Our White Collar Group has broad experience in successfully guiding clients through everything from internal reviews of regulatory and ethical compliance to criminal prosecutions.
Email: dfoster@fredlaw.com
Office: 612.492.7110
Email: jdixon@fredlaw.com
Office: 612.492.7258
False Claims Act Defense
Internal Investigations
Health Care Fraud & Compliance
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act & Anti-Corruption
Government Contracts & Grants
On May 22, 2019, Fredrikson hosted a seminar that featured a panel discussion on state and federal enforcement priorities with regard to opioids, practical on-the-ground issues cropping up for providers, and the future of opioid prescription and regulation.
Four women attorneys join forces to create local chapter of the Women’s White Collar Defense Association.
The arrest of Meng Wanzhou, one of China’s leading tech executives, highlights the broad reach of U.S. sanctions and the increasing boldness with which the U.S. government is acting to control the conduct of foreign actors. But U.S. companies engaged in global trade should also remain vigilant and take precautions to avoid tripping over the lines.
On June 13, Fredrikson & Byron’s Employment & Labor and White Collar & Regulatory Defense Groups hosted a seminar on how to conduct effective internal investigations and how to preserve privilege while you do so.
The DOJ has announced a potentially dramatic shift in its enforcement policy with regard to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), the federal statute that prohibits bribery of foreign officials.
On May 3, 2017, Fredrikson & Byron’s White Collar & Regulatory Defense group hosted a panel presentation on the real issue of employee malfeasance in large and small organizations.
Fredrikson & Byron co-sponsored a program with Federal Bar Association, Minnesota Chapter on May 2, 2017. The program focused on how prosecutors, defense attorneys and forensic accountants work together to uncover employee theft and bring embezzlers to justice.
On September 14, 2016, speakers from Center for Ethical Business Cultures, Fredrikson & Byron and PwC addressed the ethical, legal and organizational issues in play as companies attempt to foster a compliant culture.
Global companies in the United States have an uneasy relationship with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Most recognize that corruption can be damaging to business, but decry the statute as unfair: Because the United States is more aggressive about enforcing its anti-corruption laws than other countries, U.S. companies are more likely to be prosecuted for bribing foreign officials. The FCPA effectively tilts the playing field against us in foreign business transactions. But the global landscape gradually may be changing. Corruption prosecutions outside the U.S. are becoming more common, and many foreign governments have signaled a change in perspective by enacting new and stricter anti-corruption laws.
On July 20, a jury in Massachusetts convicted former Acclarent executives William Facteau and Patrick Fabian of 10 misdemeanor counts of misbranding and adulteration based on alleged off-label promotion of the Stratus sinus spacing device. They were acquitted of 14 related felony charges, but they have vowed to fight the misdemeanor convictions in future motions and appeals. The Facteau verdict contrasts with the clean sweep obtained by Vascular Solutions and its CEO, Howard Root, last February, when a Texas jury acquitted them of all counts of misbranding and conspiracy for allegedly promoting the Vari-Lase varicose vein device off-label. The two cases are different in significant respects, which may account for the disparate results. But they also bear many similarities, which provide a road map for medical device and pharma manufacturers to future off-label prosecutions in the wake of recent First Amendment precedents.
On March 29, 2016, John Lundquist, Dulce Foster and Kevin Riach, together with Howard Root, provided an insider’s view of this landmark case.
On February 26, 2016, a jury in West Texas acquitted Minnesota-based medical device company Vascular Solutions, Inc., and its CEO, Howard Root, in a federal criminal case involving FDA alleged crimes. The indictment in the case charged Vascular Solutions and Mr. Root with misbranding and conspiracy based on allegations that Vascular Solutions marketed its Vari-Lase® device for off-label use and sought to conceal that activity from the FDA. The jury wholly rejected the government’s case and delivered a stunning defeat to the FDA and the Department of Justice (DOJ) by acquitting Vascular Solutions and Mr. Root on all counts.
On February 26, 2016, Fredrikson & Byron attorneys John Lundquist, Dulce Foster and Kevin Riach won a hard-fought victory for Vascular Solutions’ CEO Howard Root in a federal criminal prosecution with far-reaching implications for medical device companies and FDA practitioners.
Facing an indictment on four counts of misbranding under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act and one count of conspiracy, Mr. Root made the exceedingly rare decision for a public company CEO to fight the charges instead of settling or stepping down.
Prominent trial attorney Joseph T. Dixon, III has joined Fredrikson & Byron as a shareholder and co-chair of the White Collar & Regulatory Defense Group. Dixon offers clients a unique blend of trial, government and strategic business experience.
