Professionals

Matthew Michael Graves

He/Him

Partner

Overview
Experience
Credentials
Insights & News

Matt is the immediate past U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia and a distinguished trial lawyer, who leverages his exceptional legal acumen to represent entities and individuals in complex criminal, civil, and regulatory matters.

Matt is a highly skilled investigator and trial lawyer, who, in addition to leading the largest U.S. Attorney’s Office in the country, also previously served as a prosecutor in that office, and as a partner at an international law firm where he represented clients in civil litigation and in matters before the Department of Justice (DOJ) and other government entities. Matt draws on these varied and unique experiences to represent individual and corporate clients in complex investigations involving claimed violations of, including, among others, sanctions, export control, securities, health care, anti-money laundering, and anti-fraud laws. His experience extends to helping clients navigate the intricate and ever-changing regulatory landscape in myriad investigation and enforcement matters initiated by federal or state authorities. These include matters involving the False Claims Act (FCA), Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), sanctions and export controls, and the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).

Matt’s extensive trial and litigation experience is another cornerstone of his practice. He leverages his invaluable experience and unique insight as a former U.S. Attorney and career prosecutor—who has personally tried nearly 50 cases to verdict and overseen hundreds of other trials—to represent clients in a variety of complex cases. His unparalleled ability to dissect complex legal issues and present compelling arguments has earned him the reputation with his clients as a trusted advisor and advocate in a wide range of legal and regulatory challenges.

In his former role as U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, Matt led a team of roughly 950 attorneys and professional support staff who handled tens of thousands of cases during his tenure. Matt oversaw both criminal and civil matters addressing large-scale financial misconduct, including ground-breaking sanctions resolutions, the largest forfeiture in DOJ’s history, and what is believed to be the largest FCA procurement fraud settlement in history.

Matt served the U.S. Attorney’s Office for nearly a decade in several other capacities, including as the Acting Chief of the Fraud and Public Corruption Section. There, he supervised and led white-collar crime investigations involving complex violations of securities regulations, health care statutes, the FCPA, export control laws, anti-money laundering provisions, and various anti-fraud measures, handling some of the Section’s most significant cases, including prosecutions of business organizations that resulted in billions in monetary penalties.

Matt formerly practiced as a partner at a premier international law firm where he drew upon his substantial trial experience to handle a wide array of civil matters and represented clients before DOJ and other government entities. He also served as an associate at another global law firm where he focused his practice on securities and litigation matters.

Matt served as a law clerk for the Honorable Richard W. Roberts of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

Key Matters

Some of the experience represented below may have been handled at a previous firm.

Sanctions and Export Controls

As a federal prosecutor in a sanctions investigation involving Commerzbank AG, negotiated a global resolution that resulted in the bank paying nearly US$1.5B in monetary penalties and fines for sanctions and anti-money laundering (AML) violations.
As a federal prosecutor in a sanctions investigation involving Credit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank negotiated a global resolution that resulted in the bank paying nearly US$800M in monetary penalties for sanctions violations.
As defense counsel, concluded, without criminal resolution, multiple investigations of financial institution clients for alleged sanctions violations.
As defense counsel, obtained a non-prosecution agreement on behalf of Avnet Asia Pte. Ltd in an investigation into alleged export control violations.
As U.S. Attorney, oversaw the investigation of British American Tobacco P.L.C. for sanctions violations and subsequent negotiations with the company that resulted in the company entering a US$629M criminal resolution—the largest ever sanctions resolution for a business entity outside the banking industry.
As U.S. Attorney oversaw the investigation of, and criminal resolution with, Empire Navigation, Inc., which was the first criminal resolution involving the illicit sale and transport of Iranian Oil in violation of U.S. sanctions.
As U.S. Attorney, oversaw the seizure of a Boeing 747 cargo plane that Mahan Air, a sanctioned Iranian airline, had illegally transferred to Empresa de Transporte Aéreocargo del Sur, S.A. (EMTRASUR), a Venezuelan cargo airline.
As U.S. Attorney, oversaw the seizure of a yacht owned by a Russian oligarch and the prosecution of those who illegally engaged in U.S. dollar transactions to maintain the yacht.
As U.S. Attorney, oversaw the prosecution of Chinese nationals for illegally exporting U.S.-origin electronic components to Iran and Iranian military affiliates.

