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John Wolfe

Partner

Seattle

For more than 40 years, John Wolfe has provided crisis management advice to and directly represented businesses (both public and private) and individuals confronting complex, high-profile government investigations (criminal and civil) or other character and conduct-related issues. Chambers USA has called John "one of the premier white-collar defense lawyers on the West Coast," with clients noting that "he is the bet-the-company criminal defense attorney you want. His awareness, strategic sense and connectivity in the community delivers results."

John is consistently recognized in The Best Lawyers in America and recommended by The Legal 500 United States as a white collar criminal defense lawyer. John relies upon a multi-disciplinary crisis management strategy to assist clients and address both legal and reputational risks.

John has extensive experience representing clients in federal and state criminal and civil investigations, including state attorney general investigations, related to alleged health care fraud and standards of care violations resulting in death, consumer protection violations, public corruption and campaign finance violations, environmental violations (both land-based and maritime), including catastrophic industrial accident response and investigations, cybersecurity investigations and securities and tax fraud, including money laundering. John is an accomplished and seasoned trial lawyer who has represented public and private clients in more than 100 jury trials, and appeared in state and federal proceedings throughout the Pacific Northwest, as well as California, Florida, Montana, New York, and Wyoming.

Honors:

In 2004, John chaired the Magistrate Selection Committee for the Federal District Court in the Western District of Washington. He has also served on several Merit Selection panels identifying candidates for appointment to the federal bench in the Western District of Washington. He is currently co-chair of the Federal Appointments Committee for the Federal Bar Association and has served as a Ninth Circuit Representative. He was once appointed to serve as a Special Master in a matter pending before the Federal District Court in the Western District of Washington to investigate issues related to a multi-party joint defense agreement.

  • John's Representative Matters

    • Lead criminal defense counsel in successful defense of Washington Mutual Inc. after the failure of Washington Mutual Bank—no prosecution.
    • Lead criminal counsel for foreign national in a federal criminal securities fraud investigation.
    • Co-lead counsel in FCPA investigation on behalf of United States based publicly traded company.
    • Lead counsel in pending state attorney general's civil Medicaid fraud investigation of international pharmaceutical company.
    • Co-counsel in pending state attorney general anti-trust and consumer protection investigation of international pharmaceutical company.
    • Lead criminal counsel to large non-profit health care provider in a state attorney general criminal homicide and Medicaid fraud investigation-no prosecution.
    • Lead criminal counsel to state-wide medical provider in a local law enforcement homicide investigation arising from patient death-no prosecution.
    • Lead counsel to large non-profit health care provider in state attorney general civil Medicaid fraud investigation.
    • Lead counsel for two large pharmacy chains in two national DEA controlled substance investigations. 
    • Lead counsel for senior petroleum company corporate official in a criminal investigation of catastrophic industrial accident resulting in seven deaths-no prosecution.
    • Lead counsel to refinery company president in a criminal investigation of a catastrophic industrial accident resulting in six deaths—no prosecution.
    • Lead defense counsel to Vice President and General Manager of petroleum pipeline company in explosion resulting in deaths of three individuals, including two children.
    • Lead United States defense counsel to maritime company in foreign criminal obstruction of justice investigation-no prosecution.
    • Represented multiple domestic and foreign maritime companies in federal EPA criminal investigations.
    • Represented multiple officers and employees of domestic and foreign domestic maritime companies in federal EPA investigations.
    • Conducted multiple internal investigations related to maritime companies compliance with federal Coast Guard and EPA laws and regulations.
    • Represented president of domestic company in suspected bribery of Chinese official.
    • Lead counsel in successful representation of a sitting Washington State Governor against claims of alleged sexual harassment.
    • Lead defense counsel in criminal rape investigation of sitting Dean of University of Washington medical school resulting in no prosecution.
    • Lead defense counsel in criminal corruption investigation of sitting Washington State County Executive resulting in no prosecution. Also obtained multiple judicial dismissals of recall petitions against the Executive arising from the corruption allegations.
    • Lead defense counsel in representing sitting federal judge in criminal property destruction investigation resulting in no prosecution.
    • Lead defense counsel in successful representation of multiple professional athletes accused of sexual assault offenses.
    • Lead criminal defense counsel in successful representation of company in federal tax fraud investigation by achieving decline after conference with DOJ Tax Division.
    • Represented one of the country’s largest independent automobile dealers and its ownership in a federal money laundering investigation.
    • Represented multiple individuals and companies in federal tax fraud prosecutions.
    • Represented multiple individuals and entities in various federal and state bank and other financial institution fraud investigation.
    • Represented multiple individuals in various cybersecurity and breach investigations.