Gabriel Imperato Related Seminars and Products

Partner

Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP

Gabriel's personal practice includes representing individuals and organizations accused of healthcare fraud and assisting and advising healthcare organizations on corporate governance and compliance matters. Gabriel is board certified as a specialist in Health Law by the Florida Bar. He is also certified in Health Care Compliance (CHC) by the Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics and the Health Care Compliance Association (SCCE/HCCA). This national accreditation reflects a professional level of competence and experience in compliance processes sufficient to assist healthcare business organizations to understand and address legal obligations and to promote organizational governance and integrity through the operation of effective compliance programs. Gabriel served as Interim General Counsel of the North Broward Hospital District, the tenth largest health system in the United States. He was also the Deputy Chief Counsel for the United States Department of Health and Human Services' Office of the General Counsel in Dallas. He has served as a longtime member of the Board of Directors and Past President of the SCCE/HCCA.

Mr. Brian Fenton McEvoy Related Seminars and Products

BakerHostetler LLP

A former federal prosecutor, Brian McEvoy focuses his practice on white collar criminal defense, with an emphasis on healthcare fraud matters. He also handles government and internal corporate investigations, including extensive experience with False Claims Act defense, civil and criminal healthcare fraud, securities fraud, government contracting, Foreign Corrupt Practice Act matters, telehealth compliance and CARES Act and COVID-19 Response investigations.

As Assistant U.S. Attorney, Brian represented the D.O.J. in criminal matters involving healthcare fraud and other economic crimes. He was named healthcare fraud coordinator for the district, overseeing all healthcare fraud investigations and prosecutions. His accumulated healthcare knowledge is of great interest and value to providers and healthcare systems.

Brian is an accomplished litigator who works tirelessly to achieve the best outcomes for his clients. He is a creative and strategic thinker who seeks to resolve problems in the most efficient and professional manner. Brian is well positioned to represent physicians, physician practice groups and other healthcare providers in almost any type of proceeding.

Hon. Joe D. Whitley Related Seminars and Products

Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP

Joe Whitley represents clients nationally and internationally in a variety of white collar matters including corporate internal investigations, regulatory enforcement, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and export controls compliance, corporate compliance, health care fraud and FDA-related matters, securities fraud, criminal antitrust, financial institution fraud, public corruption and campaign finance, and commercial bribery.

In addition to his years of private practice experience, Joe has served in several high-level roles with the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS). During the Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush administrations, he served as Acting Associate Attorney General, the third-ranking position at Main Justice. He was also appointed by Presidents Reagan and Bush, respectively, to serve as the U.S. Attorney in the Middle (Macon) and Northern (Atlanta) Districts of Georgia. Throughout his career, Joe served under five U.S. Attorneys General and four Presidents in a number of key operational and policy positions. Earlier in his career, he served as an Assistant District Attorney in the Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit in Columbus, Georgia. Joe maintains strong professional relationships with the state and federal law enforcement community.

In 2003, Joe was appointed by President George W. Bush as the first General Counsel for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the highest ranking legal official at DHS. He held that position for two years working for DHS Secretaries Tom Ridge and Michael Chertoff, before returning to private practice. 

Joe's white collar practice focuses on corporate defense and representation of clients in complex civil and criminal enforcement matters brought by the DOJ, other federal agencies, state Attorneys General and local prosecutors. He has represented numerous individuals and corporations in major government investigations throughout the US and internationally. 

Joe’s practice also includes representation of clients before the Antitrust Division of the DOJ together with State Attorneys General and the Federal Trade Commission. He has represented clients in criminal antitrust cases including price fixing and market allocation matters, and he has participated in compliance training programs for clients including sessions devoted to dealing with worldwide dawn raids.

He is a frequent speaker on white collar, compliance, corporate governance and DHS-related issues. 

