Government Enforcement and White Collar Defense

The group assists clients in dealing effectively with Federal and State enforcement actions, and white collar crime issues facing businesses today. It also provides training to ensure compliance with federal and state regulations.

With the legacy of Enron, Arthur Andersen and WorldCom and the passage of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act in 2002, corporate governance, fraud and regulatory compliance has become an increasing concern to businesses. The historic Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 created serious criminal penalties for CEOs who sign financial information deemed to be untrue or who omit information considered to be material. Health care laws also require the implementation of compliance programs and strict adherence to ever developing regulations.

The recent emphasis on combating financial crimes as a law enforcement priority is now placing FBI agents at the lobbies of corporate offices and CEO and CFOs at Grand Jury rooms. McConnell Valdés wanted to make sure that it could provide its clients with the best counsel available to prevent such occurrences, when possible, and to afford them the best possible representation if necessary. The attorneys in our Government Enforcement and White Collar Defense Practice Group are prepared to do just that.

The United States Department of Justice is also increasing enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. The prosecutorial experience of the Government Enforcement and White Collar Group members, coupled with their Spanish and English language skills place the Group in a unique position to assist businesses who need to review their Latin America and Caribbean operations for FCPA compliance.

McConnell Valdés' Government Enforcement and White Collar Defense Practice Area is headed by two former experienced prosecutors: Sonia I. Torres, former Criminal Division Chief for the United States Attorney's Office in the District of Puerto Rico, and Nereida Meléndez-Rivera, former Deputy Chief White Collar Crime Unit, United States Attorney's Office. To serve our clients needs, the group also counts with the experience of Héctor M. Laffitte, former Chief Judge for the United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico, José González-Irizarry, and Yadira Rivera Cintrón, a former State prosecutor.

AREAS OF PRACTICE

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  • White collar criminal investigations, including Grand Jury matters, and trials
  • Internal audits and investigations triggered by regulatory enforcement actions
  • Compliance programs implemented and monitored in accordance with agency regulations and, when necessary, the federal sentencing guidelines
  • Foreign Corrupt Practices Act
  • Health Care Fraud
  • Financial institutions fraud investigations
  • Civil, criminal, and administrative forfeitures
  • Money laundering
  • Bankruptcy fraud
  • Corporate fraud
  • Internal fraud and embezzlement investigations
  • Environmental crimes
  • State and federal tax violations
  • ERISA violations
  • Federal Program Fraud
  • Mail and wire fraud
  • Immigration violations
  • Insurance fraud
  • Government and contract fraud
  • Securities fraud

Representative Cases and Matters