RAJ PAREKH, FORMER ACTING UNITED STATES ATTORNEY AND FIRST ASSISTANT UNITED STATES ATTORNEY FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF VIRGINIA (EDVA), TO JOIN SPARACINO PLLC AS PARTNER AND LEADER OF THE FIRM'S NEWLY-CREATED EDVA NATIONAL SECURITY PRACTICE

WASHINGTON, Feb. 26, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Raj Parekh, who previously served as the Acting United States Attorney and the First Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia ("EDVA"), will join Sparacino PLLC on March 3, 2025 as a partner and leader of the firm's newly-created EDVA national security practice. Mr. Parekh—a seasoned litigator who has tried over 40 cases to verdict—will also handle a wide variety of national security cases, including anti-terrorism matters, in federal courts nationwide.

In his leadership roles at the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, Mr. Parekh served as the Acting United States Attorney and for four years as the First Assistant United States Attorney (2020–2024). He was the highest-ranking career (non-political) official in EDVA and led a staff of over 300 federal prosecutors, civil litigators, and support personnel in a district that serves more than six million residents. He previously served as a federal prosecutor in the national security and narcotics units, and he also prosecuted cases with the financial crimes, cybercrime, and major crimes units of the Office. Last year, Mr. Parekh was selected as the first-ever Chief of Corporate Enforcement at the U.S. Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security, where he continued to serve on detail from EDVA before joining the firm.

Mr. Parekh received the Director's Award for Superior Performance and the Assistant Attorney General Award for Excellence in National Security for prosecuting U.S. v. Khweis, which led to the conviction of the first individual to face a jury trial in the United States after having joined the terrorist organization ISIS in ISIS-controlled territory. He received the Anti-Defamation League SHIELD Award for prosecuting U.S. v. Spain, where an ISIS supporter who planned to conduct terrorism attacks on targets in Virginia, including the Marine Corps Base in Quantico, pleaded guilty following a successful undercover operation. He received the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency Award for prosecuting U.S. v. Courtney, where a former DEA public affairs officer pleaded guilty to defrauding a dozen companies of over $4.4 million by falsely posing as a covert CIA officer. Mr. Parekh is also the recipient of multiple FBI Service Awards, including for prosecuting U.S. v. Burgamy, et al., where a dark web vendor and pharmacist pleaded guilty to conspiring to use explosives in furtherance of a firebomb attack plot that was uncovered and thwarted, and for his trial performance in U.S. v. Lounsbury, et al., where two individuals were convicted by a federal jury of supplying falsely labeled, out-of-warranty armor to U.S. personnel serving overseas.

In U.S. v. Fluke-Ekren, Mr. Parekh successfully prosecuted the leader of an ISIS military battalion, who pleaded guilty to training over 100 women and young girls in Syria on the use of AK-47 assault rifles, grenades and suicide belts. Mr. Parekh received the Attorney General's Award for Distinguished Service for the historic prosecution of the ISIS "Beatles," Alexanda Kotey and El Shafee Elsheikh, both of whom were convicted for their participation in a hostage-taking scheme involving the detention of 26 hostages from 12 countries that resulted in the deaths of American, British, and Japanese nationals in Syria. The U.S. Department of Justice stated that Elsheikh is "the highest-ranking fighter for ISIS to have ever faced a jury trial in the United States."

Mr. Parekh is a skilled and experienced litigator, having tried more than 40 cases to verdict throughout his career and having previously worked at EDVA, the U.S. Department of Justice's Counterterrorism Section, IBM, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the international law firm Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, and as a judicial fellow under the supervision of two former Chief Judges of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. For his impressive track record in public service, Mr. Parekh received the South Asian Bar Association of Washington, D.C.'s Public Sector Trailblazer Award. He graduated with honors from The George Washington University in 2003, and with honors from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 2006.

"Raj Parekh is an exceptional litigator and a fierce courtroom advocate who has prosecuted some of the most significant national security cases in the past decade," said Sparacino PLLC's Managing Partner, Ryan Sparacino. "Given his impressive public and private sector experience, Raj could have landed at any number of law firms or companies—but he chose us, which speaks volumes about what our firm has already achieved in seeking justice on behalf of victims and where we are headed. We look forward to having Raj establish and lead our national security practice in the Eastern District of Virginia, where we expect to file many cases."

"I am honored to join the extraordinarily talented bench of litigators, investigators, researchers, and regional specialists at Sparacino PLLC," said Raj Parekh. "The firm's mission-driven commitment to pursuing justice against terrorists, traffickers, fraudsters, and other criminal entities perfectly aligns with the national security prosecutorial work I have been privileged to do on behalf of victims throughout my career. I greatly appreciate this unique opportunity to litigate national security cases in the private sector on behalf of American heroes."

Sparacino PLLC, a D.C.-based litigation and investigations firm, represents over 4,000 Americans—including more than 1,000 Gold Star families—who were injured in terrorist attacks committed by foreign terrorist organizations such as Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, al-Qaeda, and ISIS. On behalf of those victims, the firm aggressively pursues claims in litigation under the Anti-Terrorism Act, as amended by the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, against the corporations and individuals who choose to do business with terrorists. The firm also pursues claims against state sponsors of terrorism under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act. The firm has already helped nearly 1,000 American victims of terrorism obtain judgments under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act against the Islamic Republic of Iran for its provision of material support to terrorist groups in Iraq and Afghanistan. In addition, Sparacino PLLC serves as investigative counsel in most of the ground-breaking cases that have been filed under the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act since Congress passed that legislation in 2016. The firm also filed a landmark anti-trafficking lawsuit relating to the construction of World Cup stadiums and other facilities in Qatar and secured a victory for whistleblowers at the United States Supreme Court in a significant False Claims Act case. The firm has deep experience with national security issues and high-stakes litigation. Many of the firm's members have held senior roles at the Central Intelligence Agency, Department of Commerce, Department of Defense, Department of Justice, Department of the Treasury, and/or the Securities and Exchange Commission. In the future, and with Mr. Parekh's arrival, the firm intends to continue to aggressively seek justice for Americans in anti-terrorism litigation and expand its anti-trafficking, whistleblower, and commercial litigation practices.

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SOURCE Sparacino PLLC