Moore & Van Allen PLLC (MVA) is pleased to announce that Jenny G. Sugar, the former Deputy Criminal Chief of white collar crime for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina (WDNC), has joined the firm as a member and will practice in the White Collar, Regulatory Defense & Investigations group. As a member of MVA’s White Collar, Regulatory Defense & Investigations group, Sugar will represent corporations and executives in white collar criminal and government enforcement investigations, proceedings, and trials.
As a federal prosecutor for more than two decades, Sugar investigated, prosecuted, and oversaw a broad range of complex financial crimes, including investment fraud, bank fraud, wire fraud, tax fraud, Ponzi schemes, money laundering, and abuse of government funding programs, as well as health care fraud matters. Sugar also ran and supervised WDNC’s Bank Secrecy Act and Anti-Money Laundering (BSA/AML) Task Force.
“It’s an honor to welcome Jenny, who brings invaluable perspective built on more than two decades as a federal prosecutor in highly sensitive and complex investigations and trials. Jenny will be an excellent addition to the firm, our white collar practice, and our clients throughout the firm,” said firm Managing Partner and Chair Thomas L. Mitchell.
“We are thrilled that Jenny is launching her private practice at Moore & Van Allen,” said Co-head of Litigation and Co-head of White Collar, Regulatory Defense & Investigations John A. Fagg, Jr. “With her many years of distinguished work at the U.S. Attorney’s Office and Main Justice, Jenny will be a great resource to many of our clients. Jenny was an incredibly accomplished and skilled prosecutor. These attributes, coupled together with her proven leadership and deep familiarity with DOJ, the SEC, and other regulatory authorities, will greatly benefit our clients facing white collar criminal and government enforcement actions. Jenny is an outstanding first chair trial lawyer who will further deepen our white collar bench.”
In addition to serving as the Deputy Criminal Chief of the WDNC U.S. Attorney’s Office for more than five years, Sugar was an assistant U.S. attorney for more than eight years and a federal prosecutor in DOJ’s Tax Division in Washington, D.C. for more than seven years. In addition to her investigative and trial responsibilities, Sugar also provided mentorship and training in various capacities, advised on professional conduct issues, and participated in evaluations of other U.S. Attorneys’ Offices.
Sugar was lead prosecutor in United States v. William “Todd” Coontz, a high-profile investigation and tax fraud trial of a Charlotte-based televangelist in which the jury convicted the defendant of all counts, including filing false tax returns. Her work as lead prosecutor in United States v. Paul Burks, a trial involving a $900 million Ponzi scheme by former ZeekRewards executives, earned her recognition as the International Association of Financial Crimes Investigators’ 2017 International Prosecutor of the Year.
“I am excited to be embarking on this new journey at Moore & Van Allen, a firm I’ve greatly respected for many years,” Sugar said. “I know their white collar lawyers to be incredibly strategic in guiding their clients through very sensitive and complex matters. I look forward to practicing with this highly accomplished team and putting my experience from the public sector to work for the firm’s clients.”
She earned her J.D. from Harvard Law School and B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin. Locally, Sugar serves as a Vice President of the Levine Jewish Community Center’s Board of Directors, and as a member of Temple Beth El. She previously served as a member of the Charlotte Jewish Preschool Board.