Mr. Ford's practice focuses primarily on white collar criminal defense and regulatory enforcement actions. He has handled major matters involving a broad range of white collar crime issues, including allegations of securities, wire, mail, and accounting fraud, money laundering, insider trading and cherry-picking, obstruction of justice, false statements, food and drug misbranding, and tax offenses. His practice also includes representing individuals and corporations engaged in complex civil and criminal litigation at both the trial and appellate courts. In addition, Mr. Ford has significant experience representing public and private companies as well as individuals in connection with sensitive, high-profile investigations. He has represented officers, directors, and employees in connection with these investigations.
Recent Representative Matters
A senior scientist of a major U.S. pharmaceutical company in a federal criminal investigation of potential violations of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act; the former Chairman and CEO of a major drug manufacturer in a federal criminal investigation of allegations of misbranding and health care fraud; the former CEO and majority shareholder of broker-dealer charged in twenty-count indictment alleging securities fraud, mail and wire fraud, conspiracy, and making false statements; the Managing Partner of a hedge-fund in an SEC investigation into trade allocating; Chief Financial Officer in a SEC and New York Attorney General investigations of market timing of mutual funds; and the former CEO of public company charged in ten-count indictment alleging multi-billion dollar fraud; a hedge fund before the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission.
Mr. Ford represented the City of New York in the inquiry by the New York County District Attorney relating to the fire at the Deutsche Bank building. No charges were brought against the City, any of its agencies, or its officials. He also represented an individual charged with mail, wire, and bank fraud associated with the alleged theft of a million dollar painting. That representation led to a dismissal of the indictment on Sixth Amendment grounds.
Mr. Ford is frequently called up to lead internal investigations into possible corporate malfeasance. One investigation, into the misuse of corporate funds instituted by a large public New Jersey Corporation, led to uncovering a three year, million dollar employee embezzlement scheme involving numerous employees. Presentation of facts learned during the investigation to the United States Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey led to indictment and conviction of several individuals.
In addition, Mr. Ford has represented professional boxers and others in the boxing profession. He has litigated and won at trial state court proceedings for a champion boxer and his promoters in matters concerning exclusive promotional contractual rights. Mr. Ford also has significant experience in defending cases brought by the New York State Department of Taxation, including cases involving a Broadway producer, and one of New York's most iconic baseball players.
Mr. Ford also lectures on various legal issues including the attorney-client privilege, the work product doctrine, and joint defense agreements, as well as persuasive legal writing. He has contributed to panel lectures at the ABA's annual White Collar Crime Conference on topics including: international criminal investigations and evidence gathering, representing clients in SEC investigations and the effects of recent SEC Guidelines, and defending clients accused of Ponzi schemes.
Mr. Ford's pro bono work has included representing criminal defendants charged with various drug, gun, and immigration charges in state and federal courts.