Dan draws on years of service as Acting United States Attorney and First Assistant in the Eastern District of North Carolina and the Western District of Virginia to guide clients through high-stakes matters with a relentless focus on achieving favorable outcomes.
Dan rejoined the firm after a distinguished tenure as a federal prosecutor, where he developed extensive experience in fraud investigations and in both criminal and civil government enforcement actions. He led some of the most complex and high-impact matters in his offices, including cases involving health care fraud, national security, financial crimes, public corruption, child exploitation, and human trafficking. Dan played a key role in initiating and resolving major actions against pharmaceutical manufacturers and has personally led and supervised corporate criminal and civil resolutions, as well as jury and bench trials and appellate arguments before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.
In leadership roles in two U.S. Attorney’s offices, Dan led teams of criminal prosecutors, civil litigators, and administrative professionals across two federal districts and portions of the last three presidential administrations. He worked closely with DOJ leadership, U.S. Attorney’s Offices nationwide, the judiciary and a broad range of federal agencies. For example, he collaborated with the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, and other federal agencies to launch the Homeland Security Task Force of the Carolinas—targeting violent and transnational organized crime—and the Disruptive Technology Strike Force to address emerging national security threats.
Earlier in his career, Dan also served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in both North Carolina and Virginia, handling a wide array of criminal and civil matters, including fraud, firearms, narcotics, national security, and civil rights cases. Prior to his time in Government, Dan practiced in McGuireWoods’ Chicago office, representing clients in health care, complex civil litigation, and business disputes.
In private practice, Dan advises companies and individuals on government investigations, enforcement actions, and high-stakes litigation. He brings a pragmatic, strategic approach to navigating complex regulatory challenges and mitigating enforcement risks.
A frequent speaker, Dan lectures at law schools, universities, and industry events on federal enforcement, white-collar crime, and national security. In 2024, he traveled to Bosnia-Herzegovina to train prosecutors and judges on sentencing guidelines, investigative technology, and evolving law enforcement trends.
Dan’s Experience in Government Includes:
- Led multiple criminal and affirmative False Claims Act (FCA) cases against numerous corporate entities, on behalf of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including a landmark $2 billion criminal and civil corporate resolution involving an opioid manufacturer, its former parent company, and several senior executives.
- Served as lead counsel in joint prosecutions with DOJ’s Consumer Protection Branch and Civil Division’s Fraud Section.
- Resolved multi-million-dollar financial fraud cases involving defrauded financial institutions.
- Represented the government in a $6.85 million FCA settlement with a psychiatric facility accused of providing substandard care to adolescents.
- Prosecuted health care fraud case, resulting in convictions of owners and managers of a nationwide nursing home chain.
- Successfully argued two cases before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, securing a published opinions affirming the conviction in a violent drug trafficking case and an opinion affirming conviction in a child exploitation matter involving Fourth Amendment issues.
- Directed resolution of various civil matters, including a civil aviation enforcement action, resulting in a record $700,000 settlement with businesses accused of illegal charter flights.
- Assisted in all phases of a federal jury trial and appeal in a breach of contract and business torts case against a national laboratory.