Roderick L. Thomas

Rod specializes in criminal and civil government investigations and litigation, internal investigations, civil fraud allegations, and congressional investigations. He served more than 10 years in the U.S. Attorney's Office in Washington, DC and was lead counsel on numerous criminal and civil trials. As part of his extensive background in federal and state investigations and prosecutions, he routinely represents clients in internal investigations, subpoena matters, False Claims Act (FCA) and qui tam matters, criminal investigations, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) matters, civil investigative demands, congressional investigations, and parallel civil and criminal proceedings.

Rod's background in criminal and civil investigations and litigation spans broad substantive areas, including federal and state investigations, contract, grant, and procurement fraud investigations, health care fraud investigations, food and drug investigations, ethics issues, whistleblower allegations, grand jury, and subpoena matters.

His district court and appellate civil litigation experience spans diverse areas, including constitutional, statutory, and regulatory challenges to agency action, administrative law, employment, information and privacy, contracts, and telecommunications, among others.

Representative Experience

Corporate Clients:

• Routinely represents companies in connection with procurement fraud, FCA, FCPA, Anti-Kickback Act, and other civil and criminal fraud allegations and issues.
• Frequently represents clients on subpoena matters, civil investigative demands, internal investigations, and government investigations.
• Routinely represents government contractors on alleged fraud matters and compliance, training, and policies.
• Represents public companies in FCA investigations and litigation related to alliance agreements, kickbacks, and defective pricing claims.
• Counseled a global public company in relation to FCPA issues.
• Counseled a large telecommunications provider in qui tam litigation related to alleged improper billing.
• Counseled an audit committee of a large provider of pharmaceutical care in an internal investigation.
• Represented a large health care management company in relation to allegations under the FCA. 
• Represented a telecommunications services provider involved in Federal Communications Commission (FCC), U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) investigations.
• Counseled a company in relation to an Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) investigation.
• Represented an engineering construction maintenance procurement company in FCA litigation.
• Represented a government contractor in relation to civil and criminal allegations by the Defense Logistics Agency and DOJ.
• Acted as counsel in investigations by the Office of Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) and Office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR).
• Performed an internal investigation on behalf of a communications company related to FCC and compliance issues. 
• Routinely counsels clients in connection with potential voluntary and mandatory disclosures.
• Counseled a global media and entertainment company in relation to compliance issues.
• Performed an internal investigation and compliance for large public company related to gifts, gratuities, and conflicts of interest.
• Represented a global insurance company in relation to a grand jury investigation.
• Counseled a health care services organization in connection with a congressional investigation.
• Frequently represents aerospace, shipping, consulting, IT, manufacturing, and other government contractors in criminal and civil investigations.

Individual Clients:

• Represented a U.S. Congressman in relation to allegations of false statements and disclosures.
• Represented a director and officer of a pharmaceutical company in U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), DOJ, and SEC investigations.
• Routinely represents employees of companies or other individuals involved in inspector general or other government investigations.
• Counseled a White House official in Office of Special Counsel investigation.
• Represented an ambassador in relation to alleged false financial disclosures.
• Represented a senior White House official in connection with allegations of false statements and obstruction.
• Counseled a senior government official on alleged Hatch Act violations.
• Routinely represents individuals who have received a subpoena, civil investigative demand, and other criminal and civil requests for information, interviews, or testimony.

Non-Profit Clients:

• Counseled a public university in connection with an internal investigation.
• Represented a non-profit in relation to investigation by state attorney general.
• Counseled a large scientific trade association in relation to a congressional investigation.
• Represented a trade association in relation to due diligence issues.
• Counseled a television broadcaster in connection with a government investigation.
• Represented a non-profit in relation to a grand jury subpoena in a public corruption matter.

U.S. Attorney's Office:

• Lead counsel on more than 40 criminal and civil trials.
• Lead counsel in complex criminal and prosecutions, including an investigation that involved more than two dozen federal and state authorities in nine states. Complex investigations have involved substantial experience in grand jury and administrative subpoenas, wiretaps, search warrants, and other law enforcement methods.
• Briefed and argued numerous cases and motions before federal trial and appellate courts.

Professional Experience

• Assistant U.S. Attorney, U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia, Criminal and Civil Divisions (1994-2005)
• Litigation associate, large Washington, DC law firm (1990-1994)

Affiliations

• American Bar Association (ABA), Section of Public Contract Law
• American Bar Association, Criminal Justice Section, White Collar Crime Committee
• Assistant United States Attorneys’ Association for the District of Columbia
• William B. Bryant Inn of Court

Recognitions

• Named to Law360's Government Contracts Editorial Advisory Board (2018)