing CEOs, presidents, and executive leadership in civil and criminal government investigations by the federal and state governments.
- Diffusing Whistleblower actions prior to a government investigation.
- Resolving a grand jury criminal investigation against the President of a company prior to indictment and without a conviction.
- Providing tailored compliance policies, training and audits for healthcare providers, manufacturing companies, the hospitality industry, and educational institutions.
- Investigating and prosecuting organized crime rings from numerous countries, including China, Russia, Uzbekistan and the Philippines.
- Convicting the official representative from Taiwan of fraud and labor contracting violations.
Cynthia also leads the firm's Human Trafficking Pro Bono Legal Clinic. As an assistant U.S. attorney, she became the first federal prosecutor in the United States to charge the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) against an international human trafficking enterprise. She was the first to investigate and prosecute the newly enacted fraud in foreign labor contracting statute. Cynthia also broke new ground by utilizing the Trafficking Victims Protection Act to prosecute the demand for trafficking. She has prosecuted more human-trafficking cases than any other assistant U.S. attorney in the country.
Well known for her pioneering work in the law and her close relationships within the law enforcement community, Cynthia offers her clients the invaluable insight necessary to effectively address investigations and compliance issues with the government. In 2014, she was named Lawyer of the Year by Missouri Lawyer’s Weekly, selected nationally in the Top 250 Women in Litigation by Benchmark Litigation, and named an Influential Woman by Kansas City Business Magazine.
Cynthia began her legal career as a trial attorney with the prestigious U.S. Attorney General Honors Program.