John “Rusty” Wing
Rusty is a nationally recognized criminal defense lawyer in the areas of criminal trial and appellate work. For more than 30 years, he has defended individuals and entities “against an impressive range of bet-the-company allegations” (Chambers USA), including securities fraud, tax fraud, mail and wire fraud, bank fraud, bribery, antitrust violations, labor violations, RICO violations, and environmental law violations. His clients range from Fortune 500 corporations to law firms, banks, business executives, lawyers, political figures, media figures, accountants, doctors, bankers, small business owners, and individuals from many other walks of life.
Rusty has been involved in some of the most challenging white collar cases in recent history, including many grand jury investigations of both institutional and individual clients that have been successfully resolved without criminal charges. He has also secured numerous acquittals in jury trials in both federal and state courts, as well as the dismissal of indictments—sometimes after mistrials—in major felony cases for a number of clients.
An active contributor to the legal community, Rusty has published and lectured extensively on jury trial work and criminal law topics. Besides teaching trial advocacy courses at Harvard Law School, Columbia Law School, Fordham Law School, Cardozo Law School, and the New York District Attorney’s Trial Advocacy Program, he has chaired programs for the Practicing Law Institute and the Law Journal Seminars Press on jury trials, RICO litigation, and state of mind defenses in criminal and civil fraud cases.
Show More +Representative Matters
- Won acquittal for a small community bank charged with 80 counts of grand larceny, mortgage fraud, conspiracy, and false business records after a four-month trial.
- Won acquittal for the president of a Virginia furniture company charged with defrauding a major brokerage firm.
- Won acquittal for a former partner of a prominent Washington law firm charged with two RICO conspiracies and related tax fraud, bank fraud, and investment company act fraud.
- Won acquittal for the president of a customs brokerage firm charged with stealing customs duties from the United States.
- Won acquittal for the president of a major concrete company charged with grand larceny involving a $23 million check kite scheme.
- Won acquittal for an executive vice president of a major construction company charged with enterprise corruption and related fraud and larceny charges.
- Secured dismissal of indictment for a partner in one of London’s largest law firms charged with suppressing evidence in the Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI) bank fraud case.
- Secured dismissal of indictment for the chairman of three small-cap companies charged with stock manipulation.
- Secured dismissal of indictment for a partner in a major accounting firm charged with tax shelter fraud.
- Secured dismissal of indictment for the owner of several premier New York City hotels charged with tax fraud.
- Secured dismissal of indictment for the owner of a multimillion-dollar automobile dealership charged with a cocaine distribution conspiracy.
- Secured dismissal of indictment for a printing company executive charged with insurance fraud.
Publications
“Bill of Particulars,” Chapter II, Defending Federal Criminal Cases: Attacking the Government’s Proof, Law Journal Press (2006) (co-author)
“Cross Examining Lawyers and Other Professionals in Criminal Cases,” Take the Witness: Essays on Cross-Examination, Juris Publishing Inc. (2006)
“Curbing Conspiracy Charges: Effective Legal Arguments for White Collar Defendants,” Bus. Crimes Bull. Vol. 7, No. 12, Leader Publications (2001)
“Prosecutorial Encroachment on Judicial Sentencing,” Bus. Crimes Bull. Vol. 2, No. 12, Leader Publications (1996)
“A Viable Criminal Defense for Criminal Regulatory Violations, A Look at Recent Cases,” Bus. Crimes Bull. Vol. I, No. 11, Leader Publications (1994)
“War or Peace – Trial or Settlement of a Corporate Criminal Case,” Counsel-to-Counsel, Vol. 2, No. 1, Martindale-Hubbell (1992)
“Grand Jury Practice,” Chapter 8, White Collar Crime: Business and Regulatory Offenses, Law Journal Seminars Press (1990) (co-author)
“The Corporation and its Management as Criminal Defendants – The Investigatory Phase,” Law Journal Seminars Press (1986)
“Pretrial Jury Motions,” The Jury: Techniques for the Trial Lawyer, Practising Law Institute (1985)
“Defending Criminal Insider Trading Cases,” Trading on Inside Information, Practising Law Institute (1984)
“Defending Criminal Securities Cases in the Grand Jury,” The Review of Securities Regulation, Vol. 15, No. 5 (1982)
Show More +Recognition
- Chambers USA
- “Senior Statesperson,” Litigation: White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations – New York
- Benchmark Litigation
- Local Litigation Star in General Commercial and White Collar Crime
- Legal Media Group
- Guide to the World’s Leading White Collar Crime Lawyers
- New York Council of Defense Lawyers
- Norman S. Ostrow Award for outstanding contribution to the defense of liberty and the preservation of individual rights (2004)
- 7 Days Magazine
- Featured in “Courtroom Killers: The Lawyers Other Lawyers Most Admire, Fear, and Talk About”
Activities
- American College of Trial Lawyers
- Fellow
- New York Council of Defense Lawyers
- Former President and Director
- Business Crimes Bulletin
- Member, Board of Editors
- BNA Criminal Practice Manual
- Member, Advisory Board
Speaking Engagements
NYU Conference on Insider Trading Features John Siffert & Rusty Wing, (November 5, 2020)
Rusty Wing Serves as Panelist at 5th Annual White Collar Crime Institute, New York City Bar Association (May 9, 2016)
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