On October 6, 2017, Arent Fox LLP announced the expansion of its New York office with the addition of former United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York (2015-2017) Robert L. Capers. Following a public service career that included prosecuting high-profile cases involving public corruption, racketeering, and international narcotics trafficking, Capers will co-lead Arent Fox’s Government Enforcement & White Collar practice. Capers is also one of NAFUSA’s newest members.

Capers served as a prosecutor for over two decades. He began his career in 1996 at the New York County District Attorney’s Office under the legendary Robert M. Morgenthau, one of NAFUSA’s longest standing members. In 2003, Capers joined the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, where as a line and supervisory prosecutor he led a number of complex investigations and prosecutions involving a wide range of crimes, such as racketeering, international money laundering, and public corruption.

He also tried and second-chaired to verdict more than two dozen criminal trials, including serving as co-lead counsel on the jury trial and conviction of a then sitting New York State Assemblyman for engaging in complex bribery and extortion schemes and the theft of government funds, which resulted in the longest sentence for a sitting New York State politician in recent history.

President Barack Obama nominated Capers in October 2015 to serve as the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York. He was confirmed by the US Senate in December 2015. Mr. Capers received his JD from Albany Law School and his BA from New York University.

During his tenure as United States Attorney, Capers gained international recognition for headline grabbing work that included: overseeing the extradition of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, the head of the Sinaloa Cartel; obtaining the indictments and extraditions of nearly 30 FIFA officials; bringing groundbreaking FCPA investigations, including the investigation of a large Brazilian construction conglomerate and a Brazilian petrochemical company for engaging in a massive-in-scale bribery scheme involving government officials around the world; the investigation of a major US financial institution for its corrupt hiring practices in the Asia-Pacific region and the investigation of a US hedge fund for corrupt hiring practices in Africa; and overseeing the agreement by a large German bank to pay a record fine for misleading investors in its sale of residential mortgage-backed securities, which contributed to the 2008 financial collapse in the US.

“Rob has distinguished himself as one of the top prosecutors in the country and is a great addition to our world-class Government Enforcement & White-Collar group that now includes two former US Attorneys,” said Chairman Mark M. Katz. “With Rob’s exceptional background and reputation, his options were limitless. He chose Arent Fox because of our unique culture and outstanding group of partners. Rob’s innovative thinking and experience managing one of the busiest US Attorney’s Offices in the country will be an invaluable service for clients.”

“I am very excited to join the partners at Arent Fox,” said Mr. Capers. “The firm’s tremendous depth of talent, its culture of collegiality and collaboration, and commitment to public service through its robust pro bono practice make it a perfect fit for me. Arent Fox’s integrity, compliance, and white-collar work is second to none, and I am looking forward to working with such a vibrant and dynamic team to build upon its already impressive success.”

Arent Fox is the only law firm to carry out multiple compliance monitorships for the World Bank and is routinely selected for monitorships by the Department of Justice and the New York State Department of Financial Services.

(Photo:Kathleen Gray/Detroit Free Press)

NAFUSA member Pat Miles (WD Michigan 2012-2017) officially kicked off his campaign for state attorney general Thursday. Miles, a Grand Rapids Democrat, was appointed U.S. Attorney by former President Barack Obama, a former classmate at Harvard Law School.

Miles graduated from Aquinas College in Grand Rapids and got his law degree from Harvard. He returned to Grand Rapids and went into private practice until his appointment to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. He is of counsel in the Grand Rapids office of Barnes & Thornburg LLP.

Candidates for attorney general and secretary of state will be selected at political party conventions that will be held after the August primary election in 2018.

(Photo by Jeronimo Nisa/The Decatur Daily via AP)

NAFUSA member Doug Jones would have been become NAFUSA’s president in October if he had not stepped down to run for Jeff Sessions seat in the United States Senate representing the State of Alabama. Now he faces former judge Roy Moore in the December special election, as Moore defeated Luther Strange in this week’s GOP primary.

It promises to be a spirited campaign with strong national implications. See today’s Washington Post,  Who is Doug Jones, and can he defeat Roy Moore in conservative Alabama?

Jones Day announced in May that Andrew M. (Andy) Luger joined the Firm’s Minneapolis Office as a partner in its Investigations & White Collar Defense Practice. One of NAFUSA’s newest members, Andy joins NAFUSA members Karen Hewitt and Rick Deane at Jones Day. Mr. Luger comes to Jones Day after serving as the United States Attorney for the District of Minnesota from February 2014 through March 2017.

“I can’t think of a better lawyer and person to be our first white-collar partner in Minnesota and to enhance our national and global capabilities,” said Ted Chung, the leader of Jones Day’s Investigations & White Collar Defense Practice. “With his rare combination of stellar legal and leadership skills, broadbased experience in major matters, and seasoned judgment, Andy will be a strong and steady hand for clients in a host of areas, including internal investigations, criminal and regulatory enforcement actions, and high-stakes civil litigation.”

