Washington, DC. Nixon Peabody LLP announced that Mark D. Lytle, a highly accomplished former federal prosecutor and white-collar trial attorney, is joining the firm as a partner in the Government Investigations & White-Collar Defense practice, based in Washington, DC.
As chief of the Financial Crimes and Public Corruption Unit in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, Mark supervised more than 15 federal prosecutors, whose investigations and prosecutions covered just about every white-collar matter possible, including the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), bribery and anti-corruption, health care fraud, securities fraud, insider trading, procurement fraud, and fraud against the intelligence community.
Mark has decades of experience as a former federal prosecutor running some of the most sophisticated financial fraud and public corruption matters in the United States. Prior to joining Nixon Peabody, Mark served, since 2004, as an assistant U.S. attorney, an Enforcement Division attorney at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and a trial attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice Criminal Tax Section. More recently, Mark served as an associate deputy attorney general, helping to oversee the Criminal Division and other litigating divisions. His practice focuses on complex criminal and civil matters involving government investigations, including inquiries from federal agencies and regulators and investigations such as those conducted by the FBI, SEC, IRS, and other agencies.
Nixon Peabody’s Government Investigations & White Collar Defense practice is growing at a time of increased enforcement and regulatory risks related to COVID-19 federal relief funds, trade and business practices with China, SEC oversight of securities fraud, FCPA cooperation among cross-border enforcement agencies, and criminal tax enforcement.
“Mark’s deep experience as a federal prosecutor and a SEC and tax enforcement lawyer enables him to advise organizations and individuals on their most sensitive and sophisticated matters,” said David Vicinanzo, leader of Nixon Peabody’s Government Investigations & White Collar Defense practice. “Mark provides an insider’s view on managing investigations. He understands how to most effectively respond to them and provides a comprehensive strategy to effectively deal with those issues.”
Mark was lead prosecutor in the case of U.S. v. William J. Jefferson, most notable for $90,000 in cash found in the congressman’s freezer. Representative Jefferson was convicted of various corruption charges. Additionally, Mark led the investigation and prosecution of one of the world’s most prominent international banks, which pled guilty to aiding thousands of U.S. taxpayers to commit tax fraud, requiring the bank to pay a total of $2.6 billion in fines and penalties.
“We’re thrilled to have Mark expand our already strong group of Government Investigations & White Collar Defense attorneys in Washington,” said Colette Dafoe, managing partner of Nixon Peabody’s Washington, DC, office. “Given the anticipated uptick in government investigations, Mark joins our firm at an ideal time. His experience in government is a substantial asset to both clients and colleagues.”
Mark is a recipient of the Attorney General’s Distinguished Service Award, the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys Director’s Award for Superior Performance as an Assistant U.S. Attorney, the Tax Division’s Outstanding Attorney Award, and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Administrator’s Award, among other honors.
