Charles L. Kreindler

Charles Kreindler is a partner in the Governmental Practice in the firm's Los Angeles office. He is also Leader of the White Collar Defense and Corporate Investigations Practice Group.

Areas of Practice

Charles is an accomplished trial and appellate lawyer with specialties in white collar criminal defense and complex civil litigation on behalf of both plaintiffs and defendants.

Charles was a federal prosecutor in Los Angeles from 1989-1997. In that role, he investigated and prosecuted criminal offenses such as healthcare fraud, defense procurement fraud, tax evasion, bank fraud, money laundering, international theft, murder and counterfeiting. He coordinated and supervised both the Southern California Defense Procurement Task Force and the Southern California Health Care Fraud Task Force. Both of these task forces included agents from the FBI, Postal Inspection Service, Health and Human Services, Defense Criminal Investigative Service and the State of California.

In addition to his prosecutorial responsibilities, Charles was promoted to Assistant Division Chief in 1994 and was directly responsible for supervising approximately 60 assistant U.S. attorneys. As a criminal defense attorney, he has successfully represented numerous individuals and entities in connection with a federal and state investigations and prosecutions.

In civil litigation, Charles has successfully represented both plaintiffs and defendants in both state and federal court. For example, as plaintiff's counsel, he recently won a jury verdict of $6,724,000 in a breach of contract action against one of the largest banks in the country. In a personal injury case, he won a jury verdict in excess of $1,000,000. Charles was also able to reach a settlement of over $50 million on behalf of a company against its former director and CEO, and he successfully completed a complex commercial arbitration on behalf of a biotech firm in which he won an award of more than $10,000,000.

As civil defense counsel, Charles recently received a defense verdict on a fraud and breach of contract claim, as well as a defense verdict on claims of trade secret violations. He has also successfully defended numerous individuals and companies in complaints brought by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), as well as state and federal False Claims Act litigation.

Charles has received numerous awards and honors for his legal achievements, including the Inspector General's Integrity Award from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Special Achievement Award on two occasions from the U.S. Department of Justice. Other honors and commendations have come from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Postal Service, the U.S. Air Force, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service and the Immigration and Naturalization Service.

Honors

• Best Lawyer in America, Best Lawyers, 2011-2025
• White Collar Criminal Defense, Legal 500, 2016-2019
• Leading Lawyer, Chambers USA, 2015-2024
• Southern California Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers, 2009-2024

Articles

Cannabis Law Blog

• "Online Cannabis Marketplace Businessmen Convicted of Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud," March 26, 2021

• "Bank Fraud Trial Highlights White Collar Enforcement Risks for Cannabis Industry," March 11, 2021

Government Contracts, Investigations & International Trade Blog Posts

• "Corporate Voluntary Self-Disclosure (VSD) of Criminal Activity: More of the Same or a Real Sea Change?," February 23, 2023

• "Supreme Court Limits SEC’s Authority to Disgorge Ill-Gotten Gains in Civil Suits," June 24, 2020

• "Materiality Concerns For CARES Act Enforcement Cases," June 15, 2020
• "How to Prevent or Defend Against Business Crimes, including Trade Secrets and Human Trafficking," May 29, 2019 
• "You Again?: Application of the First-to-File Bar Where Subsequent Actions Are Brought By the Same Relator," February 25, 2015
• "How Are Your Physicians Compensated? Stark Law + False Claims Act = Halifax Paying $85 Million," May 20, 2014
• "Could You Be The "Beneficiary" Of The "Inadvertent" Submission Of A False Claim?," January 18, 2011
• "The Fourth Amendment Trumps Unbridled Government Searches Of Electronic Data (And What Companies Should Know To Protect Their Interests)," March 19, 2010

Healthcare Law Blog Posts

• "Tips for the Unwary: Precautions Against Liability for Healthcare Businesses Receiving CARES Act Funds," June 2, 2020

• "Cloudy Skies Ahead for Providers? CMS’ Release of Medicare Billing Data Combined with Physician Payment Sunshine Act Data May Boost Fraud Litigation," June 5, 2014
• "Potential Risks of Healthcare Joint Ventures Between Insurance Companies and Hospitals," May 21, 2014

Lain American Law Blog Posts

• "The New Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2020 and Potential Effects on Foreign Businesses and High Net Worth Individuals," March 12, 2021

White Collar Defense Blog Posts

• "Got Pot? The Feds Try to Make Mortgagee Banks Liable Under the Crack House Statute," January 19, 2012

White Collar & Government Enforcement Blog Posts

• "The Ninth Circuit Holds That a Lie Must Go to the Nature of the Bargain to Support Fraud Conviction," May 23, 2024
• "Corrupt Foreign Leaders Now on the Hook for Bribery Charges: Congress Passes the Foreign Extortion Prevention Act," December 19, 2023
• "'Take Five' – A Guide to Invoking the Fifth Amendment in Civil Cases," December 14, 2023

• "Should my Company Self-Disclose Major Fraud? The Answer is Now Clear," November 8, 2023

Media Mentions

Events

Digital Media