As U.S. Attorney, Mr. Luger supervised large scale, complex white collar cases including the prosecution of two lawyers for a wide ranging national copyright lawsuit scam, a federal tax court judge for tax crimes and multi-million dollar corporate embezzlement and trade secret cases. He also focused significant attention on matters relating to violent extremism and hate crimes, human trafficking, and gang-related activities. In what is to date one of the largest prosecutions of terrorism recruitment activities brought by the government, Mr. Luger charged 11 Minnesota men with plotting to join the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, or “ISIS.” The actions ran concurrently with a federal pilot project – managed by Mr. Luger’s office – structured to curtail the recruitment of Somali-Americans by terrorist organizations. He also supervised the prosecution of Danny Heinrich in a case that brought to an end the mystery over the disappearance of Jacob Wetterling in October 1989.

“I am very excited to return to private practice and to be doing so with Jones Day,” said Mr. Luger. “Not only is the Firm well-known for its seamless and collaborative approach in serving clients, it is also involved with some of the most intense white collar matters and investigations in the U.S. and around the world. Since its arrival to the Twin Cities less than one year ago, Jones Day has quickly become an important part of the business and legal community and I look forward to being part of its continued growth and involvement here.”

Mr. Luger’s private sector experience includes complex business litigation and white collar defense work, which involved trying civil and criminal cases in state and federal courts. At the special request of several Minnesota officials, he conducted public investigations into allegations of improprieties at the state’s now-defunct Metro Gang Strike Force, and into security measures at the 2008 Republican National Convention in St. Paul. Mr. Luger has also served on the Board of Trustees of Temple Israel in Minneapolis and on the board of Amicus, a non-profit that works with prisoners returning to their community.

Mr. Luger’s previous public sector experience includes serving as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the District of Minnesota, where he prosecuted numerous criminal cases in federal court and argued appeals to the U.S. Eighth Circuit Court, and as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of New York, where he prosecuted white collar and organized crime cases, including a $750 million international money laundering case against the National Mortgage Bank of Greece.

Nelson Mullins announced today that NAFUSA President Bart Daniel, the former U.S. Attorney for South Carolina (1989-1992), has joined the firm as a litigation partner. He will split his time between the Firm’s Charleston and Columbia offices.

Most recently, Daniel was the lead attorney in a securities fraud trial in the court of Judge Margaret Seymour, Senior United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina. Defending Revolutions Medical Corporation (RMC) CEO Rondald Wheet, who faced a maximum sentence of 80 years imprisonment if convicted, Mr. Daniel secured a unanimous jury verdict of not guilty on all three counts of securities fraud and false filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

“Bart is a superb litigator with great judgment and extensive trial and investigative experience,” said James K. Lehman, Managing Partner of Nelson Mullins. “He is a great addition to the firm and brings significant leadership skills to the group. Most importantly, Bart is a well-respected leader in the legal community, a good person, and someone we will be pleased to call partner.”

Daniel, who was nominated by President George H.W. Bush, was confirmed in 1989 and served as U.S. Attorney until 1992. He was presented with the U.S. Attorney’s Flag Award in 1991 for his work in the prosecution of Operation Lost Trust, one of the country’s most high-profile corruption cases.

“First and foremost, Nelson Mullins is a first-tier firm,” said Daniel. “They have a quality team in South Carolina and across all of their offices.  Those resources and superior team members will help me offer clients and potential clients the best possible representation.”

Since returning to private practice in 1992, Daniel has been active in both civil and criminal litigation, trying numerous white collar, health care, environmental, securities, and general business litigation matters to verdict in South Carolina. He has served as Special Counsel to the Governor, conducting an internal investigation into allegations of public corruption and influence peddling in state government.

He also served as Lead Counsel for the South Carolina House of Representatives before a Three-Judge Federal Panel in the trial involving reapportionment and the drawing of district lines.

Bart will be joining the firm’s litigation group comprised of over 283 attorneys across 17 offices and will co-lead the Firm’s White Collar Crime and Government Investigations Practice Group. “Bart brings so much to the Firm,” said Mark Jones, leader of the Firm’s litigation group. “He is not only a first-chair trial lawyer with a proven track record of winning different types of complicated, high-stakes cases, he is a bastion of the Bar in Charleston and throughout South Carolina and a strong community leader. His presence will certainly enhance what our group can offer clients and be a great influence on the entire firm.”

Most recently, Daniel was recognized by The Best Lawyers in America® 2018  for Commercial Litigation, Criminal Defense: White-Collar and Government Relations Practice in South Carolina.  A graduate of The Citadel (B.A., 1977) and the University of South Carolina School of Law (J.D., 1980), Daniel is a frequent lecturer and has authored numerous publications on the False Claims Act and white collar crime. His most recent publication, “Health Care Fraud and Collateral Consequences”, Second Edition published in 2011, deals with the recently enacted changes in health care enforcement and the False Claims Act, brought about by changes to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

Established in 1897, Nelson Mullins has more than 525 attorneys and other professionals with offices in California, Colorado, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia. For more information on the Firm, go to www.nelsonmullins.com.