Targets of government scrutiny face critical decisions. And in those moments, experience counts. O’Melveny’s white collar defense team draws on a wealth of experience both inside and outside government to help clients make the right decisions.

For decades, we have successfully represented corporations, board committees, individual officers and directors, and others in Congressional, SEC, DOJ, attorney-general, self-regulatory, and internal investigations. In fact, Chambers USA refers to O’Melveny as “hugely experienced” in this area. Our advice has prevented statutory and regulatory violations and served as important evidence in our clients’ defense during government inquiries. We also routinely work with clients to develop and enhance compliance programs, and to assess and mitigate risks before they lead to government inquiries or civil litigation.

Coordinated investigations by various government agencies are increasingly common and routinely result in parallel criminal and regulatory proceedings as well as private civil litigation. We have helped numerous clients defend against such multi-front onslaughts with a global defense strategy that carefully considers how each proceeding impacts the others. 

Should cases proceed to trial, we have a long track record of success trying criminal and civil cases to judgment or verdict in federal and state courts throughout the United States. Our advocacy skills have also led to victories in proceedings before arbitration tribunals and governmental agencies in Europe and Asia. 

Our experience covers a broad array of substantive areas, including:

  • Accounting Fraud 
  • Anti-Money Laundering
  • Antitrust
  • Consumer Fraud 
  • Environmental
  • False Claims Act
  • Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and Anti-Bribery
  • Health Care Fraud
  • Ponzi Schemes
  • RICO
  • Securities Fraud and Insider Trading
  • Trade Secrets

Chief Financial Officer

We achieved a complete victory in an alleged securities fraud case brought by the SEC’s trial unit against our client Thomas C. Tekulve, Jr., the former CFO of Basin Water, Inc. Read

Financial Institution

We secured a crucial victory for a former employee of a financial institution imprisoned for his alleged role in a municipal bond bid-rigging scheme involving kickbacks to brokers. Read

Humana, Inc.

In 2015, we preserved our victory for Humana in U.S. ex rel. Osheroff v. Humana, Inc., when the Eleventh Circuit affirmed the district court’s dismissal, on O’Melveny’s motion, of an FCA qui tam action brought by relator Marc Osheroff. Read

Sales Executive

After more than a year of investigation by the FDA and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California into alleged criminal violations of the federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act related to the sale and marketing of medical devices, we recently secured a declination on behalf of our client, a former sales executive. Read

University of Virginia Board of Visitors

O’Melveny served as independent counsel to the University of Virginia’s Board of Visitors in connection with the investigation into the University’s handling of an allegation of sexual assault as reported in an article published by Rolling Stone magazine. Read
    • Humana
    • JP Morgan
    • Honeywell
    • Exxon