Patton Boggs Snares Senior Justice Fraud Prosecutor

WASHINGTON, May 17 /PRNewswire/ -- A high-ranking Justice Department fraud prosecutor is joining Patton Boggs LLP, bolstering the firm's ability to help clients defend against health care fraud and abuse allegations, government inquiries and white-collar criminal charges.

John S. "Jay" Darden joins the firm as a partner in its Washington office where he will play a key role in the Litigation Department's healthcare fraud and abuse and white-collar crime practices, including Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) investigations.

Before joining the firm, Mr. Darden was the Assistant Chief of the Fraud Section of the Criminal Division at the Justice Department. In that role, he supervised the investigation and prosecution of health care fraud and anti-kickback violations in multiple districts across the country, coordinating the Fraud Section's work with U.S. Attorney's Offices; the FBI; the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General; and state Medicaid Fraud Control Units.

For his work combating health care fraud, Mr. Darden received the Attorney General's Award for Distinguished Service, the second-highest award given by the Justice Department.

Mr. Darden also investigated and prosecuted violations of the FCPA during his time at the Fraud Section.  He was the lead prosecutor in one of the largest FCPA dispositions in the history of the statute.

"Jay's keen strategic insight and deep knowledge of how the Justice Department approaches investigations in different areas of the criminal law will help a diverse range of clients overcome allegations of wrongdoing," said Stuart M. Pape, managing partner of Patton Boggs. "We are delighted to have such a talented and experienced prosecutor join our ranks."

During his tenure at Justice, Mr. Darden was an active trial lawyer, trying numerous cases to verdict in different districts across the country.  He also has experience investigating corporate and individual targets for insurance fraud, bank fraud, and mail and wire fraud.

"Patton Boggs is a firm known for its entrepreneurial spirit and for its use of creative solutions to serve client needs," Mr. Darden said. "I am honored to join the Patton Boggs team.  I look forward to using my expertise to assist clients with their compliance needs and to defend them against criminal allegations."

While at the Justice Department, Mr. Darden worked with the political leadership of the Criminal Division on new health care fraud initiatives such as the Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team (HEAT) and the Medicare Fraud Strike Force. Mr. Darden played a pivotal leadership role in the implementation and success of the Strike Force throughout the country.  Since its inception in 2006, the Strike Force has brought charges against more than 560 defendants who collectively billed the Medicare program for over $1 billion in fraudulent claims.

Mr. Darden is a graduate of Washington & Lee University and the University of Virginia School of Law, where he served as Managing Editor of the Virginia Law Review.  Before attending law school, Mr. Darden served on the personal staff of former Georgia Senator Sam Nunn.

Patton Boggs LLP

Based in Washington, D.C., Patton Boggs is a leader in public policy, litigation, and business law, and is well known for its deep bipartisan roots in the U.S. political arena. The firm's core practice areas are Public Policy and Regulatory, Litigation, Business, and Intellectual Property. With offices in New York, New Jersey, Dallas, Denver, Anchorage, Northern Virginia and internationally in Doha, Qatar and Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, more than 600 lawyers and professionals provide comprehensive, practical and cost-effective legal counsel to clients around the globe. For more information, visit us at www.pattonboggs.com. To receive press releases from Patton Boggs, please contact Rebecca Carr at [email protected].

SOURCE Patton Boggs LLP