Peter Katz

White Collar Defense & Investigations

pkatz@yklaw.us

(212) 933 - 9323

Location: New York, NY

Practice Areas & Industries:

Peter is a seasoned trial attorney who draws on his extensive background in private practice and his federal and state prosecutorial experience.  Peter focuses his practice on white-collar criminal matters, witnesses, victims as well as those accused of crimes.  He also represents whistleblowers related to all types of government fraud, with particular attention to the healthcare and financial industries.  Peter has extensive experience conducting internal investigations and providing monitoring services arising from fraud, waste, abuse, and corruption allegations.

Peter served for over 17 years as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for both the District of New Jersey and the Eastern District of New York, as a Trial Attorney for the Department of Justice and as an Assistant District Attorney with the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. As a career prosecutor, Peter led thousands of investigations and prosecutions, including a focus on healthcare, bank, tax, wire, mail, and insurance fraud.

In addition, Peter was Director of Criminal Justice for the Laura and John Arnold Foundation. Peter developed and executed criminal justice reform strategy for national, large-scale philanthropic foundations, focusing on prosecution, prosecutors, criminal justice research and criminal justice data.

Peter is a frequent lecturer and author on his practice specialties, notably in the areas of health care compliance, government investigations, and state and federal enforcement.

Peter has served as an adjunct professor at both the law school and college level, teaching upper-level courses on Health Care Fraud and Abuse, White Collar Crime, and Rights of the Accused.

Education

University of Pennsylvania Law School, J.D. (1994), cum laude
Union College, B.A. (1991), magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa

Bar Admissions

United States Supreme Court
2nd Circuit, Court of Appeals
Eastern District of New York
Southern District of New York
District of New Jersey
New York
New Jersey

Memberships

American Bar Association
Federal Bar Council
American Health Lawyers Association
Eastern District of New York Alumni Association
District of New Jersey Alumni Association
Hogan-Morganthau Associate
Association of Jewish Attorneys

Recognition

Two-time recipient of the Chief Postal Inspector’s Award for Excellence in Law Enforcement
National Trial Lawyers Top 100 Trial Lawyers

Publications

Corporate Compliance in the Era of #MeToo, Sobel and Co. CLE Presentation (2018)
Elements of an Effective Third-Party Sales & Marketing Compliance Program, Webinar Presenter for UL Eduneering, Princeton, NJ (2014)
Top Four Compliance Risks Companies Face with Recent Health Care Legislation, co-written with Denise Pedulla, Corporate Compliance Insights (2013)
Responding to Government Investigations in Health Care, Presenter, Illinois State Bar Association, Chicago, IL (2013)
Analyzing Trends in U.S. Enforcement from a State and Federal Perspective, Moderator, 8th Annual CBI Medical Device and Diagnostics Compliance Conference, Washington, DC (2012)
A History of Free Agency in the United States and Great Britain: Who’s Leading the Charge?, Comparative Labor Law Journal, volume 15, number 3, Spring 1994.

Experience

Recent transactions handled by Peter Katz include:
Defended a multi-million dollar securities investor against federal criminal and civil charges brought by the Securities Exchange Commission and U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of New York, for securities fraud and perjury, resulting in a dramatically reduced sentence.
Represented an owner of a multi-million dollar company charged by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in New Jersey with committing healthcare fraud. Secured a full dismissal of all charges.
Represented an individual charged by the FBI in a multi-count computer hacking / international fraud, securing a substantially-downgraded misdemeanor charge and non-jail sentence.
Represented a pharmacist in $7 million criminal health care and tax fraud case brought by the FBI, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – Office of Inspector General, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of New York.
Represented witness/employee in connection with a multi-million dollar international money laundering investigation conducted by the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of New York.
Represented the owner and operator of a numerous New York pharmacies charged with a multi-million dollar Medicaid Fraud scheme to defraud.
Avoided criminal liability and obtained a 75% reduction in re-payment by a Medicaid Biller for allegedly improper billing practices.
Defended Saudi Arabian national in a series of forgery and false document allegations brought by the New York City Police Department and Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.
Represented whistleblower/relator in $150 million foreign exchange currency fraud investigation conducted by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of New York.
Declared an expert on healthcare fraud investigation techniques in defense of licensed healthcare provider in a criminal trial in California Superior Court.
Served as compliance counsel to a physician and his telemedicine practice.
Represented seafood company employees in an environmental crime investigation conducted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and U.S. Department of Justice, Environmental Crimes Section.
Secured a non-prosecution agreement for a licensed securities professional who was the target of a criminal investigation and prosecution by the SEC and U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of New York.
Successfully defended owner of a multi-million dollar real estate asset against forfeiture allegations by the FBI, IRS, and U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of New York.
Represented whistleblower/relators in $1 billion SEC action regarding international investment bank.
Represented whistleblowers/relators in $40 million tax fraud investigation conducted by the IRS and New York Attorney General.
Represented Administrator of Estate in effort to recovery of over $400,000 of illegally diverted funds from the Estate.
Assisted New Jersey and New York physician in State claims of misconduct and fraud where the State was seeking permanent revocation of the doctor’s license. After our representation, State agreed to a two-year suspension in lieu of revocation.
Represented healthcare company owner in New Jersey Attorney General investigation regarding claims of consumer fraud.
Represented pharmaceutical company employee accused of insider trading for sale of company stock.
Assisted individual with a 20-year old federal conviction in effort to seal the record through novel legal theory.
Successfully represented over one dozen families in FAIR hearing actions brought by New Jersey Boards of Social Services claiming recoupment of FamilyCare, HUD Section 8, and SNAP payments.
Successfully convinced the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York to reduce an international drug distribution charge with a 10-year mandatory minimum jail sentence to a lower-level marijuana sale charge with no mandatory minimum and a potential for probation.
Represented owner of a chemical manufacturing company in federal environmental crime investigation and prosecution.