Homeland Security Experience

• General Counsel for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and responsible for providing legal advice to more than 180,000 employees of the Department. 
• Responsible for directing and coordinating the creation of a single legal department from the legal departments of the 22 agencies that were combined in the formation of DHS. 
• Responsible for supervision of a total of 1,800+ lawyers in agencies, directories, and offices, including attorneys in the following components of DHS (as configured in 2006):
  • U.S. Secret Service (USSS);
  • U.S. Coast Guard (USCG);
  • Transportation Security Administration (TSA);
  • U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS);
  • U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP);
  • Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA);
  • Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC);
  • U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE);
  • Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection (IAIP); and
  • The Offices for Privacy, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties.
• Responsible for a budget in excess of $10 million in the front office of General Counsel.
• Provided legal assistance to Secretary Tom Ridge and Secretary Michael Chertoff on key legal issues, such as:
  • Worked closely with General Counsel counterparts throughout the federal government at the White House, Departments of Justice; State, Treasury, Defense and other agencies to include the coordination of counterterrorism and federal law enforcement initiatives;
  • Responsible for responding to frequent Congressional inquiries, and the timely proposal and adoption of hundreds of regulations;
  • Provided guidance and input to staff attorneys representing the department in litigation on a variety of matters; and
  • Worked closely with the Office of the Inspector General in conducting reviews of various department programs and responding to issues raised by those reviews.

Private Sector Homeland Security Experience

• Assisted in Homeland Security consultation and internal investigations for major U.S. defense contracting company.
• Assist companies with government procurement and contracting issues with DHS.
• Provides counsel to major corporations on public policy and legislative issues, such as:
  • Cyber-security and critical infrastructure protection;
  • Customs and trade compliance;
  • Immigration compliance;
  • Laws and regulations affecting all segments of the transportation industry; 
  • SAFETY Act applications for certification and designation by DHS;
  • Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) implementation;
  • Vulnerability assessments for members of the energy sector to include the broad spectrum of environmental regulations.
  • Disaster recovery and forward-looking mitigation strategies;

Prosecution Experience

• U.S. Attorney for the Northern (Atlanta) District of Georgia
• Acting Associate Attorney General
• Principal Deputy Associate Attorney General
• Deputy Assistant Attorney General Criminal Division
• U.S. Attorney for the Middle (Macon) District of Georgia
• Assistant District Attorney Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit

Mr. William Robert Keyes Related Seminars and Products

U.S. Attorney's Office - Middle District of Georgia

William R. “Will” Keyes was sworn-in as the United States Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia on June 24, 2025, by Chief U.S. District Judge Leslie Abrams Gardner.

As U.S. Attorney, Mr. Keyes is the top-ranking federal law enforcement official in the Middle District of Georgia, which covers 70 of Georgia’s 159 counties and includes Albany, Athens, Columbus, Macon and Valdosta with a population of approximately 2,045,000 people. The office is responsible for prosecuting federal crimes in the district, including crimes related to terrorism, public corruption, child exploitation, fraud, firearms, illegal gangs and narcotics. The office also defends the United States in civil cases and collects debts owed to the United States.

U.S. Attorney Keyes joined the Department of Justice as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Middle District of Georgia in 2018. He has prosecuted a broad range of federal criminal cases, including drug trafficking organizations, violent crime, civil rights violations, child exploitation and offenses related to terrorism. He has held numerous leadership roles in the office, including the Project Safe Neighborhood Coordinator, Anti-Terrorism Advisory Council, National Security Cyber Specialist and District Election Officer. Prior to becoming U.S. Attorney, he served as the Deputy Criminal Chief.

Before joining the office, U.S. Attorney Keyes was on active duty in the U.S. Army. He served with the Office of Military Commissions in Washington, D.C., prosecuting alleged members of Al-Qaeda in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Before that assignment, he deployed to Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, where he served as a legal advisor to soldiers operating throughout Kuwait and Iraq. He began his career at a law firm in Atlanta.

