Steve has vast experience in complex criminal law matters, including internal investigations, grand jury investigations and trial practice. Clients include public companies, executives and professionals. Engagements have involved the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, tax fraud, international commercial bribery, trade secret theft, antitrust cartels, environmental crime, health care, and government contracting fraud. Steve has repeatedly prevented indictment of clients, even those with target status. When cases have had to be tried, the outcomes have been extraordinary, including full acquittals. On behalf of public company clients, he has resolved extremely difficult criminal matters without charges or follow-on enforcement actions being filed. Before entering private practice, Steve was a 17-year veteran of the United States Attorney's Office in Chicago, where he served as Chief of the Special Prosecutions Division and Chief of the Banking and Financial Institutions Fraud Unit. He received national awards from the Department of Justice, and personal commendations from both the Attorney General of the United States and the Director of the FBI. He has been peer-reviewed and selected to the Illinois Super Lawyers list in "Criminal Defense: White Collar," is Chambers-rated, and has been profiled in Vanity Fair magazine.
Experience
Representative matters
Representative matters
Tried approximately 30 civil and criminal cases, including numerous jury trials. Won all but three trials.
Prosecuted and/or supervised hundreds of cases. Cases included complex RICO prosecutions and frauds.
Obtained DOJ declination on behalf of a former NYSE company CEO, despite target status in FCPA investigation involving China and South Korea bribery.
Tried approximately 30 civil and criminal cases, including numerous jury trials. Won all but three trials.
Prosecuted and/or supervised hundreds of cases. Cases included complex RICO prosecutions and frauds.
Obtained DOJ declination on behalf of a former NYSE company CEO, despite target status in FCPA investigation involving China and South Korea bribery.
Obtained declination for a bank CEO threatened with imminent indictment on tax evasion charges.
Obtained declination of a trustee over multiple trusts threatened with indictment on tax evasion charges.
Obtained declination of a business owner threatened with indictment on tax evasion charges.
Obtained declination for owner of business threatened with tax evasion charges for using Swiss bank accounts to avoid large capital gains arising from sale of business.
Lead plaintiff's counsel in accounting fraud action against a major defense contractor resulting in $134 million settlement.
Lead counsel in recovery of 100% of losses, plus attorney fees and investigation costs, in $100 million + Ponzi scheme against multiple victims.
Lead counsel in nationwide kickback investigation on behalf of major retailer involving 1,500 commercial real estate leases.
Obtained structurally beneficial plea agreement in an investigation involving thousands of alleged structured transactions. Client received four months rather than Sentencing Guidelines exponentially higher.
Obtained probationary sentence for the CEO of a health care company, as opposed to the initial charged offense requiring a minimum mandatory six-year prison sentence.
Obtained trial acquittal on all counts in a criminal case carrying a minimum mandatory sentence of 34 years.
Obtained trial acquittal on all counts for two business managers charged with state court crimes.
Successfully represented global medical device company in a nationwide anti-kickback and False Claims Act investigation resulting in no action taken.
Defended a cardiologist in a criminal health care fraud indictment where the government was initially seeking a sentence of life imprisonment without parole. Following an 18-day sentencing hearing, client was exonerated on 114 out of 114 charges of medically unnecessary cardiology procedures, and the actual loss amount on the billing fraud component of the case was adjudicated to be $1,250 rather than the approximately $10 million charged by the government. The defendant served less than 90 days' incarceration, retained his medical license, and paid restitution of $1,250.
Defended a chiropractor charged with submitting 800,000+ false or inflated claims over a nine-year period. All other co-defendants pleaded guilty, with one receiving a prison sentence exceeding six years. One month prior to trial, persuaded the government to dismiss criminal charges in favor of a pre-trial diversion agreement, coupled with a payment of approximately $70,000. All charges were then dismissed. A co-defendant who pleaded guilty is now attempting to withdraw from his guilty plea.
Conducted FCPA investigation in India for a global pharmaceutical company.
Conducted internal investigation for a global medical device company that led to the discovery of an ongoing, 17-year internal fraud. Recovered more than a million dollars from the perpetrators and prevented millions in future losses.
Represented global manufacturer in an Antitrust Division cartel investigation. No charges brought.
Obtained declination for the CEO of a health care company. Negotiated resolution where defunct, non-operating company was charged instead.
