RJO Deepens White-Collar, Government Contracts Practices with Addition of Former Senior Federal Prosecutor William Hart

Rogers Joseph O’Donnell, PC, welcomes litigator and former prosecutor William G. Hart to the firm’s Washington, D.C., office as Of Counsel. He joins RJO after serving as a senior assistant U.S. attorney in the Fraud, Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section of the Criminal Division at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. 

Hart will be a member of the firm’s White-Collar Criminal Defense and Government Contracts Practice Groups. Before serving as a prosecutor, Hart was a litigator at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. 

“Will is a force multiplier for our firm who brings both prosecutorial and private practice experience to RJO,” said firm co-founder Neil H. O’Donnell. “His deep background in public corruption, regulatory enforcement, fraud and trade-related matters will be a significant asset to our clients across industries.” 

While with the DOJ, Hart investigated and prosecuted a wide range of white-collar crimes, including complex fraud, money laundering, cyber-enabled fraud and public corruption. He directed a government-wide investigation into federal employees from multiple agencies who were moonlighting as government contractors. That prosecution led to several convictions. More recently, Hart led a first-of-its-kind racketeering prosecution of nearly 20 individuals who perpetrated a series of social engineering scams against cryptocurrency investors, leading to the theft and laundering of more than $250,000,000 in digital assets.

Hart is the second former senior federal prosecutor to join RJO in less than a year. Last June, the firm welcomed Gregory P. Rosen, who led the largest federal prosecution in U.S. history. 

“With Will now joining Greg in D.C., we have assembled a dream team of former prosecutors with years of trial experience and technical legal knowledge,” said Lauren Kramer Sujeeth, chair of RJO’s White-Collar Criminal Defense Practice Group. “Together, they will be a powerful force defending our clients in complex litigation and enforcement matters, and expanding the cross-country reach of RJO’s practice.” 

At Gibson Dunn, Hart conducted internal investigations into potential violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and foreign equivalents, the False Claims Act and trade sanctions and export control laws for companies across a range of industries. These matters involved extensive fieldwork and interviews with subjects overseas, presentations to regulators, and the implementation of remedial measures.  In addition, Hart handled complex civil litigation, including a multimillion-dollar securities class action arising from a restatement of earnings.

“RJO has a stellar reputation for high-caliber white-collar and government contracts litigation work, and I’m excited by this next stage in my career,” said Hart. “The tight, collaborative team assembled here was a big attraction, along with the professionalism and talent of my new colleagues.” 

Hart holds a J.D. (magna cum laude) from Georgetown University Law Center and a B.A. (summa cum laude) from Cornell University. He interned for both the Hon. Richard J. Leon of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and the Hon. Patty Shwartz, formerly of the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey. Hart also speaks Spanish, a skill he has used frequently both in private practice and for the Department of Justice.