In addition to his duties with the office, U.S. Attorney Keyes serves in the U.S. Army Reserve as a Judge Advocate. In this capacity, he has provided instruction on humanitarian law to forces from partner nations in East Africa and Central America. His military awards include the Joint Service Commendation Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, and he is a graduate of the U.S. Army Airborne School.

U.S. Attorney Keyes holds four degrees from the University of Georgia, which include his law degree, a master’s degree in economics and undergraduate degrees in economics and statistics. He remains very involved with the University of Georgia and currently serves on the alumni board for the business school. U.S. Attorney Keyes was selected to Leadership Georgia’s Class of 2026. He resides in Macon with his wife, Margaret Sullivan Keyes, and their two sons.

Sandford V. Teplitzky Related Seminars and Products

Baker Donelson

Mr. Teplitzky represents large health care companies and delivery networks that rely on his experience and deep knowledge of the health care industry to identify and resolve fraud and abuse issues, and to represent them in federal and state investigations.

He advises medical professional and trade associations, negotiates with state and federal authorities, and provides counsel with respect to a broad range of regulatory and legislative issues facing health care clients.

Mr. Teplitzky's practice primarily focuses on fraud and abuse issues. He has extensive experience in the development and implementation of corporate compliance programs; internal reviews and investigations; due diligence reviews for acquiring and acquired entities; voluntary disclosures; and federal and state governmental investigations arising from False Claims Act whistleblower actions. He is recognized as one of the country's top attorneys on issues related to the federal Anti-Kickback Statute and the Stark Self-Referral Law.

His clients include hospitals (including for-profit, not-for-profit, chains and independent hospitals, as well as major academic medical centers), nursing homes, home health agencies, institutional and retail pharmacies, medical device manufacturers, and individual and large physician practices.

Noted by both clients and colleagues for his exceptional, consistent service, Mr. Teplitzky has been selected for BTI Consulting Group's Client Service All-Stars for Law Firms seven times. In 2013, he was named a "Client Service All-Star MVP."

Prior to entering private practice, Mr. Teplitzky served as an attorney for the Office of the General Counsel of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare, where he provided legal advice to the Health Care Financing Administration on fraud and abuse, reimbursement and other regulatory issues under the Medicare and Medicaid programs. Mr. Teplitzky had primary responsibility for developing policies and regulations to implement the Medicare and Medicaid Anti-Fraud and Abuse Amendments of 1977. Instrumental in working with members of Congress to create the OIG advisory opinion process, he is often credited with being the "father" of that process. As a representative of the American Health Law Association, Mr. Teplitzky worked with the OIG and other national organizations to develop guidelines for members of boards of directors with respect to health care compliance.

Mr. Teplitzky is a prominent member of numerous professional and civic associations. He has served on the board of directors of several Baltimore-area organizations, and served ten years on the Baltimore County Schools Board of Education. He is a former adjunct professor at the University of Maryland School of Law, where he taught a seminar on fraud and abuse for more than ten years.

Jonathan Diesenhaus Related Seminars and Products

Hogan Lovells

Jonathan Diesenhaus advises and advocates for companies and professionals in the life sciences, healthcare, and other regulated industries surrounding civil, criminal, as well as administrative enforcement matters.

Jonathan helps clients respond quickly and efficiently to government investigations, evaluating allegations, reviewing evidence, assessing risk, and identifying strategies to achieve the most appropriate results.

As a leading False Claims Act (FCA) litigator, he defends qui tam cases brought by whistleblowers and the government in federal courts across the United States. Amid threats of prosecution and fines for retaining over payments, even when there was no fraud, Jonathan guides his clients through internal investigations, repayment, and, when necessary, voluntary disclosures to agencies and law enforcement. His clients include pharmaceutical and medical device companies, hospitals, physician groups,
research universities, and academic medical centers.

