ABOUT
Corporations and individuals alike trust Sarah M. Hall, an experienced former federal prosecutor, to represent them in government investigations and prosecutions of the health care, anti-fraud, federal program/procurement, customs/smuggling, public corruption, securities, commodities, environmental, and criminal tax laws.
From her many years as a prosecutor with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Sarah has extensive experience in every phase of a federal criminal case—from investigation to jury trials to appeals.
Resolving Government Investigations Without Charges
Clients benefit from Sarah’s insight into how prosecutors and law enforcement agents think, investigate, and try cases. With her firsthand knowledge, Sarah vigorously advocates for her client’s interests—and persuades law enforcement agencies to decline to pursue criminal charges or other enforcement actions. Because Sarah’s goal is to resolve government investigations without charges or adverse publicity, many of the most important successes she has achieved for her clients are not publicized. For example, Sarah has obtained multiple federal criminal declinations of prosecution, declinations of civil False Claims Act matters, grants of immunity, and Deferred Prosecution Agreements (DPAs).
Securing Favorable Outcomes in Complex Cases
In matters where the government has brought a case, Sarah has secured numerous favorable criminal and civil resolutions. They include the following:
- no-prison time plea deals,
- sentences that involve far less prison time and financial penalties than requested by the DOJ,
- the resolution of False Claims Act investigations for a fraction of the government’s original demand, and
- the avoidance of administrative penalties such as Corporate Integrity Agreements, suspension and debarment from government contracting, exclusion from federal health care programs, and federal payment suspensions.
Sarah is also ready, willing, and able to take a federal criminal case to trial.
Representing Clients Across White Collar Matters
As a former white collar crime prosecutor, Sarah represents companies and individuals in a wide variety of DOJ white collar criminal investigations and prosecutions. They include cases related to alleged Ponzi schemes and other securities and commodities fraud, criminal government contract fraud, tax fraud, public corruption, conspiracies, extortion, bribery/gratuities, criminal Clean Air Act violations, antitrust violations, and trade laws related to smuggling and tariffs.
Defending Against Health Care Enforcement Actions
As a former health care fraud prosecutor, Sarah devotes a significant part of her practice to representing companies and individuals in criminal and civil (False Claims Act) health care enforcement matters. Sarah defends clients in government investigations brought by Main Justice, U.S. Attorneys’ Offices around the country, and state Attorneys General / Medicaid Fraud Control Units (MFCUs). Her health care clients include:
- nursing homes / skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) and other long-term care facilities,
- SNF Property Companies (PropCos),
- SNF Operating Companies (OpCos),
- SNF management companies,
- private equity and venture capital groups,
- pharmacies,
- medical practices,
- behavioral health providers,
- independent diagnostic testing facilities,
- medical consulting companies,
- physicians,
- medical industry executives, and
- sales representatives.
Sarah has particular experience with Medicare and D.C. Medicaid.
Navigating Non-Health Care False Claims Act Investigations
Outside of the health care world, Sarah regularly represents clients in other types of civil False Claims Act investigations. Her clients have included government contractors, federal grant recipients, and clients under investigation related to their receipt of CARES Act funding, including federal funds under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and the Provider Relief Fund (PRF).
Leading Sensitive Internal Investigations
Clients also look to Sarah to lead sensitive corporate internal investigations. Her experience in internal investigations includes those relating to financial fraud, corruption, workplace culture investigations, health care, FCPA violations, export control violations, narcotics in a corporate setting, #MeToo sexual harassment, and whistleblower retaliation.
A Foundation Built on Government Service and Private Practice
Sarah previously served for seven years as a white collar crime prosecutor with the Fraud Section of DOJ’s Criminal Division. She began her DOJ career as a prosecutor on the highly successful nationwide Medicare Fraud Strike Force, where she gained significant experience prosecuting criminal health care fraud, money laundering, and kickback offenses. While a prosecutor in the Securities and Financial Fraud Unit (now known as the Market, Government, and Consumer Fraud Unit), Sarah investigated and prosecuted some of the most complex financial crimes on Wall Street. Her primary focus was the investigation and prosecution of major global financial institutions, executives, and financial traders.
As a prosecutor, Sarah obtained dozens of convictions, via trial and plea, in six different federal trial courts across the country. Her trial experience includes having served as first chair in federal criminal trials lasting from several weeks to as long as nearly two months in duration.
Before her government service as a DOJ prosecutor, Sarah worked for international law firms, where she defended individuals and corporations in high-profile federal white collar criminal matters, parallel civil and regulatory investigations, and complex civil litigation. Her practice focused on securities/financial fraud, accounting improprieties, and corporate internal investigations.
Prior to her career as a lawyer, Sarah worked on Capitol Hill for a U.S. senator and a U.S. representative. She focused on Finance and Appropriations Committee matters.
