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.
"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 Publications
- April 3, 2024
DOJ Announces New Whistleblower Program and Enforcement Initiatives, Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance - January 3, 2020
The Practitioner's Guide to Global Investigations Volume I: Global Investigations in the United Kingdom and the United States, "Extraterritoriality: the US Perspective", Fourth Edition.
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.
- 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