Jonathan has been prosecuting and defending health care and government program fraud cases for over 25 years. From 1998 to 2005, he handled civil health care fraud, FCA, and qui tam cases as a senior trial counsel in the Civil Division of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). He represented the government in matters that established the FCA as a vehicle to pursue violations of the Anti Kickback Statute, the Stark Law, and the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Jonathan has received a number of awards for his work from the DOJ, the U.S Food and Drug Administration, and the Office of Inspector General in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Jonathan also works with industry and academic trade associations to educate policymakers on the complications of prosecuting health care fraud under both state and federal qui tam statutes, on the detrimental impact of qui tam and federal FCA investigations, and the effect that litigation has on businesses and individuals.

Ms. Susan Cowan Atkinson Related Seminars and Products

Smith Gambrell & Russell LLP

Susan Atkinson is a Partner in the Health Care Practice of Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP.

Ms. Atkinson’s practice is dedicated to advising health care industry clients on a wide range of corporate, regulatory, and compliance matters. As former Corporate Counsel for Saint Joseph’s Health System (now Emory/St. Joseph’s), Ms. Atkinson advised the CEO, other senior managers, the Chief of the Medical Staff, and the Boards of one of the nation’s top acute care hospitals and its affiliated real estate and management entities, employed physician group, charitable foundation, and indigent care program. Among her other duties, Ms. Atkinson guided the creation and implementation of the Health System’s initial compliance program (including serving as counsel to the Compliance Committee) and initial HIPAA policies and procedures, served as a member of and counsel to the Institutional Review Board, and advised on Saint Joseph’s gainsharing program, the first in the country to receive Advisory Opinion approval from the OIG (AO 01-1).

Throughout her career, Ms. Atkinson has advised hospitals, health systems, long term care facilities, sleep centers, ambulatory surgery centers, pharmacies, DME suppliers, FQHCs, health care management companies, and physician practices of every size on corporate governance; peer review matters; physician recruitment; mid-level provider protocols; policy creation and implementation; joint ventures; informed consent; “do not resuscitate” orders and other end-of-life issues; operational compliance with the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services; EMTALA; managed care; 340(b) and compounding pharmacy matters; and interactions with investigators, research institutions, industry sponsors, and the NIH/National Cancer Institute for the conduct of pre- and post-market drug, and medical device clinical trials. She is the former Chief Compliance Officer for a group of approximately 40 cardiologists, and she was the primary drafter of the Medical Association of Georgia’s Model Medical Staff Bylaws.

Ms. Atkinson is a member of the State Bar of Georgia (Health Law), the Georgia Academy of Healthcare Attorneys, the American Bar Association (Health Law), and the American Health Lawyers Association. She has been actively involved since 2005 in leadership roles with the Atlanta Bar Association’s “A Courthouse Line” productions (a series of all-attorney musicals which are the major fundraiser for the Atlanta Bar Foundation’s charitable programs), and she is a Lifetime Fellow of the Atlanta Bar Foundation. Ms. Atkinson has also been active in the Atlanta arts community, serving on the Board of Directors of Atlanta Lyric Theatre for 9 years (5 as Chair); on the current Board of Directors for OnStage Atlanta; as assistant director and committed parent volunteer for music and theatre programs at The Children’s School, Decatur High School, and Atlanta International School; as a church musician; and as a working performer in local and regional choral, musical theatre, and cabaret performances.

Mr. John Thomas Clarkson Related Seminars and Products

Griffin Durham Tanner & Clarkson LLC

Tom Clarkson is a former federal prosecutor who represents businesses and individuals in government investigations, False Claims Act (“FCA”) litigation, complex civil litigation, and white collar criminal defense. He has been recognized by Chambers USA as a “one to watch” in White-Collar Crime and Government Investigations. Tom leads the firm’s health care fraud and False Claims Act practices. 

Since leaving government service, Tom has defended and advised c-suite executives, business owners, marketers, laboratory owners, durable medical equipment company owners, and physicians in Department of Justice investigations involving health care fraud, tax fraud, Small Business Association (“SBA”) fraud, securities fraud, wire/mail fraud, immigration fraud and money laundering.

