Former U.S. Prosecutor Eric Snyder Joins Jones Day

WASHINGTON -- The global law firm Jones Day has announced that Eric Snyder, a former Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) for the Southern District of New York with significant experience in Latin America, has joined the Firm's Investigations & White Collar Defense Practice, and will divide his time between Jones Day's São Paulo and Washington Offices. Mr. Snyder joins from the United States Department of State, where he was Senior Counsel and has been leading the Department's response to the Congressional investigation into the attack on an embassy facility in Benghazi, Libya.  

"With Eric, we're very fortunate to be the only law firm with a former AUSA on its white-collar team in Brazil," said Ted Chung, leader of Jones Day's global Investigations & White Collar Defense Practice.  "Eric has successfully handled highly sensitive and complex matters of great importance to Brazil and other countries throughout Latin America. This has given him unparalleled insight into investigating and defending allegations of corruption and other misconduct, and in advising clients on compliance with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and other legal requirements."      

Mr. Snyder has been in private practice as a partner in the Washington office of Kobre & Kim, focusing on representation of companies and individuals under U.S. government investigation. These often high-profile cases covered a wide range of subjects, including allegations of securities, commodities and futures fraud, insider trading, and money laundering, as well as commercial bribery, corruption, and Foreign Corrupt Practice Act enforcement. His 16 years as a prosecutor included, in addition to his time as an AUSA, service as a Trial Attorney in the Criminal Division of the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington and as an Assistant District Attorney in the New York County District Attorney's Office.    

While serving as an AUSA for the Southern District of New York, Mr. Snyder prosecuted the 50 top leaders of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), a designated foreign terrorist organization based in Colombia. At the unsealing of this indictment, the U.S. Attorney General at the time described it as the largest prosecution of its kind in the history of the United States. While at the DOJ, Mr. Snyder investigated and prosecuted a gold selling operation in Panama that was responsible for laundering hundreds of millions of dollars generated from criminal transactions in the United States. The investigation required analysis of voluminous bank records from the United States and Panama and substantial coordination with the Panamanian authorities.  It resulted in the convictions of the owners of the operation and the forfeiture of several tons of gold, silver, and jewelry valued at more than $40 million dollars.  

"Any company with Latin American operations, regardless of where they are headquartered, will confront conflicts between entrenched business and governmental practices and stepped-up anti-corruption enforcement," said Luis Riesgo, Partner-in-Charge of Jones Day's Latin America/Miami Region and Partner-in-Charge of the São Paulo Office. "Eric is well known for his work throughout Latin America on FCPA internal investigations and other bet-the-company matters. He adds even more depth to a thriving Latin America practice, and his arrival reflects our commitment to the growth of our Investigations & White Collar Defense Practice in the region, shortly after the transfer of Investigations & White Collar Defense lawyer James Dunlop to our São Paulo Office. Our target is to become the leading firm in Latin America in this practice, and adding Eric to our already powerful team is another great step toward achieving our goal."  

"Eric's international and domestic experience with precedent setting, sensitive issues while in key government posts, as well as his extensive private practice work here in Washington, D.C., make him a very welcome and valuable addition to this office," said Kevyn Orr, Partner-in-Charge of Jones Day's Washington Office. "We heartily welcome him to the firm and look forward to him enhancing our white collar and investigatory capabilities here and abroad."  

A graduate of New York University (J.D. and B.S.), Mr. Snyder has written and spoken widely on white collar crime and served as a lecturer on U.S. criminal litigation at the University of São Paulo Law School.  

Jones Day is a global law firm with 43 offices in major centers of business and finance throughout the world. Its unique governance system fosters an unparalleled level of integration and contributes to its perennial ranking as among the best in the world in client service. Jones Day provides significant legal representation for almost half of the Fortune 500, Fortune Global 500, and FT Global 500.