Biography

John focuses his practice on compliance, government enforcement and internal investigations, as well as white collar criminal defense, with an emphasis on the health care and manufacturing industries and antitrust matters.

John has extensive experience leading complex multi-defendant investigations, managing vast amounts of electronic data and confidential information, building cases, and trying those cases to verdict—or resolving them short of charge or trial where that is appropriate. John also represents medical professionals facing parallel criminal and licensing board matters, as well as defending and counseling health care providers facing False Claims Act investigations, qui tam whistleblower lawsuits, and anti-trust matters. He recently obtained the dismissal with prejudice of all federal False Claims Act and whistleblower retaliation claims against a health care provider client, after successfully defending the accompanying government investigation.

John is a member of the firm's Criminal Defense, White Collar & Government Enforcement Group. John has tried numerous federal and state criminal cases involving bid rigging, fraud, antitrust, political corruption, tax, and national security issues. John’s experience extends to grand jury investigations. John has developed and tried cases in federal district courts across the United States and in various counties in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. He has also argued appeals before several United States Courts of Appeals.

John has conducted and defended merger and civil non-merger antitrust investigations, represented parties involved in civil antitrust litigation, and represented both acquired and acquiring entities in making HSR filings, primarily in the health care industry. He has also counseled clients in dealing with state antitrust authorities and making required filings when necessary.

Prior to joining the firm, John spent almost 20 years with the United States Department of Justice. John investigated mergers and acquisitions in a variety of industries and prosecuted complex, multi-defendant antitrust and fraud crimes in the health care, financial services, and other industries while working for the Antitrust Division. While working for the Criminal and National Security Divisions, he managed and conducted terrorism and national security investigations and prosecutions. John worked closely with a variety of federal and state law enforcement, investigatory, and regulatory authorities, as well as foreign counterparts, and now uses that experience in representing clients subject to investigation.

After his clerkship, John practiced as a litigation associate at Ropes & Gray before joining the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office, where he prosecuted political corruption, economic and tax crimes, and other matters before joining the U.S. Department of Justice.

John regularly accepts appointments to provide criminal defense representation to indigent defendants as a Criminal Justice Act (CJA) panel member.

Services/Industries

Education

  • Yale Law School  (J.D.)
  • Yale University  (M.Phil.)
  • Amherst College  (B.A., summa cum laude)

Public Service

  • Regular Guest Lecturer, Antitrust 101 for Healthcare Lawyers for Boston University Law School course, "Health Care Transactions"
  • Regular Guest Lecturer, Antitrust 101 for Healthcare Lawyers for Maine Law and Public Policy course, "Health Care Law and Ethics"
  • Instructor, Adjunct Faculty, Seton Hall University Law School, "Issues in Counterterrorism" (spring 2008)
  • Board of Directors, Westfield Day Care Center, Inc. (2008-2014), President (2010-2014)
  • Board of Directors, Clara Barton Center for Children, Inc. (2003-2007), President (2005-2007)

Bar Admissions

  • Massachusetts
  • Maine

Memberships

  • American Bar Association (Criminal Justice and Antitrust Law Sections)
  • American Health Lawyers Association
  • Boston Bar Association (Criminal Law and Health Law Sections)
  • Maine Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
  • Maine State Bar Association (Health Law Section)
  • Federal Bar Association

Honors

  • AV Rated by Martindale-Hubbell
  • Received Katahdin Counsel Recognition for pro bono efforts (2016)
  • IRS Criminal Investigation Chief's Award, recognizing excellence in tax and financial investigation of corruption in the municipal bonds reinvestment market on the Munibonds team (2014)
  • Assistant Attorney General's Award for work on the Munibonds team including trial of United States v. Ghavami, et al. (S.D.N.Y.) (2013)
  • Attorney General's Award for Excellence in Furthering the Interests of U.S. National Security, for prosecution of United States v. Moussaoui (E.D. Va.) (2006)
  • Director of Central Intelligence's Medallion Seal for remarkable contributions to the CIA's mission in the global war on terrorism (2006)
  • Counterterrorism Section's Reynolds Award for outstanding contributions as an attorney (2004)

To learn more about third-party ratings and rankings, and the selection processes used for inclusion, click here.

Clerkships

  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, Hon. Richard D. Cudahy

Court and Other Admissions

  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
  • U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts
  • U.S. District Court for the District of Maine
  • U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico

Firm Highlights

Event

Maine HR Convention: Workshop C: What Every Plan Sponsor Needs to Know-Your Fiduciary Duties in 2023

Join Verrill's Christopher S. Lockman at the 2023 Maine HR Convention where he will be presenting Workshop C: What Every Plan Sponsor Needs to Know-Your Fiduciary Duties in 2023 . This workshop will review...

Event

Maine HR Convention: Workshop A: Out of Sight, Out of Mind-Legal Implications of Proximity Bias

Join Verrill's Tawny L. Alvarez at the 2023 Maine HR Convention where she will be presenting Workshop A:Out of Sight, Out of Mind-Legal Implications of Proximity Bias. Proximity bias can raise discrimination issues for...

Publication/Podcast

Telehealth compliance after the public health emergency

Verrill attorneys David G. Lazarus and Alicia M. Siani recently published an article in Compliance Cosmos titled, “Telehealth compliance after the public health emergency.” In it they discuss how COVID-19 impacted telehealth usage for...

Matter

Elections and Constitutional Law: Successfully Challenged Certification of Initiative Petition

In a victory for consumers and the ride-hailing public, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court recently barred the Secretary of State from placing on the November ballot initiative petitions proposed by companies such as Uber...

News

Verrill's Norman Belanger and Betts Gorsky Featured in Mainebiz Article

Blog

HR Power Hour with Sabine Gedeon

Matter

Advised Fortune 500 Company on Group Health and Welfare Benefit Plans

We were engaged by a Fortune 500 manufacturing company to provide legal and compliance services regarding its group health and welfare benefit plans. During the course of our representation, we have advised the company...

Blog

Carolyn Gilbert Nominated to Maine PUC

On March 28, Governor Janet Mills nominated Carolyn “Carrie” Gilbert to serve a six-year term on the Maine Public Utilities Commission. For the past 15 years, Gilbert has worked at Daymark Energy Advisors where...

News

David Lazarus Quoted in Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Article Regarding Cryptocurrency Whistleblowing.

Publication/Podcast

Litigation Update: Jack Daniels V. Bad Spaniels. Is It Parody or Is It Trademark Infringement?

This week the U.S. Supreme Court will hear argument in the case, Jack Daniel’s Properties Inc. v. VIP Products LLC, U.S. Doc. No. 22-148, to decide the question: Can we do that? It’s been...

Contact Verrill at (855) 307 0700