EXPERIENCE

Jessica frequently represents companies in sensitive investigations by the U.S. Department of Justice, the SEC, the CFTC, various federal and state regulators, and other government agencies. She has litigated numerous securities and complex commercial matters in federal and state courts across the country, as well as in arbitrations, including matters where billions of dollars are at stake. In addition, Jessica advises private equity funds and their portfolio companies and major public companies and their boards in a variety of high-stakes commercial disputes.

Jessica’s current and recent representations include:

Investigations

• A Special Committee of the Board of Directors of Credit Suisse Group AG in an investigation and widely anticipated report on the Bank’s relationship with Archegos Capital Management following the fund’s default and Credit Suisse’s related losses, and related enforcement proceedings;
• The New York-based subsidiary of a major non-U.S. bank in resolving AML-related investigations involving the New York State Department of Financial Services, the FDIC, and FinCEN;
• Leading cryptocurrency exchanges in internal investigations and regulatory enforcement inquiries relating to their products and services;
• A multinational financial services company in interfacing with the DOJ on Russia-related sanctions matters;
• A major pharmaceutical company in a DOJ FCPA investigation of allegedly corrupt sales in the tender market for pharmaceutical products and medical devices in Iraq;
• A top U.S. retail bank in regulatory matters relating to the bank’s compliance with BSA/AML compliance requirements and responses to related DOJ inquiries;
• A leading investment bank in connection with an SEC investigation into its activities as lead underwriter for a technology company IPO;
• A U.S. financial institution in various criminal, regulatory and government investigations concerning, among other things, the company’s BSA/AML compliance, and virtual currency exchange activity;
• A leading global market maker in an investigation by a State Attorney General relating to algorithmic trading practices;
• A multinational investment bank in several high-stakes matters, including a CFTC investigation concerning the bank’s interest rate swaps and Treasuries trading;
• A global conglomerate in a CFTC enforcement action involving alleged “spoofing” of precious metals futures contracts on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange;
• A top-five global bank in an investigation by the Manhattan U.S. Attorney’s Office related to U.S. dollar-clearing activity and related anti-money laundering (AML) controls;
• A large technology company and certain subsidiaries in a DOJ investigation of AML and anti-fraud controls at money services businesses;
• A U.S. financial institution in the resolution of a major multi-year global AML investigation by the DOJ; the company entered into a non-prosecution agreement and its subsidiary paid a significantly reduced penalty; also various FINRA enforcement investigations;
• A Special Committee of the Board of a public company in an investigation of whistleblower allegations involving senior executives’ handling of employment-related complaints;
• A Special Committee of the Board of a financial institution in an internal investigation of sales practice and incentive compensation issues at a non-U.S. subsidiary;
• A major private equity firm in several matters, including DOJ and SEC investigations of a major bank failure; 
• Numerous financial institutions in inquiries by various Congressional Committees, including the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs and the House Committee on Financial Services.

Litigation

• Glencore in the dismissal of a multibillion-dollar antitrust, fraud and corruption lawsuit brought against international oil trading companies by a U.S. litigation trust allegedly established by Venezuela’s national oil company, Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PDVSA), alleging that the oil trading companies conspired to obtain inside information about tenders for the sale and purchase of oil and oil products;
• DST Systems, Inc., a subsidiary of financial services software provider SS&C, in the successful resolution of longstanding federal district court ERISA litigation and more than 400 arbitrations asserting alleged losses by current and former participants in DST’s 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan;
• Deutsche Bank in the dismissal of class action claims alleging that Deutsche Bank and other “panel” banks purportedly violated antitrust laws by conspiring to suppress ICE LIBOR, an interest rate benchmark; 
• JPMorgan Chase & Co. in the successful resolution of multidistrict litigation and arbitrations of securities, derivative and ERISA claims relating to alleged misrepresentations of the financial condition of Bear Stearns in the run-up to the financial crisis;
• Virtu Financial in an action by the SEC alleging that Virtu made materially false and misleading statements and omissions regarding its information barriers to prevent the misuse of sensitive customer information;
• Johnson & Johnson in Anti-Terrorism Act litigation relating to alleged activities in Iraq; 
• A major technology company in a series of arbitrations concerning the post-spin payment obligations of a former business unit.

Jessica was recognized as a “Next Generation Leader” at the 2021 Legal Momentum Aiming High Awards. In 2016, she was recognized as a “Rising Star” by the New York Law Journal and received the “Law360 Distinguished Writing Award” at the 2017 Burton Awards.