Profile

Davina Pujari

Partner,
WilmerHale

My Contact Information

WilmerHale
San Francisco, CA
Work: 628-235-1136

Social Links

Chapter Location

San Francisco

Bio

​Davina Pujari is an accomplished trial lawyer with more than 25 years of public and private sector experience in environmental, civil, and criminal law. Ms. Pujari has extensive experience representing companies and individuals in complex, high-stakes matters involving environmental and white-collar crimes, environmental and business litigation, internal investigations, and regulatory compliance. She is uniquely suited to help clients solve traditional and emerging regulatory challenges, including those related to climate change and environmental justice. While counseling clients through complex enforcement issues, Ms. Pujari offers an understanding of governmental priorities, procedures, and tactics founded on her years of public service investigating and prosecuting environmental and white-collar cases.

 

Ms. Pujari’s government experience includes serving as an assistant US attorney in the White Collar Crimes and Major Crimes Sections of the US Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California, a senior assistant district attorney in the Special Prosecutions Division of the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office, and an EPA enforcement attorney. In these roles, she investigated and prosecuted environmental cases under the Lacey Act, Endangered Species Act, Clean Water Act, and other federal environmental statutes. She also prosecuted and tried white-collar cases involving bribery, false statements, fraud, identity theft, and use of the internet for criminal purposes.

 

Ms. Pujari was given the Department of Justice Director’s Award for Superior Performance as an assistant US attorney in 2002 and has been recognized by Northern California Super Lawyers in the areas of Criminal Defense: White-Collar and Environmental Litigation for the past eight years.

 

Representative White-Collar Criminal Matters

  • Represented individual charged with antitrust crimes and mail fraud for alleged “bid-rigging” activities at public foreclosure auctions. Negotiated plea agreement with reduced Sentencing Guidelines calculations.
  • Represented employees of community mental health provider who were called as witnesses in state homicide prosecution.
  • Represented companies under investigation by the California Attorney General for alleged Medi-Cal fraud.
  • Represented individual charged with bank fraud and tax evasion in context of mortgage and real estate transactions. Obtained variance from Sentencing Guidelines.
  • Represented material witness in Grand Jury investigation of alleged telemarketing billing violations.
  • Represented individual charged with distribution of controlled substances via internet pharmacy.

Representative Criminal Environmental Matters

  • Represented public agency in federal criminal investigation of alleged violations of the Clean Water Act and reporting laws. No charges were filed.
  • Represented company and its employees in federal criminal investigation of alleged violations of the Endangered Species Act relating to the importation and sale of listed species. No charges were filed.
  • Represented individual in federal criminal investigation of alleged violations of Section 404 of the Clean Water Act for unlawful filling in waters of the United States. No charges were filed.
  • Represented individual in federal Clean Water Act prosecution for alleged falsification of reports and unlawful discharges to water. Obtained reduced Sentencing Guidelines calculation based on ambiguities in discharge permit.
  • Represented individual in state prosecution for overfishing. Probation granted.
  • Represented company in state prosecution for failure to file updated Hazardous Materials Business Plan. Resolved case via plea agreement to an infraction.
  • Represented chemical company in parallel criminal/civil and state/federal investigations for labeling and marketing violations under pesticide laws. Resolved case via misdemeanor plea.
  • Represented employee in investigation and prosecution under the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships for alleged dumping of oil in ocean. Charges were dismissed.

Practice Areas

  • Compliance Counseling
  • Crisis Management
  • Environmental
  • Government Contracting, Bid Protests and the False Claims Act
  • Government Investigations
  • Internal Investigations
  • Qui Tam; Whistleblower Defense
  • Trials
  • White Collar Crime