False Claims Act (FCA)

As a federal prosecutor in an FCA misbranding investigation involving Biocompatibles, Inc. handled the investigation and negotiations that resulted in the medical device company entering a US$36M resolution.
As defense counsel, obtained a favorable FCA settlement for a government contractor that was supporting U.S. war efforts where the penalty the company paid was an incredibly small fraction of the value of the multi-billion-dollar contract awarded to the company.
As U.S. Attorney, oversaw an investigation that resulted in a defense contractor paying roughly US$377M to resolve an FCA investigation of the company—a resolution believed to be the largest procurement fraud settlement ever.
As U.S. Attorney, oversaw a settlement with Johns Hopkins Health System stemming from an investigation into alleged Stark Law violations.
As U.S. Attorney, oversaw an investigation that resulted in a roughly US$27M FCA resolution against Hahn Air, a commercial travel company, for failing to remit to the U.S. certain mandatory travel fees it collected from customers.

Civil Litigation

As a defense counsel, secured a favorable settlement on behalf of an international air carrier in a class action suit alleging the carrier’s rewards program engaged in deceptive practices.
As a defense counsel, secured a favorable settlement on behalf of a staffing agency in connection with an investigation into purported discriminatory hiring practices.
As a defense counsel, secured a dismissal on behalf of a Fortune 100 Company in the manufacturing industry in a suit alleging securities fraud.
As plaintiff’s counsel in a pro bono matter, secured a favorable settlement on behalf of clients who sued the school district they attended for civil rights violations.

Cybercrimes

As U.S. Attorney, oversaw the successful prosecution of two individuals responsible for the hack of Bitfinex, a virtual currency exchange, and the recovery of roughly US$4B stolen in the hack—the largest financial seizure in the history of the DOJ.
As U.S. Attorney, oversaw the investigation and indictment of three members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps for allegedly engaging in a hack-and-leak conspiracy directed at the U.S. Presidential campaign of Donald J. Trump.
As U.S. Attorney, oversaw the prosecution of an individual who conspired with others to take unauthorized control of the SEC’s account on X and who used the account to send false information that temporarily increased the value of bitcoin.
As U.S. Attorney, oversaw the trial conviction of an individual who had operated the longest-running bitcoin money laundering service on the darknet and laundered more than US$400M through the service.

Anti-Corruption

As a federal prosecutor, tried six individuals in the defense contracting industry for alleged FCPA violations.
As a defense counsel, defended a client in the IT industry in an FCPA investigation with the client ultimately receiving a declination in connection with the federal investigation.
As a federal prosecutor, led the successful prosecutions of Jesse L. Jackson Jr. and Sandra Stevens Jackson for illegally using campaign funds for personal expenses.

Other High-Profile Frauds

As a federal prosecutor, led the successful prosecution of an individual who ran a Ponzi scheme that resulted in losses of roughly US$28M to investors.
As a defense counsel, successfully represented Secretary Benjamin Carson Sr. in an Inspector General investigation into purportedly improper procurements; the Inspector General ultimately released a report clearing the Secretary of any misconduct.
As a defense counsel, successfully represented a U.S. government agency in a criminal investigation into an international fraud scheme that defrauded the agency and other investors of hundreds of millions of dollars.
As a federal prosecutor, led the successful prosecution of Washington Gas Energy Systems, Inc. for conspiring to defraud the United States by obtaining contracts totaling approximately US$17M in value designated for small businesses for which it was not eligible.
As U.S. Attorney, oversaw the successful insider-trading prosecution of an attorney who traded on non-public information that he stole from client files.

FARA

As a defense counsel, secured a determination that a client that was the subsidiary of a foreign news organization did not need to register as an agent under FARA.
As U.S. Attorney, oversaw the successful prosecution of two individuals and a company with which they were affiliated for violating FARA.

Capabilities

Class Actions & Group Litigation

Commercial Litigation & Disputes

Compliance Programs

Government Investigations, Enforcement & Compliance

Government Program Fraud, False Claims Act & Qui Tam Litigation

Litigation/Trials

Securities, M&A & Corporate Governance Litigation

Tax Controversy & Criminal Tax