White Collar & Internal Investigations

Representative Matters

• Judge Holwell, with the assistance of HSG, acted as an independent monitor engaged by a large financial institution pursuant to an agreement between the institution and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
• Promontory Financial Group, in connection with an investigation by the New York Department of Financial Services over Promontory’s work for Standard Chartered, in which HSG negotiated a favorable settlement with the agency.
• Credit Lyonnais, MGM/United Artists, and the Government of France in two major United States grand jury investigations, a Federal Reserve Board investigation, and criminal suits in France and Italy, all relating to the Bank’s financing of the acquisition of the MGM/UA film studio and the Bank’s investment in the Executive Life Insurance Company.
• Internal investigation for a European bank facing potential Federal Reserve Board action, as well as potential criminal prosecution, as a result of rogue trading in its New York branch in interest rate swaps, CMOs, currency swaps, and various other financial instruments.
• Holly Sugar Corporation and MacMillan Bloedel, Ltd., a major steel producer and a major aluminum manufacturer, in connection with criminal grand jury investigations of price-fixing in, respectively, the sugar, paper, titanium, and aluminum industries. In two cases, Judge Holwell represented the client in subsequent plea negotiations and parallel treble damage class actions.
• Internal investigation for a European bank facing civil liability and potential criminal prosecution resulting from manipulation of global currency markets.
• While on the bench, Judge Holwell presided over numerous white collar cases involving insider trading, Ponzi schemes, market manipulations, mortgage frauds, corrupt foreign practices, and cross-border business frauds.