White collar defense and investigations attorney Caryn Trombino represents corporate clients and executives facing a range of civil and criminal government enforcement actions brought by agencies such as the Department of Justice (DOJ), Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and various Offices of Inspector General. Additionally, Caryn handles investigations brought by the U.S. Congress, state attorneys general and self-regulatory organizations (SROs) such as the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME Group). Caryn also regularly conducts confidential internal investigations in anticipation of potential government scrutiny or other legal exposure, and frequently counsels clients in connection with whistleblower allegations, transactional due diligence and legal/compliance risk assessments.
Caryn’s recent representative matters include:
- Securing DOJ declination for a former investment bank vice president in a criminal investigation relating to residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS) and subprime loans that resulted in the bank’s multibillion-dollar settlement with DOJ.
- Obtaining DOJ declination on behalf of a former board and audit committee member of a medical device company facing allegations relating to false claims act/physician kickback allegations. DOJ closed investigation without further action and declined to intervene in related qui tam action.
- Achieving a significantly below-Guidelines sentence for a hotel developer who pled guilty to federal wire fraud charges in connection with the U.S. “EB-5” visa program, after raising approximately $160 million in capital from foreign investors.
- Counseling a multinational consumer food manufacturer following a Listeria contamination that prompted a nationwide product recall.
- Negotiating a no admit/no deny settlement on behalf of an electronic trading firm and two traders in a “spoofing”-related investigation conducted by the self-regulatory arm of the CME Group (Chicago Mercantile Exchange).
Additionally, Caryn has over a decade of experience representing, counseling and training corporate clients on global anti-corruption and the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), particularly in highly regulated industries such as pharmaceutical, medical device, military/defense and extractive services. She has handled international matters spanning five continents, including in: China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Korea, Japan, India, Pakistan, Iraq, Russia, Serbia, Turkey, Poland, Ukraine, Moldova, Italy, Brazil, Argentina, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Botswana, Zambia and Lesotho.
Caryn served as a founding leader of the Chicago Chapter of the Women’s White Collar Defense Association, and serves as an editor of the White Collar Briefly blog, where she helps shape practical insights on an evolving regulatory environment. Caryn previously served as an attorney in the Office of the General Counsel at the U.S. Department of Commerce in Washington, D.C.
Formerly a member of the Chicago Chapter