Best Practices for Successful Prosecutions from Case Initiation to Trial

Jonathan’s practice focuses on complex anti-corruption, anti-money laundering, and sophisticated financial fraud and white collar matters. Jonathan has the rare distinction of successfully trying to verdict both an FCPA matter as well as an Enron matter and represents individuals and businesses in government enforcement actions, congressional inquiries, internal investigations and with compliance advice. Jonathan’s experience is rooted in his diverse and wide-ranging experience as a prosecutor in the DOJ, including as a member of the Enron Task Force, a Senior Trial Attorney in DOJ’s Criminal Fraud Section, Deputy Chief of DOJ’s Bank Integrity Unit, and an Assistant United States Attorney in Miami, Florida. Jonathan offers an in-depth understanding of the DOJ and other federal enforcement agencies, which is instrumental in helping clients navigate complex investigations.

Carol Alexis Chen is a litigation partner at Winston & Strawn LLP where she represents banks and other financial institutions, companies and institutions in higher education and health care, not-for-profit organizations, and corporate officers and other individuals in all aspects of high-stakes complex civil and white collar criminal litigation. She conducts sensitive internal investigations and counsels her clients on the development, implementation, and enhancement of compliance and remediation programs, and responds to inquiries from federal and state governmental and regulatory agencies. Carol has particular expertise with respect to anti-money laundering and financial crimes laws and regulations and the False Claims Act and related qui tam provisions, with her practice cutting across various sectors including Financial Services and Banking; Technology, New Media, and Telecommunications; Health Care and Life Sciences; and Complex Commercial Litigation.

Carol previously served as an Assistant United States Attorney with the United States Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles, California for over 15 years, specializing in complex money laundering and racketeering investigations and holding various supervisory roles including in the training section for rookie prosecutors and as the first (and still only) female Chief in office history of the International Narcotics, Money Laundering, and Racketeering (formerly known as the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force) Section which prosecuted priority criminal organizations including transnational and significant domestic money laundering syndicates. She also created and chaired various financial crimes-related initiatives, task forces, and working groups and led community and law enforcement outreach efforts on behalf of the Department. Carol has been recognized for her work in both the public and private sectors, including as the recipient of the OCDETF Director’s Special Investigations Award for Outstanding Transnational Money Laundering Case for a first-of-its-kind hawala money laundering investigation which resulted in over 20 convictions and the first-drug based hawala trial; the Los Angeles County Bar Association’s Criminal Justice Section’s 2019 Prosecutor of the Year Award; and the Los Angeles Times B2B Publishing’s 2021 Banking and Finance Visionary Award.

Anthony Lewis is a partner in Sullivan & Cromwell’s Litigation Group. His practice focuses on international and government investigations and on cybersecurity incident response and advice. Mr. Lewis has represented clients in internal investigations and in regulatory enforcement proceedings, including with the Department of Justice, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, and with financial regulators, and in matters related to economic and financial crime, sanctions, and cryptocurrencies. He has advised clients in a wide variety of sectors, including technology, industrials, financial services and consumer goods. Mr. Lewis joined the Firm in 2019 from the United States Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, where he was Deputy Chief of the Terrorism and Export Crimes Section. During more than 10 years of service, he prosecuted sophisticated cybercrimes, financial frauds and criminal tax cases, as well as various domestic and international counterintelligence and counterterrorism matters. He has conducted and supervised investigations and prosecutions involving OFAC-administered sanctions, the Export Administration Regulations, and the International Traffic in Arms Regulations. Mr. Lewis has tried a variety of cases and briefed and argued appeals before the Ninth Circuit. Mr. Lewis has been recognized with numerous accolades during his tenure at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including the Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service, the FBI Director’s Award for Outstanding Cyber Investigation and the National Counterintelligence and Security Center for Countering Cyber and Technical Threats. He received his B.S. from Yale University and his J.D. from Stanford Law School. 

Mr. Tobon is a highly respected AML (Anti-Money Laundering) strategist, financial crimes expert, and charismatic event speaker. With over three decades of experience, Mr. Tobon has dedicated his career to investigating and dismantling intricate criminal enterprises. In 2025, he concluded his distinguished federal service as Assistant Director for Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). In this executive leadership role, he spearheaded HSI’s worldwide strategy focused on countering Transnational Organized Crime. Mr. Tobon is widely recognized for his expertise in AML and financial crime, frequently providing analytical insights to both national and international media outlets.

Mr. Tobon is also known for his exceptional ability to develop strategic initiatives targeting unknown or poorly understood threats. His forward-thinking approach allows him to identify and address emerging challenges effectively. Mr. Tobon consistently bridges gaps, aligns goals and creates innovative solutions that drive impactful results. His strategic approach ensures that all stakeholders are aligned in achieving common objectives, fostering trust and open communication throughout the process.

Through his collaborative approach, Mr. Tobon has been instrumental in shaping international AML policy through his work as part of U.S. delegations to multi-national bodies, such as the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), serving as Senior Advisor to FinCEN, and regularly sharing his expertise at global conferences and training sessions.

Mr. Tobon continues to play an active role in combatting financial crime through his work as a consultant and as an Adjunct Professor at Florida International University’s School of International and Public Affairs, where he teaches on Global Financial Crimes. He holds a Master of Arts degree in Criminal Justice from the City University of New York (CUNY), John Jay College of Criminal Justice, is a Certified Professional Coach, and is a native Spanish speaker.