Eric B. Bruce Lawyer WASHINGTON DC 1919 M Street, NW Washington, DC 20036 +1 202 664 1903 NEW YORK 800 Third Avenue New York, New York 10022 +1 212 488 1203 eric.bruce@kobrekim.com A former high-ranking official in the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Eric Bruce focuses on whitecollar criminal defense matters, internal investigations, monitorships, congressional investigations and high-stakes complex commercial litigation. He represents boards of directors, audit committees, multinational corporations, and their officers and executives in complex cross-border litigation and investigations. Mr. Bruce handles matters involving allegations of bribery/foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) violations, antitrust violations, money laundering, tax evasion, insider trading, securities fraud and accounting fraud. Mr. Bruce was recognized by Chambers USA as a very talented trial lawyer, known for his outstanding judgment and analytical skills as well as his absolutely brilliant cross-examinations. Chambers USA also commended his extraordinary investigation skills. The Legal 500 identified him as a terrific advocate in white-collar criminal defense matters and the National Law Journal named him a trailblazer in the field of white collar criminal law. Mr. Bruce and the firm were recognized as Trial Firm of the Year for their work on select FCPA matters. In addition, Mr. Bruce is a Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America, an invitation-only legal society consisting of the top one-half of one percent of trial lawyers in the United States. Prior to joining Kobre & Kim, Mr. Bruce was counselor to the Attorney General of the United States. In that role, he advised the Attorney General on complex white-collar investigations under the FCPA, all cross-border criminal matters, and all investigations relating to national security, including cybersecurity, terrorism and espionage matters. Before his service with the Attorney General, Mr. Bruce served as Senior Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division at the DOJ. In that Criminal Division leadership position, he advised on complex issues arising from securities fraud and insider trading cases, as well as a variety of national security matters. Mr. Bruce served for more than 10 years as a prosecutor at the U.S. Attorney s Office for the Southern District of New York. There, he prosecuted a wide range of cases, including complex white-collar frauds, international terrorism cases and high-profile extradition matters. Admissions District of Columbia New York U.S. Supreme Court U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York Education University of Maryland School of Law, JD (Maryland Law Review, Articles Editor) (Defense Counsel Journal, Contributing Author) Lafayette College, BA Accolades Chambers USA 2017 & 2018, Litigation: White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations (District of Columbia) National Law Journal, White Collar Crime Trailblazer The Legal 500 United States, Corporate Investigations & White-Collar Criminal Defense Select Engagements Government Enforcement Defense Representation of a corporate officer in the highly publicized, eight-week-long "FCPA sting trial" in Washington DC. Mr. Bruce obtained an acquittal on several charges and a mistrial on the remaining charges when the jurors were unable to reach a unanimous verdict. Ultimately, the government dropped all charges against our client and all other defendants in the case. Upon dismissal of the charges, the judge recognized the tireless and spirited efforts of defense counsel and noted that their hard work and effective advocacy are a testament to how strong our criminal defense bar is nationwide. Representation of a corporate executive in securing a rare declination of prosecution following allegations that the client had failed to declare and pay taxes on over US $14M in Swiss bank accounts over a period of more than seven years. Representation of the former CEO of a global telecommunications company regarding alleged Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) violations arising from the company s operations in central Asia in an investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Ultimately, no criminal or civil enforcement charges were filed against our client. Representation of the former CFO of a publicly-traded consumer products conglomerate charged with securities fraud and obstruction of justice in the Western District of North Carolina, as well as in a parallel SEC enforcement action. Representation of two French proprietary trading firms, in an SEC civil enforcement action in the District of New Jersey, facing allegations of insider trading in connection with the high-profile investigation of the hacking of corporate earnings announcements from newswire services. 2
Representation of a Swiss-based bank executive in an investigation by the U.S. Attorney s Office for the Southern District of New York, involving allegations that he assisted U.S. clients in evading U.S. taxes by concealing hundreds of millions of dollars in foreign accounts. Representation of a leading software company to provide advice concerning the USA Patriot Act, data storage and cloud computing issues and other national securityrelated issues. Representation of the former chief investment officer of a real estate investment advisory firm in connection with an SEC enforcement action in the Eastern District of Michigan regarding allegations of bribery, embezzlement and related violations of the Investment Advisers Act, as well as in related civil litigation. Representation of a prominent hedge fund analyst charged with insider trading and securities fraud offenses in the Southern District of New York arising from the merger of two technology companies, as well