Before founding Griffin Durham Tanner and Clarkson, Tom led a nationally recognized Department of Justice unit responsible for prosecuting complex civil and criminal fraud out of the Southern District of Georgia. In addition to his supervisory responsibilities, he led some of the office’s most complex and significant criminal cases in the office. During his tenure with the Department of Justice, he tried cases involving public corruption, health care fraud, pill mills, wire/mail fraud, and violent crime — all resulting in guilty verdicts. Tom led investigations resulting in numerous plea agreements  involving over $1.5 billion dollars, including prosecutions of physicians, nurses, pharmacists, marketers, and executives. In FY 2019, he led his unit to become the third most productive criminal health care fraud unit in the entire Department of Justice. Tom also prosecuted some of the first COVID-19 fraud cases in the district, including cases involving the Small Business Administration (“SBA”) Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loans.

Tom also maintains a broad civil practice. During his government service, he led and supervised False Claims Act investigations that have resulted in numerous seven- and eight-figure settlements. Tom supervised and led civil Controlled Substances Act (“CSA”) investigations that resulted in record-setting settlements and judgments. Tom’s civil CSA experience includes litigating cases from complaint, through the penalty hearing phase, and ultimately to judgment. He has significant experience with the False Claims Act (including qui tam whistleblower actions), Stark Law, and Anti-Kickback Statute.

In private practice, Tom has served as lead counsel defending FCA investigations involving health care fraud, as well as COVID-19 related investigations. He also has experience in Securities & Exchange Commission (“SEC”) parallel criminal and civil investigations and criminal tax investigations involving the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) and the Tax Division. Tom has also served as lead counsel for businesses, owners, and individuals pursuing contract- and tort-based claims involving millions of dollars in business litigation matters both in Georgia, as well as in other states. 

Tom has served as defense counsel in numerous high-dollar matters, including tort suits seeking hundreds of millions of dollars. In 2015, he defended a civil rights case resulting in a complete jury verdict for his clients in less than 30 minutes. Since leaving the DOJ, Tom has defended businesses and executives in civil also represented businesses, owners, directors, and officers in business litigation — defending claims involving breach of contract, fraud, breach of fiduciary duties, civil conspiracy, conversion, and other tort theories.

For his efforts at DOJ, Tom has been recognized by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Health and Human Services, Drug Enforcement Administration, Department of the Army, and Legal Services Corporation.

After graduating from law school with highest honors, Tom clerked for the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit and worked for a firm in Charlotte.

Ms. Kathryn Sue Hutton Related Seminars and Products

McKesson

Kathryn Hutton, is Managing Lead Counsel at McKesson Corporation, where she advises on regulatory compliance, commercial transactions, and risk management across the health systems business. With over two decades of legal experience, Kathryn has counseled senior leadership at UPS Healthcare, Change Healthcare, and OptumRx, on matters involving the False Claims Act, Anti-Kickback Statute, HIPAA, 340B, and data privacy. Her background spans healthcare litigation, product development, and corporate governance, including leading compliance audits and managing complex contract portfolios. Kathryn earned her J.D. from William & Mary and her B.A. from Yale University. She is a member of the Georgia Bar and Immediate Past President of the Georgia Chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel.

Mr. Leo E. Reichert Related Seminars and Products

WellStar Health System Inc

Leo Reichert joined WellStar Health System in January 2011 and serves as Executive Vice President and General Counsel.  In that role, Mr. Reichert provides advice and counsel to the Board of Trustees and Senior Leadership Team and is responsible for managing the legal function for the System and its affiliates, including oversight of the risk management and insurance functions.

Mr. Reichert currently serves as Chairman of the Georgia Alliance of Community Hospitals having previously served as Vice Chairman and Secretary.  Mr. Reichert has served on the Executive Committee of the Alliance since 2014.

