Rico Falsone focuses his practice on federal regulatory and compliance matters in the national security arena. He specializes in handling economic sanctions by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), investment security managed by the Treasury Department’s Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), and export controls under the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) and International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). Rico offers a range of services, including representing clients before CFIUS, assisting in enforcement matters before OFAC and other government agencies, preparing delisting petitions and licensing applications for OFAC, conducting thorough internal investigations, and developing and reviewing compliance programs.

Rico also guides clients through the complex landscape of global data protection, cybersecurity, and privacy issues across various industries and regulatory environments. One distinctive aspect of Rico’s practice is the unique tabletop exercises that he has based on real-life scenarios, threat intelligence, and the identified vulnerabilities within the client’s industry.

Before transitioning to private practice, Rico dedicated over 22 years to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) as an attorney and supervisory special agent. Early in his career, he led large, complex criminal investigations. Subsequently, he served as the deputy chief counsel to the director of the FBI’s Terrorist Screening Center, managing a team of legal professionals on national security law and policy issues, including the terrorist watchlist, privacy, civil liberties, and legislative matters. Rico also held the position of assistant legal attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Paris, overseeing the FBI’s Cyber and Counterintelligence programs in France and Monaco. He concluded his FBI career on detail to the Cyber and Supply Chain Directorate at the National Counterintelligence & Security Center, part of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, where he was a subject matter expert on supply chain security, technology legislative proposals, and executive orders related to cyber and supply chain security.

Bar Admissions

• District of Columbia, 2023
• Ohio, 1997

Education

• University of Akron School of Law, J.D., 1997
• University of Dayton, B.A., International Studies, 1993