A member of Reed Smith’s Regulatory & Investigations Group, Scott has extensive experience in the areas of white-collar criminal defense, internal, criminal, and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) investigations, and complex commercial litigation. He has significant trial and appellate experience gained from years as both a federal prosecutor and a defense attorney in private practice.
Scott assists clients with a wide range of government enforcement issues, including the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), the False Claims Act (including government contracting, health care and tax matters), Civil Investigative Demands, securities fraud allegations, criminal environmental and antitrust issues, and export enforcement. He also regularly represents financial institutions in matters with the Department of Justice (DOJ), SEC, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, including subpoena compliance and internal investigations. He assists companies with grand jury inquiries and has handled investigations conducted by the Office of Inspector General from a variety of federal agencies.
Scott previously served as the Deputy Monitor for Anti-Fraud, Ethics and Compliance for Larry D. Thompson – the Independent Compliance Monitor and Auditor for Volkswagen AG – and his team. The team oversaw VW AG’s compliance with plea agreement and consent decree obligations arising from parallel criminal and civil cases concerning the company’s diesel-powered cars sold in the United States. In this role, Scott led the team of attorneys, auditors, and consultants that reviewed, audited, and tested the design and operating effectiveness of the company’s anti-fraud and ethics remedial measures and compliance program improvements.
Prior to joining the firm, Scott served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Southern District of New York, where he successfully investigated and prosecuted a wide array of federal offenses in the areas of terrorism and national security, securities fraud, Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, white-collar crime, money laundering, export control and commerce violations, organized crime, trademark infringement and counterfeiting, mail, wire and bank fraud, and international narcotics. While in this role, Scott had numerous jury trials, bench trials, and hearings in federal court, and briefed and argued appeals before the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
Scott has been recognized as a leader in the government investigations field by top legal directories. He has been listed in Chambers USA as one of America’s Leading Lawyers for Business in the area of White-Collar Crime and Government Investigations Litigation since 2021 and has been recognized by The Best Lawyers in America® in several categories, including White-Collar Crime and Government Investigations Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Corporate Compliance Law, White-Collar Criminal Defense, and Regulatory Enforcement Litigation (SEC, Telecom, and Energy).
