Toni Mele Email & Phone Number

Greater New York City Area

Lead and supervise corporate, white-collar, regulatory and employment-related investigations, monitorships, and compliance reviews for domestic and international financial institutions and corporations and on behalf of regulatory agencies involving bribery and corruption, Bank Secrecy Act and anti-money laundering, fraud and embezzlement, and employee misconduct.

New York, New York

Greater New York City Area

Represented JPMorgan Chase in significant civil and criminal law enforcement investigations and bank regulatory inquiries relating to the Consumer Banking lines-of-business. Conducted and managed internal investigations based on whistleblower allegations, regulatory/government investigations and inquiries, and the findings of internal departments, including Human Resources, Risk, Compliance and Audit. Conducted and supervised over 100 internal investigations involving various U.S. Attorney’s Offices, State Attorney General’s Offices, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and other banking regulators implicating the Bank Secrecy Act, False Claims Act, violations of banking, employment and consumer laws, and white-collar fraud. Advised management and business leaders on strategies to improve policies, procedures and internal controls. Routinely interviewed employees (including 45 employees in one investigation) and analyzed data to assess potential violations of bank policies, and/or banking and consumer laws, eliminating reliance on outside counsel. Composed reports and presented executive summaries to heads of Compliance, Legal and the Business. Negotiated and communicated regularly with various law enforcement and regulatory agencies. Prepared and represented bank employees for meetings, interviews, testimony and/or trial. Advised subpoena response team and responded to complex regulatory subpoenas and inquiries. Examined and assessed the adequacy of bank protocol during investigations and collaborated with Compliance to ensure proper controls were in place. Managed outside counsel on case strategy, document production and settlement posture in large-scale matters involving governmental and regulatory agencies.

Brooklyn, Ny

Represented the federal government by investigating and prosecuting multi-defendant cases involving money laundering, international narcotics, and white-collar fraud, including bank, credit card, mortgage, and healthcare fraud. Independently performed all aspects of pre- and post-trial litigation, including written and oral motion practice, litigation strategy, conducting grand jury investigations, and evidentiary and sentencing hearings. Lead or co-lead counsel in 11 cases set for jury trial, six of which went to verdict, including a five-week, high-profile trial that exposed corruption at JFK Airport and gained notoriety on the front page of The New York Times. Negotiated favorable plea bargains in over 300 cases leading to satisfactory case resolutions. Provided legal expertise to FBI, DEA, and various law enforcement professionals regarding case strategy.

New York, Ny

Defended and counseled clients in resolving disputes regarding commercial, product liability, accountant’s liability, employment discrimination and insurance coverage. Handled depositions, motion practice, hearings, discovery, witness preparations, arbitrations and trials. Managed and coordinated national discovery involving multi-district product liability litigations, including class actions, for Dow Chemical. Directed junior associates and legal assistants, and supervised outside counsel.

Dallas/Fort Worth Area

Greater New York City Area