Practice Expertise

  • Anti-Corruption and the Foreign Corrupt ...
  • Anti-Money Laundering and Economic Sanctions
  • Health Care and Life Sciences
  • Issues and Appeals

Areas of Practice

  • Anti-Corruption and the Foreign Corrupt ...
  • Anti-Money Laundering and Economic Sanctions
  • Health Care and Life Sciences
  • Issues and Appeals
  • Appeals
  • False Claims Act
  • Health Care Litigation and Compliance
  • Litigation
  • National Security
  • White Collar Defense and Internal ...
  • White Collar, Regulatory Defense and ...
  • View More

Profile

Having directed both criminal and civil Department of Justice investigations, Sean is uniquely situated to provide compliance counseling, conduct internal investigations, navigate and counter government investigations and, if need be, defend government allegations at every stage of litigation.

Sean represents corporate and individual clients in white collar and regulatory defense matters, including involving the FCPA, health care fraud, tax fraud, and the False Claims Act. Sean frequently represents his clients before the Department of Justice, the SEC, state Attorneys General, and other regulatory agencies. He also regularly leads internal investigations, advises companies on the effectiveness of their compliance programs, and assists companies who are facing investigations by enforcement agencies outside the United States.

Sean joined the firm after spending more than 13 years as a prosecutor and Civil AUSA with the Department of Justice in the Fraud Section of the Criminal Division, the Northern Criminal Enforcement Section of the Tax Division, the US Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas, and the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland. He joined the Department of Justice as Trial Attorney through the Attorney General’s Honors Program and led investigations and prosecutions into a wide variety of white collar crimes, including health care, tax, bank, wire, mail, and securities fraud, money laundering, public corruption, and the FCPA. 

Relevant Experience

  • Represented large health care providers, as well as other individual healthcare related clients, responding to various investigations into potential violations of the False Claims Act, the Anti-Kickback Statute, and other related regulations.
  • Counseled African mining company on Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) sanctions and risk exposure.
  • Conducted internal investigation of Department of Defense contractor into possible violations of the False Claims Act and other related regulations.
  • Represented national immigration services company in investigation by state insurance regulators.
  • Conducted internal investigations into public corruption allegations at a state university and public school districts.
  • Represented multi-state health care organization responding to allegations by the Small Business Administration (“SBA”) that it improperly received millions of dollars in Payment Protection Program (“PPP”) funding because they violated the SBA’s affiliation rules.
  • Obtained non-intervention decision from US Attorney’s Office and State Attorney General’s Office into False Claims Act (“FCA”) allegations of health care fraud.
  • Conducted internal investigation for international energy company to respond to allegations of Foreign Corrupt Practices Act violations. 
  • Developed compliance program for multinational energy company.
  • Regularly assists businesses and individuals in responding to government investigations and inquiries.

Relevant Government Experience

  • Lead government counsel in dozens of criminal health care and tax fraud prosecutions.
  • Lead government counsel in False Claims Act investigations of medical practices and hospital systems accused of deceptive billing practices.
  • Lead government counsel in False Claims Act investigations of fraudulent billing by Department of Defense contractors.
  • Co-counsel in public corruption and financial fraud investigations of former-Texas State Senator Carlos Uresti and Reeves County Judge Jimmy Galindo.
  • Criminal Tax Counsel assigned to Foreign Corrupt Practices Act investigation of a European telecommunication corporation.
  • Co-lead counsel in 10-week jury trial of homebuilder defendant who conspired to obstruct justice and defraud the United States and various lending institutions of over $25 million.
  • Served as counsel in five-week jury trial against a lawyer and others that conspired to evade assessment of $24 million in income using nominee entities, including a fictitious Irish bank.
  • Secured victory in a one-week jury trial against two promoters of a $28 million sham trust scheme.
  • Defense counsel in dozens of claims brought pursuant to the Federal Tort Claims Act.
  • Defended the constitutionality of government practices throughout the Western District of Texas, including civil and criminal forfeiture procedures during Department of Homeland Security searches and seizures.

Education
BA, University of Virginia, 1998

Areas of Practice

  • Anti-Corruption and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA)
  • Anti-Money Laundering and Economic Sanctions
  • Health Care and Life Sciences
  • Issues and Appeals
  • Appeals
  • False Claims Act
  • Health Care Litigation and Compliance
  • Litigation
  • National Security
  • White Collar Defense and Internal Investigations
  • White Collar, Regulatory Defense and Investigations

Professional Career



Articles

  • Are You a Government Contractor Seeking PPP Loan Forgiveness? Be Careful What You Wish For!, Pratt’s Government Contracting Law Report
  • Insurance Tips For Mitigating DOJ Cyber Initiative Risks, Law360
  • Quoted, “Novartis’ US corruption case presages risks for health care sector, former DOJ prosecutor says,” MLex Market Insight
  • Three Key Things in Health Care
  • Three Key Things in Health Care
  • Three Key Things in Health Care
  • Three Key Things in Health Care
  • Three traps for the unwary in HHS’ provider relief fund, STAT
  • United States: Use of Data to Detect Crime and Evaluate Corporate Compliance, GIR Insight The Americas Investigations Review 2021 — US: The use of Data to detect crimes and evaluate compliance

Meet our Firms and Professionals

WSG’s member firms include legal, investment banking and accounting experts across industries and on a global scale. We invite you to meet our member firms and professionals.