A veteran of the Department of Justice, Rick has two decades of experience as lead government counsel in high-profile, high-stakes criminal and civil disputes. He defends clients against allegations of white-collar crime, health care fraud, BSA/AML violations, and environmental and defense procurement fraud and advises on cross-border security and trade issues. Rick also helps clients manage crises that result from litigation and government enforcement efforts, particularly when investigations involve multiple agencies and jurisdictions.
During his tenure as United States Attorney for the Northern District of New York, Rick served in national leadership positions as a member, vice chair, and chair of the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee of US Attorneys, providing advice and guidance to the department’s leaders on the full range of criminal and civil issues affecting DOJ and United States Attorneys’ Offices nationally. Within the Northern District of New York, Rick headed several key initiatives and prosecutions and strengthened his office’s Civil Division by emphasizing affirmative civil enforcement to combat health care, procurement, and environmental fraud. Rick also worked closely with the FBI and US Department of Homeland Security on initiatives to tackle illegal immigration and cybercrime, including trade secret and customer data theft.
Prior to his appointment as US Attorney, Rick served as an Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA), where he investigated and prosecuted immigration, narcotics, and violent crime offenses as well as white collar cases, including tax and bankruptcy fraud matters. He also served as narcotics chief and coordinator of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force. As an AUSA, he gained vast experience working with all federal investigative agencies and their task forces, in addition to many state and local law enforcement agencies. Rick was recognized with several awards and case-related commendations for the numerous cases he prosecuted.
Rick has substantial knowledge of and good working relationships with US and Canadian border security agencies, enabling him to assist US and Canadian businesses that have pressing border-related concerns. Rick also has experience with Native American tribal affairs and gaming matters.
In addition, Rick represents higher education institutions in sensitive internal matters and high-stakes litigation.
Frequently interviewed by the legal press, Rick is also regularly invited to address both public and private organizations and bar associations.