White Collar Criminal Defense and Special Investigations Group Joins Litigation Practice at Hunton & Williams

    CHARLOTTE, N.C., July 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Hunton & Williams LLP today
 announced the expansion of its firmwide litigation practice with the
 addition of Ken Bell, as partner, and Jack Knight and Brian Cromwell, as
 counsel, in its Charlotte, North Carolina office. The three join the law
 firm's white collar criminal defense and special investigations practice.
 Most recently with Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw, they were veteran federal
 prosecutors before joining private practice. Bell received national
 recognition as the prosecutor who fought to win America's first-ever
 conviction for terrorist financing.
     "We are delighted that Ken, Jack and Brian have joined the firm," said
 Wally Martinez, managing partner of Hunton & Williams. "This is a
 significant addition to our national litigation practice. These seasoned
 trial lawyers will add depth and breadth to our expanding white collar
 criminal defense practice. I am particularly pleased that Ken has agreed to
 play a significant leadership role in our national white collar and special
 investigations practice."
     "Ken is a superb litigator and has developed a strong network of white
 collar criminal defense lawyers," added Tom Cottingham, managing partner of
 the Charlotte office. "His experience in high-stakes investigations-such as
 his role in the 2002 conviction of a Hezbollah cell in Charlotte-provides
 him an in-depth understanding of the challenges facing our clients."
     The white collar and special investigations practice at Hunton &
 Williams covers a broad spectrum of white collar cases, including
 environmental criminal and regulatory enforcement actions; health care
 fraud; internal and government investigations; public and private
 corruption, bribery, and kickback schemes; tax violations; money
 laundering; computer-related criminality; financial, banking, and
 securities laws violations; U.S. Customs investigations into dumping,
 undervaluation, high technology transfer, and smuggling; Foreign Corrupt
 Practice Act violations; international and domestic fraud schemes of every
 type; RICO proceedings; and espionage and terrorism cases.
     The Lawyers
     Kenneth D. Bell focuses his practice on white collar criminal matters,
 internal and government investigations, including commercial and financial
 investigations and anti-money laundering, RICO and cases before the Fourth
 Circuit Court of Appeals. Before joining private practice, he served 17
 years as a prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney's Office in Charlotte, the last
 10 as First Assistant United States Attorney overseeing prosecution of all
 federal criminal offenses and civil enforcement in 32 western counties. He
 has received awards and citations from the Department of Justice, FBI, DEA,
 U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Customs Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,
 Firearms, and the IRS. Bell received his undergraduate and law degrees from
 Wake Forest University.
     Bell gained national recognition for the 2002 conviction of a Hezbollah
 terrorist cell in Charlotte, uniquely obtaining convictions for providing
 support to a terrorist organization, RICO, money laundering and conspiracy.
 The ring, which sold $7.5 million in contraband cigarettes, also arranged
 for the delivery of military equipment, such as mine detection gear,
 blasting equipment and night-vision goggles, to Hezbollah. One of the
 defendants was sentenced in 2003 to 155 years in prison. Bell successfully
 introduced wire tap records from the Canadian Security Intelligence
 Service, the first and only time such records have been used in a U.S.
 court. For his groundbreaking work, he was honored with the prestigious
 U.S. Attorney General John Marshall Award for Trial of Litigation and with
 a special commendation from the Director of the Canadian Security
 Intelligence Service (CSIS).
     Jack M. Knight Jr. has served as lead counsel in numerous federal and
 state investigations and trials, including more than 50 heard by a jury.
 His practice focuses on white collar defense, internal investigations and
 corporate compliance. The former federal and state lawyer was a prosecutor
 in the capital murder trial of former NFL player Rae Carruth. He also
 served as supervisor for the Anti-Terrorism Task Force and Anti-Terrorism
 Advisory Council for the Western District of North Carolina. The former
 president of the Mecklenburg County Bar Association's Criminal Justice
 Section received his undergraduate degree from UNC-Chapel Hill and his law
 degree from American University.
     Brian Cromwell's principal areas of practice are white collar criminal
 defense, corporate compliance planning, government and internal corporate
 investigations and cybercrime defense. He is a former assistant district
 attorney and assistant United States attorney, with substantial trial
 experience in a variety of matters. He received his undergraduate degree
 from Fairleigh Dickinson University and his law degree from Fordham
 University School of Law. Prior to attending law school, Cromwell gained
 valuable experience as an analyst for a Fortune 100 company and a tax
 consultant for one of the "Big Eight" accounting firm, which sparked his
 practical and legal insight into complex corporate criminal issues.
     About Hunton & Williams
     Hunton & Williams LLP provides legal services to corporations,
 financial institutions, governments and individuals as well as a broad
 array of other entities. Since its establishment more than a century ago,
 Hunton & Williams has grown to more than 850 attorneys serving clients in
 100 countries from 17 offices around the world. Hunton & Williams' practice
 has a particular emphasis on commercial litigation, corporate and
 structured finance, corporate transactions, energy and environmental law,
 governmental relations and intellectual property. The firm's depth and
 breadth of experience extends to more than 60 separate practice areas, with
 a strong industry focus on financial services and energy.
 
 

SOURCE Hunton & Williams LLP