Case Studies
Disclaimer: prior results described on this website cannot and do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome with respect to any future matter that we or any lawyer may be retained to handle.
- Defending a Government Contract Fraud Allegation
The Client: An in-house lawyer for the U.S. subsidiary of one of the world’s largest industrial and electronics corporations.
The Challenge: Our client was indicted in federal court in Chicago on allegations of having been the principal decision maker in creating a sham partnership with a minority-owned business in order to help secure a government contract for the corporation.
The Result: In the face of the government’s effort to seek a five-year prison sentence, Monico & Spevack used our federal sentencing expertise to negotiate on our client’s behalf. We secured a final judgment in which a plea of guilty resulted in probation for our client.
- Going to Trial Against a Reimbursement Fraud Charge
The Client: A marketing executive for a major pharmaceutical company.
The Challenge: As the result of whistleblower allegations, the government brought charges against our client in Boston federal court, charging involvement in schemes to conspire with doctors to overcharge the Medicare program.
The Result: We provided individual defense to our client after the company had settled with the government well in excess of the alleged overcharges. At trial, Monico & Spevack successfully demonstrated major inconsistencies in the whistleblower’s charges and showed that in other instances, the federal anti-kickback statutes did not apply. The result after a 10-week trial was a jury verdict of not guilty in favor of our client.
- Representing Executives in an Environmental Investigation
The Client: Individual managers and executives who work for one of the world’s largest integrated energy companies.
The Challenge: Following a major environmental accident, the company faced multiple investigations into its conduct and that of its employees. The employees who were questioned in the proceedings were advised to obtain their own attorneys to avoid any appearance of conflicts of interest.
The Result: One of the largest law firms in the U.S. coordinated the company’s strategy and chose Monico & Spevack as one of several firms to represent individual executives. Our firm’s extensive track record in white collar defense and knowledge of prosecutorial and regulatory procedure were instrumental in our selection. We have represented these clients in a number of forums and our work on their behalf is ongoing.
- Winning a “Not Guilty” Verdict in a Massive Federal Prosecution
The Client: A lawyer charged with corruption in a major government investigation.
The Challenge: “Operation Greylord” was an undercover federal operation and subsequent prosecution in Chicago that targeted allegedly corrupt judges and lawyers in Cook County courts. Our client was one of 75 individuals indicted and he faced charges of bribing a judge which carried penalties of up to 20 years in prison and a $25,000 fine.
The Result: Convinced that our client was not guilty, Mike Monico mounted an aggressive defense at trial with questioning that exposed weaknesses and inconsistencies in the government’s witnesses. The result was a jury verdict of “not guilty.” According to the Chicago Tribune, our client was the only one acquitted out of some 75 Greylord defendants. All others whose cases were resolved, 98.7 percent were found, or pleaded, guilty.
- Securing Substantially Reduced Sentencing Terms
The Client: A former Chicago alderman.
The Challenge: Our client was indicted by federal prosecutors for alleged involvement in a bribe to affect the sale of a multi-million dollar building in Chicago.
The Result: Prosecutors initially sought a multi-year prison sentence for our client, who was represented by Mike Monico and Barry Spevack. An initial strategy that combined a guilty plea with a strong presentation on our client’s record of public service resulted in a sentence of probation in federal court. When that sentence was overturned by the Seventh Circuit as inconsistent with federal sentencing guidelines, we again took the case on remand. Prosecutors sought up to four years of prison time, but following our presentation, the federal court imposed a sentence of 10 months in prison, five months of work release, and five months of home detention – which our client accepted.