Government Investigations &
White Collar Defense

John Schwab draws on his experience as a Marine Corps Officer and nearly two decades as a trial attorney when representing individuals and companies. He is an experienced litigator in the areas of commercial litigation, white collar criminal defense, government investigations, and corporate internal investigations and compliance. He represents corporate and individual clients in a wide range of civil and criminal cases, including regulatory and enforcement matters investigated by the United States of America, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and numerous federal and state agencies. Many of the cases involve alleged violations of federal and state laws, including money laundering, bank and lender fraud, internal revenue fraud and tax evasion, procurement and contracting fraud, environmental offenses, mortgage fraud, trade secret theft, health care fraud, DBE fraud, public corruption, mail and wire fraud, and conspiracy.

Representative Matters:

  • Government contractors facing investigations into projects performed for federal and state governments and regulatory agencies
  • Executive of global pharmaceutical corporation charged with insider trading and securities fraud in federal court; charges dismissed two weeks before trial
  • Physician facing IRS investigation and subsequent federal criminal tax charges for failure to pay over employment taxes; sentenced to probation despite $1.1 million tax bill owed to the IRS
  • Doctors, and their staff, under criminal investigations for alleged over-prescribing of opioids and Schedule II drugs by DOJ, FBI, DEA and state Attorneys General
  • Business owner charged with federal tax evasion by the IRS and U.S. Attorney’s Office based on allegations of unreported income
  • Small business owner for alleged violations of federal criminal statutes and civil False Claims Act
  • CEO of telecommunications company in federal investigation by FBI and Department of Education; favorable outcome resulting in no charges being filed
  • Administrator of medical practice in international tax investigation by the IRS Criminal Investigation Division
  • Office manager indicted on mortgage fraud charges, including loss hearing and sentencing hearing at the trial level, as well as appellate proceedings at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and the U.S. Supreme Court
  • Pharmacy owner in joint FDA-DOJ investigation into alleged health care fraud and violations of federal Food, Drug, & Cosmetic Act, including distribution of misbranded and illegally-imported medication
  • Physician facing federal investigation related to medical necessity of procedures and alleged unbundling of billing codes
  • Energy supplier in an internal investigation into improper billing practices by employees
  • Estimator in investigation by U.S. Department of Justice and Pennsylvania Department of Transportation into allegedly improper use of a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) for federal and state construction projects
  • Former Department of Defense employee targeted in a federal investigation for alleged role in federal military procurement
  • Manager of medical practice and medical device distributor in investigation by DOJ, FBI, and Secret Service into bankruptcy fraud allegations
  • Warehouse manager in investigation by U.S. Department of  Transportation’s Office of Inspector General into alleged violations of regulations regarding transporting hazardous materials
  • Steel supplier classified as a material regular dealer in a federal investigation into alleged DBE fraud in federal and state construction projects
  • Chief of Police facing criminal charges brought by the Pennsylvania Attorney General for alleged falsification of records
  • U.S. government contracting officer charged with receipt of bribes and kickbacks
  • Senior military member charged with counterfeiting immigration and Social Security documents and obstruction of justice
  • Business owner charged with credit card and access device fraud
  • Corporate executives and officers in bank and lender fraud matters in meetings and negotiations with government investigators and prosecutors
  • U.S. military officer charged with travel fraud and falsifying records
  • Individuals charged with making false statements or misrepresentations to government investigators

Military Service & Trial Experience

Mr. Schwab earned substantial litigation and trial experience serving in the U.S. Marine Corps as the Senior Defense Counsel at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. As Senior Defense Counsel, Mr. Schwab supervised six trial attorneys and defended the office’s most complex cases, including fact-gathering, writing and arguing motions, witness preparation, and trial. During his tenure with the U.S. Marine Corps, Mr. Schwab served as trial counsel for 10 jury trials to verdict and more than 20 bench trials. A large portion of Mr. Schwab’s military practice also involved representation of Marines and Sailors at employment termination hearings, termed “boards of inquiry” for officers, and “administrative separation boards” for enlisted members. He handled approximately twenty of these hearings, which involved: voir dire of the hearing members; opening statements; challenging the United States’ evidence, including cross-examination of witnesses; presentation of the Marine’s or Sailor’s evidence, including witnesses; and closing arguments.