Nicola T. Hanna is an experienced trial lawyer and litigation partner in Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher's Orange County office.  He is a member of the White Collar Defense and Investigations, Crisis Management, and Healthcare Practice Groups. 

Mr. Hanna's practice focuses on white collar criminal defense, internal investigations, the defense of False Claims Act suits, and complex business litigation.  He has represented individuals and corporations in connection with a wide array of criminal, SEC and regulatory enforcement matters, including cases involving alleged healthcare fraud, securities fraud, environmental crimes, money laundering and Bank Secrecy Act violations, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act investigations, and public corruption.  Mr. Hanna also is regularly engaged by leading companies and by Audit and Special Committees of Boards of Directors to conduct sensitive internal investigations.

Mr. Hanna additionally has extensive experience handling a broad range of high-stakes civil litigation, including cases involving consumer class actions, unfair business practices, misappropriation of trade secrets, and complex financial and accounting issues.

Some of Mr. Hanna's representative matters include:

• Represented one of the country's largest publicly traded proprietary school companies in a multi-year, nationwide federal criminal and SEC investigation alleging fraudulent student recruitment practices.  No criminal charges were filed and the SEC closed its investigation without action.
• Represented major U.S. Bank targeted in federal criminal investigation into  alleged money laundering and Bank Secrecy Act violations for failure to report suspicious transactions.  Successfully negotiated a deferred prosecution agreement with DOJ and simultaneous resolution of all regulatory actions.
• Represented Fortune 500 healthcare company in federal criminal investigation alleging unnecessary open heart surgery.  No charges were filed.
• Defended hospital company in a $300 million False Claims Act suit brought by the federal government alleging Medicare overbilling at over 100 hospital facilities.
• Represented Special Committee of NASDAQ-listed company in stock options backdating internal investigation.
• Trial counsel for former executive of international public relations firm indicted for wire fraud in government overbilling case.
• Represented not-for-profit hospital chain for alleged violations of the Medicare Secondary Payer Act.  Successfully obtained dismissal in trial court.
• Represented City Councilwoman in federal grand jury investigation alleging insider trading and mail fraud in connection with votes to fund a new major league baseball park.  Successfully obtained transfer to state court and negotiated plea to two state misdemeanors.
• Defended pension board trustee in federal grand jury investigation and state conflict of interest prosecution regarding alleged $1.4 billion underfunding of municipal employee pension system.
• Conducted internal investigation into the foreign operations of a U.S. casino company into allegations of money laundering and violations of foreign currency exchange laws.

Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Hanna served as a federal prosecutor in Southern California for eight years.  From 1990 to 1994, Mr. Hanna was an Assistant United States Attorney for the Central District of California in Los Angeles, handling matters involving the illegal export of high-technology computer equipment, money laundering, financial structuring, narcotics, and other violent and economic crimes.  From 1995 to 1998, Mr. Hanna served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of California in San Diego, where he served as Deputy Chief of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force.  In that capacity, he was responsible for prosecuting cases involving major money laundering and narcotics trafficking organizations, criminal tax violations, and cases involving international chemical diversion.  As an Assistant United States Attorney, Mr. Hanna has represented the government in numerous federal court jury trials and has briefed and argued cases before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.  For his work with the government, Mr. Hanna has received many awards and commendations from state and federal agencies, including the FBI, DEA, IRS, and the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Mr. Hanna received his law degree magna cum laude in 1987 from Georgetown University Law Center, where he served as Associate Editor of the Georgetown Law Journal.  He earned his B.A. degree in 1984 from the University of California, San Diego.

Mr. Hanna's professional associations include the State Bar of California (admitted 1987), Orange County Bar Association and the Federal Bar Association.  Mr. Hanna currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Public Law Center, Orange County's pro bono legal aid organization.