Legal News

Douglas Axel, former assistant U.S. attorney, joins Sidley Austin in L.A.

By Richard Binder

Sidley Austin LLP announced that Douglas A. Axel, former Assistant United States Attorney in the Central District of California and Chief of the office?s Major Frauds Section, has joined the firm as a partner in their Los Angeles office.

As Chief of the Major Frauds Section since October 2007, Axel was responsible for all federal white-collar crime prosecutions in Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties involving public corruption, corporate fraud, investor fraud, mortgage fraud, procurement fraud, health care and other government program fraud and tax fraud. He coordinated criminal white-collar enforcement activities among the region?s investigative agencies including the FBI, Postal Inspection Service, United States Secret Service, all federal Inspectors General, all Defense Department criminal investigative services (DCIS, NCIS, Army CID), Internal Revenue Service, Securities and Exchange Commission, Federal Trade Commission and others.

Since joining the U.S. Attorney?s Office in 2001, Axel personally prosecuted dozens of white-collar cases involving charges of securities fraud, insider trading, investor fraud, bank fraud, government fraud and obstruction of justice. Among the cases Axel handled was United States v. Milberg Weiss Bershad & Schulman LLP. He also was the lead prosecutor in a number of jury trials and argued cases before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Prior to serving as Chief of the section, Axel served as a Deputy Chief for two years.

Axel received his J.D. from the University of California Hastings College of Law, where he was first in his class, graduating summa cum laude and Order of the Coif, and served as Senior Articles Editor of the Hastings Law Journal. He received his B.S. from the University of California, Los Angeles. Axel clerked for the Honorable Melvyn Brunetti of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and the Honorable David V. Kenyon of the United States District Court, Central District of California. Axel was awarded a 2009 Attorney General?s Award for Fraud Prevention.

Full post as published by Legal Pad | LA on April 14, 2010 (boomark / email).