Peter G. Wilson has a broad litigation practice with a focus on government investigations and enforcement matters. He represents companies and individuals in regulatory investigations and enforcement actions, federal and state court litigation, and related internal inquiries.
Much of Peter's practice involves the financial services industry. He has represented investment banks, investment advisers, broker-dealers, proprietary trading firms, clearing firms, and their individual officers and employees in inquiries by the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, the National Futures Association, and options and futures exchanges. Before joining Katten, Peter served in the Legal Division of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and he draws on that experience to counsel banks and other lenders in regulatory inquiries and enforcement actions regarding consumer lending, including fair housing and truth-in-lending litigation.
Peter has particular experience representing public companies in governmental inquiries and related private litigation. He has conducted internal investigations on behalf of special litigation committees in response to shareholders' allegations of fraudulent accounting and financial reporting. He has also represented the independent compliance monitor appointed in connection with a significant Foreign Corrupt Practices Act settlement by a pharmaceutical company, and has overseen related inquiries in Latin America, Eastern Europe and Asia.
Peter also represents clients in criminal and civil inquiries by the Department of Justice and state attorneys general. He has represented companies and individuals in criminal inquiries into potential health care, securities, bank and wire fraud, and in investigations under the False Claims Act.
Peter began his career with the Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia and maintains a strong commitment to pro bono work. He regularly represents asylum seekers in collaboration with the National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC) and serves on NIJC's Junior Leadership Board.
Shown below is a selection of Peter’s engagements.
- Representation of a proprietary trading firm and its principal in litigation initiated by the CFTC alleging spoofing and manipulation in the futures markets.
- Representation of the independent compliance monitor of a multinational pharmaceutical company convicted of violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
- Representation of a large national bank in litigation by a municipal government under the Fair Housing Act.
- Representation of the Chief Executive Officer of a technology company in an SEC enforcement action involving internal control over financial reporting and alleged accounting fraud, resolving the matter without charges.
- Representation of proprietary trading firms and investment banks in investigations by the CFTC, SEC, FINRA, and futures and stock exchanges, and in related private litigation, involving manipulation, disruptive trading, and spoofing in the futures and equities markets.
- Representation of a large investment bank in a CFTC inquiry into allegations of anti-competitive conduct in the swaps market.
- Representation of a large national bank in parallel criminal and civil inquiries by the Department of Justice concerning compliance with the Bank Secrecy Act and anti-money laundering requirements.
- Representation of senior employees of a major airline in criminal and civil False Claims Act investigations by the Department of Justice.
- Representation of the special litigation committees of the Boards of Directors of two pharmaceutical companies in investigations into shareholders' derivative allegations of accounting and disclosure fraud.
- Representation of the Chief Compliance Officer of a registered investment adviser in an SEC enforcement action under the Investment Advisers Act and the Investment Company Act, resolving the matter without charges.
- Representation of hospitals in self-disclosures to the US Attorney's Office regarding potential health care fraud, resolving the matters without charges.