James P.Loonam

Partner

New York + 1.212.326.3808

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

  • Asia-based telecom company responds to UN corruption investigationJones Day represents an Asia-based telecommunications company in a corruption investigation by a UN agency.
  • Gordon Coburn defends FCPA case brought by DOJJones Day represents Gordon Coburn, former President of Cognizant Technology, in an FCPA case brought by DOJ in the District of New Jersey.
  • Robert Brockman defends $2 billion tax fraud case brought by DOJJones Day represents Robert Brockman, former CEO of a software company, in what the DOJ has described as the largest tax fraud case ever charged against an individual.
  • Indivior successfully resolves matter with DOJJones Day defended Indivior Inc. in an indicted case brought by DOJ in the Western District of Virginia.
  • Sheldon Silver obtains partial reversal of public corruption conviction and reduced sentenceJones Day represented Sheldon Silver, former Speaker of the New York State Assembly, on appeal and at re-sentencing in a high-profile public corruption case before the Second Circuit Court of Appeals and the Southern District of New York.
  • Former CEO of multinational metals and mining corporation represented in SEC investigationJones Day is representing the Former CEO of Rio Tinto, a multinational mining company, in the Southern District of New York in a 10b-5 securities fraud case brought by the SEC.
  • The following represents experience acquired prior to joining Jones Day.

    "Sons & Daughters" FCPA Case: led the investigation of global financial institution 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.

    Additional Speaking Engagements

    • November 29, 2022
      Keynote interview of Breon Peace, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, New York City Bar Association, International White Collar Crime Symposium
    • October 6, 2022
      Fireside Chat with Glenn Leon, Chief of DOJ Fraud Section, moderator, Association of Corporate Counsel 2022 Compliance Conference.
    • October 6, 2022
      The Making of an Effective Compliance Program: New DOJ Guidance an Lessons to Learn from Recent Enforcement Actions, panelist, Association of Corporate Counsel, 2022 Compliance Conference.
    • September 27, 2022
      PLI Internal Investigation 2022 - Concluding the Internal Investigation, panelist
    • July 14-15, 2020
      ACI’s 22nd New York Congress on the FCPA, conference co-chair.
    • May 20, 2020
      ACI, Virtual DOJ, SEC & FBI Town Hall, moderator
    • May 15-16, 2019
      ACI's 21st Annual New York FCPA Conference
    • February 19, 2019
      Effective Compliance Practices for Financial Institutions, panelist, Bahamas Financial Services Board, Financial Crimes Enforcement, Compliance & Risk Mitigation Workshop.
    • May 8-9, 2018
      ACI's 20th Annual New York FCPA Conference
    • December 5, 2017
      Federal Bar Council Presents "Privilege Under Siege Here and Abroad? The State of the Corporate Attorney Client Privilege"
    • September 25, 2017
      Securities Spotlight: Reviewing Recent Enforcement Actions to Manage AML & ABAC Risks, panelist, ACAMS 16th Annual AML & Financial Crime Conference

    ACI’s 11th Advanced Forum on FCPA in the Life Sciences Industry, “Where We Stand and What We Know about FCPA Enforcement in the Life Sciences Industry: Four Months into the Trump Administration,” panelist, June 27, 2017.


    Managed Funds Association’s Legal and Compliance Conference, “FCPA Roundtable,” panelist, May 9, 2017.


    ACI’s 19th Annual New York Conference on the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, “Special Focus on Corruption Enforcement in New York,” panelist, April 20, 2017.


    PLI 2017 FCPA Program, “Roundtable Discussion with the Government and Private Practitioners,” panelist, April 15, 2017.


    SIFMA Anti-Money Laundering and Financial Crimes Conference, “Enforcement Lessons Learned,” panelist, February 9, 2017.


    New York Chapter of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, “Future Fraud Trends: A Global Perspective,” panelist, October 14, 2016.


    PLI White Collar Crime 2016 Seminar, “FCPA Investigations and Enforcement: Developments and Updates,” panelist, October 5, 2016.


    Wells Fargo Prime Services On the Horizon Conference Series, “Managing Anti-Corruption Risks,” panelist, April 20, 2016.


    ACI Summit on FCPA, AML & OFAC Risks for Private Equity & Hedge Funds, “Enforcement Hot Buttons for Private Equity and Hedge Funds,” panelist, March 31, 2015.


    Financial Research Associates, Private Investment Funds Compliance Master Class, “Foreign Corrupt Practices Act: Elements of an Effective Policy for Your Fund,” panelist, February 17, 2015.


    TIAA-CREF Fraud Summit, “Prosecutors’ Panel,” panelist, October 24, 2014.


    SEC-DOJ Foreign Corrupt Practices Act Boot Camp, “How to Build an FCPA Case with an Eye towards Trial,” panelist, September 8, 2014.


    SIFMA Anti-Money Laundering and Financial Crimes Conference, “AML and Beyond: The Intersection of AML, Anti-Corruption and Sanctions,” panelist, January 30, 2014.