as in a related SEC civil enforcement action. Representation of a prominent technology company to provide advice regarding the reach of foreign law enforcement agencies and its impact on cloud computing and data security issues. Representation of a consultant to a large, privately held company supplying jet fuel to the U.S. Department of Defense in congressional and DOJ investigations into alleged bribery and corruption related to the company s operations in central Asia. Representation of a Middle Eastern prince in connection with a DOJ investigation into alleged FCPA violations relating to infrastructure projects in the Middle East. Representation of two UK citizens in SEC enforcement actions in the Southern District of New York and the Central District of California, charging them with pump and dump securities fraud in connection with online stock-promotion activities. Service as an expert witness regarding FCPA issues on behalf of a client charged with bribery offenses in Greece. Representation of an executive of a large UK-based investment bank into the bank s alleged involvement in the manipulation of the foreign exchange market in an investigation by the DOJ, SEC and the UK Financial Conduct Authority. Representation of the former head of global rates at a large financial institution in connection with investigations by the SEC and UK and Swiss regulatory authorities, as well as in related class action litigation, into the valuation of asset-backed securities. Representation of the senior vice president of an airline finance company in connection with an investigation into alleged money laundering and FCPA violations by the DOJ and the Special Investigations and Prosecution Authorities for Turks and Caicos. Representation of the former head of a commodity pool operator in connection with a criminal prosecution by the DOJ in the Northern District of Illinois and a parallel civil enforcement action by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Investigations & Monitorships 3
Conducted an internal investigation on behalf of a Fortune 100 company into possible FCPA violations arising from the company s operations in Asia. Conducted an internal investigation on behalf of a Fortune 100 company into possible procurement fraud occurring as part of the company s operations in China. Conducted an internal investigation on behalf of the special committee of the board of directors for a major media publication into allegations of misconduct in the sale of overseas licensing rights, arising from a whistleblower complaint. Conducted an internal investigation on behalf of the special committee of the board of directors of a legal technology service provider regarding alleged misconduct by the company s current CEO, arising from a whistleblower complaint made by a former employee. Service as the independent integrity compliance consultant appointed by the African Development Bank to review and assess the compliance program and activities of a Chinese state-owned enterprise operating in Africa. Service as a government-appointed integrity monitor in the hurricane Sandy reconstruction efforts in New York City. Financial Products & Services Litigation Representation of the U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency, as conservator for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, in complex litigation against major U.S. banks over billions of dollars in damages concerning mortgage-backed securities in which Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac invested. Representation of a global investment management company in pursuing claims against multiple major financial institutions relating to the termination of a trust. Representation of a real estate advisory company in bankruptcy proceedings in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware involving a US $60 million commercial real estate dispute. Professional & Community Involvement Litigation Counsel of America, Fellow National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Member New York State Bar Association, Member Extradition Lawyers' Association, Member American Bar Association, Member International Bar Association, Member Federal Bar Association, Member New York City Bar Association, Member Publications & Presentations Co-author, "Mitigating Risk in Asia-Based Investigations" (New York Law Journal, November 2016) 4
Speaker, The Cost of Doing Business: Understanding and Avoiding the Hazards of Internal Investigations in Asia (Association of Corporate Counsel, Webinar, October 2016) Co-author, "Ask the Experts: Data Security" (Private Asset Management, May 2015) Co-author, "A New Balancing Act: Comparing the DOJ and World Bank Compliance Guidelines" (Main Justice, May 2015) Speaker, "Before the Data Breach: Planning Ahead to Minimize Risk" (Family Office Exchange, Webinar, March 2015) Speaker, "Foreign Corrupt Practices Act Panel" (Detroit Midwest Regional Anti-Corruption Seminar, Detroit, January 2014) Speaker, "Turning the Tables on the Government" (National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers 3rd Annual White Collar Conference, Nevada, June 2013) Speaker, "Trial Strategies, White Collar Crime 2012" (Practising Law Institute, New York, October 2012) Speaker, "The New Era of FCPA Enforcement and the Collapse of the Africa Sting Cases: Time to Reevaluate?" (American Bar Association for CLE, Washington DC, June 2012) Speaker, "Post-Mortem on the 'FCPA Sting' Trial" (New York State Bar Association Committee on White Collar Criminal Litigation, New York, March 2012) Speaker, "Is FCPA Enforcement Overly Aggressive?" (American Bar Association Annual Meeting, Toronto, August 2011) He brings meticulous preparation and conducts absolutely brilliant crossexaminations." - Chambers Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. 5