Prior to joining WellStar, Leo was a partner on the Healthcare Team at Parker, Hudson, Rainer & Dobbs in Atlanta, Georgia, where he represented hospitals, physicians and other healthcare providers in a broad range of litigation and regulatory matters, including commercial litigation, medical staff privilege disputes and certificate of need litigation.  His experience also included representing health care providers in civil and criminal health care fraud investigations, qui tam (whistleblower) cases, internal investigations, voluntary disclosures, and in the development and implementation of compliance programs.  In addition, Leo served as a registered lobbyist for the Georgia Alliance of Community Hospitals, representing the interests of Georgia’s nonprofit community hospitals before the Georgia legislature.

Mr. Reichert was named a Georgia Super Lawyer for Healthcare Law and has been listed in Chambers USA, Guide to America’s Leading Lawyers for Business.

Prior to joining Parker Hudson, Leo served in the Department of Justice as Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Criminal Division in the Northern District of Georgia.

            Leo is a graduate of Georgetown University and Emory University School of Law.

Mr. Robert Michael Brennan Related Seminars and Products

Parker Hudson Rainer & Dobbs LLP

Bob Brennan is who you wa omes calling. A former federal prosecutor, Bob's work is info compliance. He is known for his pragmatic, client-centric approach to the defense of civil and criminal investigations including False Claims Act matters, compliance counseling regarding potential exposure under the False Claims Act statute, the Anti-kickback statute, and the Stark law and complex civil litigation.

Much of Bob's practice is devoted to representing healthcare providers and other highly-regulated businesses, as well as those who work in such businesses. He has successfully represented businesses and corporate executives in enforcement matters, white collar crime cases, and a variety of attendant civil litigation matters. Bob also regularly counsels clients on regulatory compliance, represents clients in False Claims Act investigations and grand jury proceedings, and conducts internal investigations on behalf of clients concerned about potential regulatory or criminal exposure.

Bob brings the same determination, drive, and focus that he developed as an Assistant U.S. Attorney to zealously represent his client's interests - and keep them on the right side of the law. It's little wonder, then, that his clients regard Bob as an invaluable resource in helping them navigate today's increasingly-complex regulatory climate.

Patrick Braley Related Seminars and Products

Bennett Thrasher LLP

Patrick Braley leads the Atlanta-based accounting and consulting firm, Bennett Thrasher’s, Advisory Services group and is a partner and service line leader for the firm’s Disputes, Valuation & Forensics practice. He is a CPA, a Certified Fraud Examiner, and is Certified in Healthcare Compliance. Patrick assists clients with corporate investigations, compliance program effectiveness reviews, litigation support, and a wide range of anti‑fraud consulting services.

Over the past 15 years, he has overseen and conducted numerous Independent Review Organization (IRO) compliance reviews and has served as a Compliance Expert for healthcare and life sciences organizations operating under Corporate Integrity Agreements. Patrick also currently serves as a lead member of an independent monitor team as part of a Multi‑District Litigation settlement involving opioid diversion control.

Mr. Brian Thomas Rafferty Related Seminars and Products

Rafferty Law LLC

Brian Rafferty is an experienced trial lawyer, former federal prosecutor and federal criminal defense attorney. He focuses on the representation of individuals, business executives, health care professionals and corporate clients in white collar criminal investigations, prosecutions and enforcement proceedings. His national federal criminal defense spans an array of industries, including health care, government contracting and financial industries, and includes investigations and prosecutions of allegations of health care fraud, government procurement fraud, securities fraud, mail fraud, wire fraud, bank fraud, bribery, public corruption and money laundering.

While at the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of Georgia, Brian directed a staff of 25 assistant U.S. attorneys, contractors and support staff, actively managing and supervising all criminal prosecutions in the District. For the last three years, he served as the 11th Circuit representative on the Criminal Chiefs Working Group, providing counsel and input to the Attorney General’s Advisory Counsel on a variety of issues related to. federal criminal prosecutions. Prior to that, Brian also served as the office’s Criminal Healthcare Fraud Coordinator for several years, where he supervised investigations by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Medicaid Fraud Control Units (MFCUs) into a variety of health care offenses, including investigations involving medical practitioners, pharmacies, pharmaceuticals and medical devices

Michael E. Clark Related Seminars and Products

Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP

Michael Clark is an accomplished litigator with years of experience in the federal government and subsequently in private practice. Before private practice, Michael had a distinguished government career, beginning as an Assistant District Attorney in Galveston County, Texas. He then served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas, where he was selected to be a chief of its Financial Fraud Division and then was elevated to be the chief of its Criminal Division.

