J.P. Cooney, Chief
Vacant, Deputy Chief
Michelle Zamarin, Deputy Chief
The Fraud and Public Corruption Section investigates and prosecutes a broad range of complex white collar crimes. The attorneys and support staff in the section have special expertise and experience in the prosecution of corruption and fraud offenses. The section is responsible for the enforcement of corruption laws as those laws apply to officials and employees of both the District of Columbia and the United States government, including federal executive branch agencies and Congress. Recent examples of section public corruption prosecutions include convictions for the payment and receipt of bribes and gratuities, honest services fraud, theft of government property, and financial conflict of interest. The section often works jointly with law enforcement task forces designed to proactively detect and deter crimes against the public trust.
The section also specializes in the investigation and prosecution of fraud offenses committed against both the government and private citizens. Recent examples include convictions for mail and wire fraud, mortgage fraud, tax offenses, false claims, government contract fraud, receipt and payment of kickbacks on government contracts, bank fraud, and money laundering. The section prosecutes offenses that have a national impact including violations of the Bank Secrecy Act and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, securities fraud, and referrals from Congress for perjury and false statements. In addition to prosecuting individual criminal defendants, the section also evaluates corporate criminal liability and has obtained criminal convictions or entered into deferred prosecution agreements with publicly traded corporations.
The section has designated personnel who work closely with law enforcement agents in specialized areas such as health care fraud and computer crimes. Because of its unique location in our nation’s capital, the section often has venue for crimes that happen in large measure in different states or even foreign countries. The section is staffed by experienced professionals who are dedicated to protecting the rights of victims of crime while deterring criminal wrongdoing.