Defended co-owner of a defense contracting company indicted in two jurisdictions for bribery and conspiracy to commit bribery to obtain military contracts in Afghanistan. Successfully developed a rare coercion defense following subpoena litigation against the CIA and Department of Defense involving the U.S. government’s contracting relationships with Afghan warlords. Following almost three years of pre-trial litigation, DOJ Antitrust and Fraud Divisions dismissed all pending charges and allowed a plea to a single count of a non-corrupt payment of a gratuity. Client received four month sentence rather than initial eight years under Sentencing Guidelines. His company was allowed to continue contracting for DOD.
Represented a dozen employees of a pharmaceutical company in grand jury proceedings involving allegations of illegal inducements, including one employee with target status. Avoided prosecution of all clients.
Represented public company in multi-hundred-million-dollar government contracting fraud case. Avoided prosecution of the company and any employee, contract suspension and debarment, and settled civil claims on highly favorable terms.
Represented public company in criminal EPA investigation involving alleged fraud in procuring EPA regulatory relief, including Code of Federal Register agency action. Obtained criminal declination and EPA civil enforcement declination.
Represented one of the nation's largest banks and its CEO in a long-term, nationally publicized grand jury investigation.
Appointed by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois as “Monitor” of a Department of Justice Consent Decree charged with investigating and eradicating Mafia involvement in a major Chicagoland labor union. Nominated for that position by the Department of Justice.
Served as lead prosecutor in the RICO/murder prosecution of Richard Bailey for procuring the murder of missing candy-fortune heiress Helen Vorhees Brach and fraud in the equestrian industry. Profiled in Vanity Fair magazine and other national media outlets. Turned a $25,000 civil fraud claim into a nationally celebrated investigation and series of RICO prosecutions resulting in convictions for the murder of three children in 1954, the murder of Helen Brach, and dozens of convictions of equestrians for fraud arising from killing for heavily insured horses. Received a national DOJ award for the investigation and prosecution.
Led the Northern District of Illinois task force charged with investigating and prosecuting major savings and loan and bank fraud cases during the era of widespread fraud in that industry. Evaluated by the General Accounting Office as running the most successful bank fraud prosecution program in the country.
Pro bono
Pro bono
Appointed by Illinois Governor as Commissioner of the Illinois Torture Inquiry and Relief Commission, which is tasked with investigating and making findings regarding torture claims by Chicago police officers.
Appointed by Democratic Illinois House Majority Leader as special counsel to a Committee of the Illinois House of Representatives Investigating Misuse of Supplemental Funding for Children in Poverty.
Representing an inmate on death row in Alabama in post-conviction proceedings.
Recognitions
- Selected through peer review for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America© for Criminal Defense: White-Collar, 2021-2025
- Selected to the Illinois Super Lawyers list for Criminal Defense: White Collar, 2020-2021
- Selected as one of Chicago's AV Preeminent-Top Rated Lawyers® from Martindale-Hubbell, representing the highest rating from his peers on his legal ability and professional ethics.
Credentials
Education
Education
- Washington University School of Law, 1979, J.D., Member, Washington University Law Quarterly
- Washington University in St. Louis, 1975, B.A., Phi Beta Kappa
Professional admissions & qualifications
Professional admissions & qualifications
- Illinois
Court admissions
Court admissions
- U.S. District Court - Northern District of Illinois
- U.S. District Court - Southern District of Illinois
- U.S. District Court - Central District of Illinois
- U.S. District Court - Eastern District of Michigan
- U.S. Court of Appeals - Seventh Circuit
Civil Rights and Public Engagements
- As an assistant U.S. Attorney and member of the Civil Rights Enforcement Unit, filed two lawsuits under the 1964 Civil Rights Act Public Accommodation section against a business requiring multiple photo identification cards for African-Americans as a condition to admission to their establishments. These were filed during an era where virtually no cases were brought under the Public Accommodation section.
- Former Chief, Special Prosecutions Division, United States Attorney's Office in Chicago. In charge of approximately forty senior prosecutors responsible for complex financial crimes, criminal civil rights, health care fraud, political corruption, labor union racketeering, organized crime drug enforcement, and certain national security related matters. Held top secret security clearance.
- Prosecuted several federal criminal civil rights cases against police officers charged with excessive use of force.