John S. Irving is a former federal prosecutor with significant trial and investigative experience, who focuses his practice on white collar defense, civil and criminal environmental matters, compliance, internal investigations, congressional investigations, and maritime issues.
At Holland & Knight, Mr. Irving has assisted companies and individuals through internal investigations and discussions with the U.S. Department of Justice and a variety of investigative agencies. Those matters have involved the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the False Claims Act, environmental laws, money laundering, fraud, federal election laws, civil RICO, compliance services, electronic document collection and preservation issues, and agency disciplinary proceedings. His clients have included large and small government contractors, medical device companies, vessel owners and operators, municipal governments, property owners, and individuals accused of misconduct or sought by the government as grand jury and trial witnesses. At Holland & Knight, Mr. Irving has also served as a member of a Foreign Corrupt Practices Act independent monitorship team and as Special Impeachment Counsel to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary in the impeachment of a U.S. District Court judge.
Prior to entering private practice, Mr. Irving served for 10 years at the United States Department of Justice. As an Assistant United States Attorney in Washington, D.C., he handled a range of matters, including grand jury investigations, the prosecution of offenses from theft to First Degree Murder, and appellate arguments. He tried dozens of cases before federal and local juries and courts and investigated many more. Mr. Irving then served as Counsel to two Deputy Attorneys General, where he reviewed death penalty cases and coordinated a presidential initiative to reduce gun crime. Mr. Irving then served as Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for the Environment and Natural Resources Division, where he prosecuted federal criminal environmental cases in Florida and California and defended federal government agencies against civil environmental claims involving natural resources damages and a variety of environmental statutes. At the Justice Department, Mr. Irving also received extensive instruction on issues related to corporate fraud including compliance programs, parallel civil and criminal investigations, Sarbanes-Oxley requirements, and unlawful accounting and securities practices.
Mr. Irving's broad legal experience in Washington also includes significant exposure to public corruption cases while investigating unlawful political campaign contributions as Investigative Counsel for the United States House of Representatives' Committee on Government Reform and Oversight, and while working with federal prosecutors and agents in the Office of Independent Counsel.