People

Overview

Derek is a highly decorated former federal prosecutor and seasoned trial lawyer. Derek regularly represents U.S. and foreign companies and individuals in a wide range of criminal and regulatory investigations by federal, state and local authorities, including, among others, allegations of healthcare fraud, securities fraud, tax fraud, bribery, False Claims Act, sanctions/export violations, product recalls, antitrust, and Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) violations. He also has significant experience in complex commercial litigation matters and internal investigations.

Derek is the recipient of the highest awards bestowed by the Department of Justice and the FBI for his work as a federal prosecutor.

"Derek is highly skilled." and "Derek is a really talented trial lawyer." - Chambers USA, 2024

Clients benefit from Derek's extensive prior prosecutorial experience. He served in the Criminal Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, where he was Deputy Chief of the Division's Fraud Section. Derek also previously served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney with the U.S. Attorney's Office in Philadelphia, where he prosecuted some of the office's most significant white collar matters. Derek began his career as an Assistant District Attorney in Manhattan under the Hon. Robert M. Morgenthau.

Derek is a highly regarded trial attorney. He has previously taught Trial Advocacy at Temple Law School and has also guest lectured at Harvard and Penn Law Schools in the area of white collar crime.

Admissions & Affiliations

  • New York State Bar
  • District of Columbia Bar
  • New Jersey State Bar
  • Pennsylvania State Bar
  • United States Courts of Appeals for the Second, Third and Ninth Circuits
  • United States District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York
  • J.D., Boston University School of Law 1995
    cum laude
  • B.A., Political Science, University at Albany - State University of New York 1992

Experience

  • Obtained a jury verdict against Eli Lilly for over $200 million in a False Claims Act trial in the Northern District of Illinois
  • The successful defense at trial of former J.P. Morgan Securities LLC analyst Ashish Aggarwal on conspiracy, insider trading, and wire fraud charges. A Central District of California jury found Aggarwal not guilty related to his role in an alleged insider trading scheme. This was a rare defense victory in an insider trading case and the first since the December 2016 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Salman v. United States lowered the bar for prosecutors in insider trading cases.
  • Securing a deferred prosecution agreement for a publicly traded transportation company in connection with an investigation into accounting and securities fraud by the U.S. Department of Justice and the SEC.
  • Obtaining a non-jail sentence for an individual convicted in the Southern District of New York with FCPA violations for bribing the former President of the United Nations General Assembly.
  • Avoiding charges for a Fortune 500 company under investigation for potential environmental crimes by Federal and State authorities.
  • Avoiding charges for a London-based bond trader in a criminal antitrust investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice.
  • Avoiding charges for a publicly-traded biotech company under criminal investigation by the DOJ for alleged trade secret theft.
  • Avoiding charges for employees of a major automobile parts manufacturer under criminal investigation in connection with a product recall.

Awards and Community

Ranked in Chambers USA for Litigation: White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations, 2015-2024

Recognized in Lawdragon 500-Leading Litigators in America, 2025

Recognized in Benchmark Litigation, 2023