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RickHartunian

Partner

"I enjoy working at a full-service law firm in the Capital Region because it allows me to meet my clients' needs efficiently and effectively."

Overview

Biography

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.

Frequently interviewed by the legal press, Rick is also regularly invited to address both public and private organizations and bar associations.

Bar Associations

  • NDNY Federal Court Bar Association
  • New York State Bar Association
  • Albany County Bar Association
  • Armenian Bar Association

Selected Memberships & Affiliations

  • National Association of Former United States Attorneys, Board of Directors
  • Federal Bar Council
Experience

Representative Experience

  • Secured a win for ICON Foundation, a not-for-profit organization that founded and supports the ICON Network, a decentralized system on which the cryptocurrency “ICX” is transacted. US District Judge William Orrick awarded ICON $3.5 million in attorney’s fees and costs it incurred in litigation with ICON user Mark Shin relating to approximately 14 million ICX tokens he received after exploiting a bug in the network software.
  • Represented a leading global supplier of vision safety solutions to the bus and truck marketplace in the favorable settlement of its patent infringement lawsuit against its supplier. The action involved the client’s patents covering its multiple camera systems and rearview mirror monitor technology.
  • Represented a federally recognized tribal nation in establishing its cannabis regulatory system.
  • Represented employees of private, publicly traded, and foreign corporations in connection with investigations conducted by the DOJ, SEC, and other federal agencies.
  • Assisted in securing presidential clemency for an incarcerated client who received a 30-year sentence for a first-time, non-violent drug offense.
  • Assisted in successfully representing a Marine veteran in his request to upgrade his service discharge from Under Other Than Honorable Conditions in a hearing before the Naval Discharge Review Board. After a formal hearing before the NDRB, the board granted the requested relief—upgrading his discharge from Under Other Than Honorable Conditions to Under Honorable Conditions (General). This change in discharge status entitled the client to a whole series of VA benefits that he was not previously entitled to and removed a significant blemish from his record.

Prior Experience

  • Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP, Partner
  • US District Court for the Northern District of New York, United States Attorney
  • US District Court for the Northern District of New York, Assistant United States Attorney
  • Albany County District Attorney, Assistant District Attorney

Selected Honors

  • Albany Law School, Alumni in Government Award, 2017
  • Armenian Bar Association, Public Service Recognition Award, 2017
  • Numerous Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force awards and case-related commendations for significant investigations and prosecutions as an assistant United States attorney, 1999–2008

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