August 2, 2016
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP is pleased to announce that Benjamin Wagner, former U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of California, will join the firm as a partner in the Palo Alto office. Wagner’s practice will focus on government investigations and white collar defense.
“Ben will be an outstanding addition to the firm,” said Ken Doran, Chairman & Managing Partner of Gibson Dunn. “He enjoys a very strong reputation within the Department of Justice and is well-connected in the U.S. Attorneys’ community. He is widely recognized for his superb trial and advocacy skills, his eloquent writing, his sound judgment and his integrity. With his 24 years in government, capped by six-plus years as the U.S. Attorney, Ben has incredible depth in both criminal and civil litigation and investigations. He brings experience and gravitas that will reinforce our ability to demonstrate to clients that we can field the strongest team of white collar lawyers with a profound understanding of, and years of experience in, criminal investigations and litigation necessary to resolve their matters effectively.”
“In addition to deepening the capabilities and experience of our preeminent white collar practice, Ben will anchor the practice in Palo Alto and focus on serving the needs of technology companies in Silicon Valley,” said Russell Hansen, Partner in Charge of the Palo Alto office. “His substantial trial experience will also help us meet the civil trial needs of our clients.”
Wagner reunites with Chuck Stevens, who served as the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of California from 1993 to 1997, and who now serves as Partner in Charge of Gibson Dunn’s San Francisco office and Co-Chair of the firm’s White Collar Defense and Investigations Practice Group.
“With 24 years as a federal prosecutor, Ben has a distinguished record of public service, an exceptional skill set and an impeccable reputation,” said Stevens. “We are delighted to have him join our white collar practice group, which in the Bay Area offices now offers a unique combination of two former U.S. Attorneys, two former supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorneys, a former Regional Director of the Securities and Exchange Commission, and two former Department of Justice trial attorneys.”
“I plan to establish a practice that involves providing strategic advice, compliance counseling, crisis management, and litigation services to clients facing domestic and international investigations relating to a wide range of enforcement issues,” said Wagner. “And the right place for me to do so is with Gibson Dunn, which has a strong culture of collaboration and is widely recognized as one of the top white collar practices in the world.”
About Benjamin Wagner
At Gibson Dunn, Wagner will handle government investigations, criminal white collar defense and civil litigation and investigations with a focus on the technology sector. He has extensive experience in a broad range of white collar matters, including those involving the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989 (FIRREA) and the False Claims Act (FCA) as well as mortgage fraud, securities and investment fraud, health care fraud, cybercrime, public corruption, government contracting fraud, and environmental crime. He has significant experience working in a number of industries, including technology, financial services, government services, defense, health care, agriculture and education. He also has significant experience handling cross-border cases.
Appointed by President Obama, Wagner served as U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of California from November 2009 through April 2016. In that position, he oversaw a team of 90 attorneys and handled many high-profile criminal matters. During his tenure, he served for three years on Attorney General Eric Holder’s Advisory Committee, where he worked with DOJ leadership on developing national law enforcement policy. He also served as Co-Chair of the White Collar Crime Subcommittee. In addition, Wagner also co-chaired for five years the Mortgage Fraud Working Group of the President’s Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force, a national multi-agency group focused on enhancing criminal, civil and administrative enforcement of mortgage fraud.
Wagner served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District from 1992 to 2009, where he handled 18 jury trials and numerous appeals in matters involving financial crimes, tax evasion, health care fraud, domestic terrorism and other crimes. During his tenure, from 2000 to 2009, he was Chief of the Special Prosecutions Unit, where he supervised a team of prosecutors concentrating on public corruption, financial fraud, money laundering, cyber and intellectual property crimes, tax evasion and other major federal crimes. He also served one year, from 2005 to 2006, as the Resident Legal Advisor in Jakarta, Indonesia with the Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training. He received a Meritorious Honor Award from the U.S. State Department in 2006 and an Executive Office of U.S. Attorneys Director’s Award for Superior Performance as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in 2003, 1999 and 1996.
Upon graduating from law school, he practiced for six years at a large law firm in New York. He graduated in 1986 from New York University School of Law, where he was Managing Editor of the Journal of International Law and Politics.