Pillsbury Adds White Collar and Cross-Border Investigations Firepower

“Pillsbury has a world-class litigation department, and further strengthening our white collar and cross-border investigations capabilities is a central aspect of the practice’s continued growth,” said Deborah Baum, the leader of Pillsbury’s Litigation practice. “Patrick will be able to apply his significant enforcement experience in the U.S. and around the globe in a variety of important areas, including FCPA and cross-border crimes generally, in addition to illicit finance, cryptocurrency, organized crime, computer intrusions and data breaches.  We are thrilled to have Pat join our team.”

At DOJ, Hovakimian directed strategy on transnational crime, and advised department leadership on significant aspects of Bank Secrecy Act/Anti-Money Laundering, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), and bribery and public corruption enforcement. Prior to his tenure at DOJ, as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California, he prosecuted public corruption and white collar crime, including multinational bribery and fraud conspiracies, and served as co-lead counsel in one of the most wide-ranging corruption, fraud and false claims matters in the history of the U.S. military.

Hovakimian has substantial experience in matters pertaining to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) and on economic sanctions issues, working with the Department of Treasury and, more specifically, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). He also has extensive experience in the U.S. Government’s interagency process, having represented DOJ in National Security Council meetings pertaining to transnational criminal enforcement, economic sanctions and money laundering. He has also participated in numerous bilateral law enforcement efforts, including with the U.K. Home Office, the U.K. Serious Fraud Office, the Singapore Attorney General’s Office, the Taiwan Ministry of Justice and the Government of Mexico.

“Pillsbury has a very strong white collar practice with an impressive track record of achieving success in investigations for clients, including significant successes in cross-border matters,” Hovakimian said. “The firm is an outstanding fit for my experience and background, and I look forward to being a part of the team here.”

After a clerkship with the Honorable J.L. Edmondson of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit in Atlanta in 2011, Hovakimian practiced with the securities litigation and professional liability group of another leading international law firm in California. In 2014, he became an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California and in 2017 moved to the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., to serve as Senior Counsel to the Associate Attorney General.