James Loonam is a former federal prosecutor and seasoned trial attorney. He regularly advises companies, boards of directors, board committees, and senior executives in sensitive and high-stakes investigations by the Department of Justice, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, and other criminal and regulatory authorities. James has a proven track record of securing difficult to obtain evidence and identifying and deploying novel and effective legal arguments to obtain optimal outcomes for clients. He regularly handles matters involving allegations of securities fraud, foreign and domestic corruption, False Claims Act violations, insider trading, accounting fraud, and cyber breaches.
Prior to joining Jones Day, James was an Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York and Deputy Chief of that office's Business and Securities Fraud Section. James led and supervised high-profile cases involving the FCPA, insider trading, securities fraud, health care fraud, and money laundering offenses. He personally led groundbreaking FCPA investigations, including the investigation and conviction of a publicly traded hedge fund for corrupt transactions in Africa. James conducted numerous jury trials and successfully briefed and argued 19 appeals before the Second Circuit Court of Appeals.
James also prosecuted numerous significant terrorism cases, including a case the then-Attorney General of the United States described as involving "one of the most serious terrorist threats to our nation since September 11th, 2001." James has worked closely with the CIA, NSA, Department of Defense, and foreign law enforcement and intelligence agencies. He also has tried cases involving murder, kidnapping, racketeering, tax evasion, and firearms.
Experience
The following represents experience acquired prior to joining Jones Day.
JPMorgan "Sons & Daughters" FCPA Case: led the investigation of JPMorgan for its hiring practices in the Asia-Pacific region. Resulted in significant criminal and civil (SEC) penalties.
Och-Ziff FCPA Case: led the investigation and prosecution of Och-Ziff for corrupt business dealings in Africa. Resulted in guilty pleas by an Och-Ziff subsidiary and a politically connected fixer for FCPA conspiracy and a $213 million penalty and compliance monitorship for the parent institution.
Kobi Alexander Options Backdating Case: led the extradition and prosecution of Kobi Alexander, the former CEO of Comverse Technology, for securities fraud, which resulted in the longest sentence ever imposed for an options backdating scheme.
Cantor Gaming Money Laundering Case: led the investigation of Cantor Fitzgerald's affiliate, Cantor Gaming, for money laundering and illegal gambling-related offenses. Resulted in guilty plea from Cantor Gaming senior vice president and head of risk management and a $16.5 million penalty and forfeiture from Cantor Gaming.
Al-Qaeda Subway Bombing Case: co-led the investigation and prosecution of an operational al-Qaeda terrorist cell that was days away from committing coordinated suicide bombings in the New York City subway system. The case is widely viewed as having disrupted one of the most serious al-Qaeda plots since 9/11. Trial of al-Qaeda operative resulted in conviction and life sentence.
New York Federal Reserve Attempted Bombing Case: led the investigation and prosecution of a foreign terrorist operative who attempted to bomb the New York Federal Reserve Bank. The operative was convicted and sentenced to 30 years' imprisonment.
Racketeering and Gang Trials: led investigations and prosecutions of violent racketeering organizations, which resulted in convictions after trials.
Worked with domestic and foreign prosecutors and regulatory agencies including the DOJ Fraud Section, SEC, New York Federal Reserve Bank, FinCEN, and UK Serious Fraud Office.
Speaking Engagements
- May 15-16, 2019ACI's 21st Annual New York FCPA Conference
- May 8-9, 2018ACI's 20th Annual New York FCPA Conference
- December 5, 2017Federal Bar Council Presents "Privilege Under Siege Here and Abroad? The State of the Corporate Attorney Client Privilege"
- September 25, 2017Securities Spotlight: Reviewing Recent Enforcement Actions to Manage AML & ABAC Risks, panelist, ACAMS 16th Annual AML & Financial Crime Conference
- University of Connecticut (J.D. with honors 2000; Member, Law Review, Moot Court Board, and Criminal Trial Clinic); Drew University (B.A. in English Literature and History 1997)
- New York, U.S. District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York, and U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
- Served with the U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of New York (2005-2017) in the following positions: Assistant U.S. Attorney, Criminal Division; Deputy Chief and Senior Trial Counsel, Business and Securities Fraud Section; and Deputy Chief, Violent Crimes and Terrorism Section (k/n/a the National Security and Cybercrime Section)
U.S. Department of Justice:
Attorney General's Award for Exceptional Service (DOJ's highest award)
Director's Award for Superior Performance by a Litigative Team
United States Attorney's Award for Excellence in Criminal Litigation