Michael has served as lead counsel in over 100 jury trials and handled dozens of appeals. Among other matters, he represents clients in complex litigation, including civil False Claims Act cases and investigations, advises clients on regulatory compliance and corporate governance matters, handles arbitration matters, and represents clients in internal investigations and trials.

Mr. Jonathan Alan Porter Related Seminars and Products

Husch Blackwell LLP

Jonathan Porter is a partner with the healthcare and white collar groups at Husch Blackwell LLP. Jonathan uses his years of experience as a federal prosecutor to guide clients through the challenges associated with government investigations and regulatory compliance.

Jonathan brings to clients a thorough working knowledge of how the U.S. government targets and pursues criminal and civil investigations, particularly those involving the healthcare industry. He is a former Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia, and in that capacity, he brought charges against numerous individuals and companies under federal law, including criminal charges of health care fraud, wire fraud, and violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute, and civil complaints alleging violations of the False Claims Act.

In addition, Jonathan is a frequent speaker and author on emerging topics at the intersection of healthcare and enforcement and teaches white collar crime as an adjunct professor at Mercer University School of Law.

Ms. Emily Cook Ward Related Seminars and Products

Continuum Legal Group LLP

Emily C. Ward is a Partner in Smith Gambrell & Russell's Atlanta office who’s practice concentrates on white-collar defense, government investigations, and civil litigation including environmental, business, and healthcare litigation, as well as administrative and regulatory matters.

Ms. Ward regularly represents defendants in environmental, cybersecurity, public corruption, and tax fraud investigations, with recent successes resulting in no indictments being filed or substantially reduced penalties being negotiated. She obtained a defense verdict in a multi-day arbitration for healthcare practice that had been charged with violating various contractual provisions regarding medical billing, physician recruitment, and restrictive covenants. Ms. Ward also received a defense verdict for parents who had been placed on the child abuse registry after seeking medical treatment for their accidentally injured child. Ms. Ward often defends medical professionals before state medical, dental, nursing, and health insurance boards to prevent disciplinary actions from being imposed. She also has represented many students accused of academic, behavioral, and other infractions and helped them resolve the situation with the administrative and academic conduct boards.

Ms. Ward is active in multiple bar associations including the American Bar Association, State Bar of Georgia, and Atlanta Bar Association. She currently serves as Secretary and is on the Executive Committee of the Atlanta Bar Association. Ms. Ward also recently served as Chair of the Atlanta Bar Association’s Criminal Law Section in 2021 and Women in the Profession Section in 2019.

Ms. Ward has been recognized in Chambers USA as an Up and Coming attorney in Litigation White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations, in multiple categories by Best Lawyers as One to Watch, and Georgia Super Lawyers as a Rising Star, among others. She also was recognized as the University of Georgia’s Young Alumnae of Excellence in 2022 and was the inaugural recipient of the Catherine M. O’Neil Mentoring Award given by the Women’s White Collar Defense Association in recognition of her as an outstanding junior member of the WWCDA.

Ms. Ward received her undergraduate degree from the University of Miami and her J.D. from the University of Georgia School of Law.

