Christopher F. Regan

For more than 25 years, Chris Regan has successfully represented corporations and their C-suite executives in complex criminal and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) enforcement matters. He also has significant experience handling the often parallel and related class action and other civil or administrative litigation at both the state and federal levels.

A Partner in the Washington, D.C., office of Buckley LLP, Mr. Regan has represented numerous individual defendants in parallel proceedings involving the Department of Justice (DOJ), the SEC, and state attorneys general investigations, as well as administrative and/or regulatory enforcement litigation with agencies such as the Office of Fair Housing Enterprise Oversight (OFHEO), Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), the Federal Reserve, and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC).

Mr. Regan’s broad range of experience includes conducting internal investigations and the defense of criminal and/or grand jury investigations involving accounting fraud, disclosure issues, internal controls and corporate governance, tax fraud, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) violations, antitrust violations, mail and wire fraud, theft of trade secrets, and a wide array of environmental crimes. He has been involved in all aspects of the SEC’s enforcement program including the Wells process and the emerging issues surrounding the agency’s whistleblower programs and employee protections thereunder.

He has had a role in some of the most significant litigation in the past decade, including:

• Leading the Buckley litigation team in the representation of the Navajo Nation in a landmark lawsuit alleging that the U.S. had breached its historical fiduciary obligations by failing to manage, invest, and account for tribal trust funds and resources under the custody and control of the U.S. in a manner that would maximize the financial return from those assets. The firm secured $554 million settlement on behalf of its client, the largest settlement obtained in any action by a single Native American tribe against the U.S.
   
• Representation of numerous Volkswagen executives and employees in the ongoing criminal and civil litigation related to the certification and sale of diesel engines in the United States
   
• Representation of a former executive of an international bank in an ongoing DOJ investigation of LIBOR manipulation
   
• Representation of the former CFO of publicly traded timber company in an SEC investigation into certain accounting and disclosure issues resulting in no charges being brought against the client
   
• Representation of the former Chief Compliance Officer of a publicly traded technology company in an ongoing SEC investigation related to accounting issues and corporate governance
   
• Representation of the former Vice President of Revenue Accounting and other employees of a publicly traded data analytics company in an ongoing SEC/DOJ investigation into accounting and disclosure issues
   
• Representation of the former Chief Operating Officer of a publicly traded engine manufacturing company in an ongoing SEC/DOJ investigation into accounting and disclosure issues
   
• Representation of a former CEO of microcap companies in an ongoing investigation into promotional activities for certain microcap stocks
   
• Representation of the former Controller at Fannie Mae in parallel SEC, OFHEO, and pending class action derivative litigation, resulting in no SEC charges, a no admission of liability settlement with OFHEO, a complete vindication on summary judgment in the class action litigation, and contempt findings against OFHEO being upheld by the D.C. Circuit as a result of OFHEO’s e-discovery violations
   
• Representation of an individual in the FCPA “Gabon Sting Case” ultimately resulting in the dismissal of all charges by the DOJ. Assisted the trial team before and during an 18-week criminal jury trial
   
• Representation of a former executive of Freddie Mac in a securities fraud investigation by the SEC regarding financial disclosures of mortgage losses, resulting in the staff’s decision not to recommend an enforcement action
   
• Representation of numerous AOL/Time Warner executives in parallel grand jury, SEC, and class action litigation involving allegations of accounting fraud, resulting in no charges against any client and the dismissal of the class action litigation against the former AOL president on jurisdictional grounds
   
• Representation of Major League Baseball players during Congressional Hearings and Investigations regarding the use of performance enhancing drugs (HGH, Steroids)
   
• Representation of a senior foreign national executive and other employees of global oil company in the civil and criminal investigations related to an incident in the Gulf of Mexico
   
• Representation of foreign and domestic nationals in DOJ antitrust investigations of the auto parts industry resulting in no charges being brought against our client

His environmental practice ranges from conducting internal investigations to trial defense, with a strong focus on the unique suspension and debarment issues that arise under the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) program. In addition to his civil and criminal enforcement experience, Mr. Regan is proficient with lender liability issues, environmental due diligence, toxic tort ligation, superfund cost recovery and contribution actions, and compliance planning for environmental health and safety issues.

Mr. Regan's environmental experience includes:

• Representation of senior Environment, Health, and Safety (EHS) executives in DOJ criminal investigations of electroplating, textile, and power generation facilities
   
• Representation of a senior executive of W.R. Grace indicted in the largest environmental case brought by the DOJ/EPA. Assisted the trial team before and during the 12-week criminal trial, resulting in an acquittal for our client on all charges
   
• Representation of a cruise line, commercial vessels, a construction company, and an international food producer before the EPA’s Suspension and Debarment Division. Negotiated an administrative agreement with the EPA’s Suspension and Debarment Official (SDO) to resolve all automatic debarment issues associated with criminal plea agreements

Mr. Regan is recognized in Chambers as a Recognized Practitioner in D.C. White Collar Crime & Government Investigations, in Legal 500 for Corporate Investigations and White Collar Criminal Defense, and Best Lawyers in America in the fields of Criminal Defense: White-Collar, Corporate Governance Law,  and Corporate Compliance Law. He received his J.D. from the University of Michigan, and his B.S. from the State University of New York at Brockport.