Habib F. Ilahi Related Seminars and Products

Habib F. Ilahi counsels business entities and individuals in highly regulated industries through complex health care, procurement, and other government enforcement investigations and litigation, as well as through general white collar criminal and civil defense matters. As a former federal prosecutor with the Fraud Section of the Department of Justice, Civil Division, Mr. Ilahi gained extensive expertise in matters involving the False Claims Act (FCA), the Anti-Kickback Statute, and the Stark Law. Mr. Ilahi has continued his FCA practice in the private sector and has unique experience representing clients on all three sides of the FCA – as defense counsel, relator’s counsel, and government counsel during his DOJ tenure. As defense counsel, Mr. Ilahi has advised and represented pharmaceutical and life sciences companies, hospital systems, national nursing home and long-term care facility chains, large and small government contractors, state and federal grant recipients, and a variety of other types of businesses and individuals in FCA investigations and litigation involving government programs.

Outside of FCA matters, Mr. Ilahi has advised and represented numerous government contractors, foreign and domestic business entities, and individuals in criminal, civil, and administrative government investigations, including those involving government contracting and procurement fraud, violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, securities and accounting fraud, tax fraud, civil and criminal conflict of interest violations, lobbying violations, and sanctions and export-control violations.

Mr. Raymond Joseph Burby IV Related Seminars and Products

Alston & Bird LLP

Joey Burby is a co-leader of the White Collar, Government & Internal Investigations Team. Drawing on his more than 25 years of experience as both a prosecutor and defense attorney, Joey defends companies and individuals in criminal and civil investigations by the Department of Justice as well as regulatory investigations and enforcement actions by the SEC and other federal and state agencies. He has significant experience handling matters involving securities fraud, insider trading, health care fraud, the False Claims Act, antitrust violations, bribery, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, money laundering, tax fraud, and environmental violations. He has also served as lead counsel in over 30 jury trials, including a recent federal case in which the jury acquitted his client of all charges.

Joey also conducts internal investigations on behalf of public and private organizations and their boards, often prompted by whistleblowers, and counsels clients on remedial actions and disclosure decisions.

Joey previously served as an assistant U.S. attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia, focusing primarily on complex financial crimes and public corruption. He successfully tried numerous cases, including the first criminal securities fraud trial in Georgia and a capital murder case. He was also part of the team that prosecuted Centennial Olympic Park bomber Eric Rudolph, for which he received The John Marshall Award, the Justice Department’s highest honor.

Matt Austin Related Seminars and Products

Nelson Mullins

Matt joined Nelson Mullins in 2020 after prosecuting complex white-collar crimes for seven years as an Assistant United States Attorney (“AUSA”) with the United States Attorney’s Office and three years as a state prosecutor with the First Circuit Solicitor’s Office. Matt quickly established himself in the private sector, building a diverse practice representing clients in some of the most high-profile matters in the nation. He routinely provides guidance to elected officials, corporate executives, and ultra-high net worth individuals navigating complex, high-stakes situations including government investigations and indictments, whistleblower complaints, and internal investigations.  

While many of Matt’s cases are front page news, some of his greatest legal successes have come through the discrete resolution of highly sensitive matters. Whether it is trying a highly publicized case or convincing a prosecutor not to pursue charges against a client, Matt is able to adapt to difficult circumstances to achieve justice for his clients.

Recognizing the need for federal prosecutors focused on healthcare fraud, Matt earned a Master’s of Health Administration (“MHA”) in 2014. Matt continued building on his unique background as an AUSA , where he was cross-designated to handle both criminal and civil matters involving whistleblower cases, or Qui Tams, under the False Claims Act.

Matt has tried more than 20 criminal jury trials to verdict as well as a three-week complex civil trial involving faulty construction claims. He has tried cases at all levels of the South Carolina state and federal courts. He has successfully tried a number of complex cases in federal court involving health care fraud, environmental crimes, whistleblower complaints, international money laundering, bank fraud, international maritime treaties, and human trafficking. In seven years as a federal prosecutor, Matt did not lose a single trial. Matt has successfully led grand jury investigations and prosecutions of a wide range of white-collar crimes involving more than 20 different federal agencies. He has argued before the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.

Matt is known for his ability to think outside the box, showing an ability to use the skillset he honed as both a federal and state prosecutor in creative ways across a variety of practice areas.