Recent Publication:
Next week, the NCAA's Board of Governors will receive recommendations for new rules and structures for regulating college sports.
Clients facing government investigations depend on counsel with practical judgment and investigative expertise. As the co-chair of our White Collar Defense & Investigations practice group, Stephen marshals his experience in those areas to advise companies and individuals confronting potential criminal exposure.
He works with clients to conduct internal investigations, implement compliance solutions, and navigate government investigations. Stephen is highly skilled at helping clients avoid criminal charges and litigation in the first place, but if it cannot be avoided, he draws on his notable litigation experience to defend his clients’ reputations and interests. Stephen has particular experience in the areas of international anti-corruption laws, export controls, the False Claims Act, and matters relating to sports and gaming regulation.
Following two judicial clerkships, including one on the Supreme Court of the United States, Stephen served nine years as a federal prosecutor in the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices in the Southern District of New York and the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. He handled wide-ranging international investigations as a prosecutor, conducting and supervising innovative investigations of violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and federal export regulations. Among other successes, Stephen investigated and prosecuted individuals who exported sensitive technology to Iran in violation of export controls, uncovered and prosecuted widespread fraud in the United Nations Oil-for-Food Program, and thwarted efforts by Hezbollah to obtain thousands of heat-seeking missiles and machine guns from sources inside the United States.
In addition to his unique investigative and trial experience, Stephen has exceptional abilities as an appellate lawyer. He has briefed and argued appeals before the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the 2nd, 3rd, 7th, and Federal Circuits, and has also briefed matters in multiple state Supreme Courts and the Supreme Court of the United States.
Internal Investigations
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Conducted internal investigation for a publicly traded company regarding accounting practices at one of its subsidiaries.
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Conducted internal investigation for a large health care services provider into potential Stark Act violations.
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Conducted internal investigation for a national services company regarding billing practices and mismanagement of company's resources by local agents.
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Conducted internal investigation for a publicly traded company regarding benefits provided to federal government officials.
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Conducted internal investigation for an agricultural company into fraud by a foreign partner and used that investigation to obtain a $9 million reimbursement from the client's insurance company.
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Conducted internal investigation for The Wine Advocate, a pre-eminent and independent publisher of wine reviews and ratings, into allegations of impropriety by former associates.
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Conducted internal investigation for international company into potential antitrust violation in multiple jurisdictions.
Criminal Defense
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Represented an individual under criminal investigation by the Philadelphia U.S. Attorney’s Office for participation in a fraud conspiracy. Our advocacy convinced the U.S. Attorney to decline to prosecute our client entirely.
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Represented an executive of a state contractor in connection with a federal fraud investigation. No charges were filed against the client.
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Represented an international supplier of automotive parts in connection with a federal antitrust investigation. No charges were filed against the client.
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Represented former CEO of a publicly traded health care company at sentencing. Our advocacy convinced the judge to sentence the client to 36 months in prison, where the court found the applicable sentencing guidelines range was 121-151 months imprisonment.
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Represented several executives of two international banks in connection with federal investigations of possible violations of U.S. Treasury sanctions and State of New York laws. No charges were filed against any of the clients.
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Represented manufacturer in federal price-gouging investigation. No charges were filed against the client.
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Represented horse trainer in criminal prosecution in the Southern District of New York for administering performance-enhancing drugs.
Anti-Corruption Laws and Export Controls
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Conducted internal investigation for an international energy company regarding potential FCPA exposure.
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Counseled multiple international energy companies on compliance strategies relating to the use of consultants in South America, Russia, Kazakhstan, and China, and trained those consultants directly on compliance with international anti-corruption laws.
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Advised a foreign manufacturing corporation company under investigation for violation of U.S. export controls. We investigated the matter, engaged with the prosecutors, and ultimately convinced the prosecutors that criminal charges would be inappropriate. The client was never charged and never asked to pay any civil/administrative penalty.
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Counseled an import-export company in an investigation of possible violation of export controls. No charges were filed against the client.
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Counseled a publicly traded software company about the application of U.S. trade sanctions and export controls on proposed international transactions, including advice on due diligence of potential partners and licensees.
Gaming and Sports
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Negotiated a settlement agreement with the potential to revolutionize the U.S. sports-betting market on behalf of Laura Varela and 5Dimes, a popular offshore sportsbook in Costa Rica. The U.S. Department of Justice had been investigating illegal gambling and money-laundering activity associated with 5Dimes and Ms. Varela’s husband at the time of his death in 2018. Our team negotiated an unprecedented resolution with prosecutors in the Philadelphia U.S. Attorney’s Office that resolved 5Dimes’s legal liability and that allowed Ms. Varela to reposition the sportsbook to enter the regulated U.S. sports-betting industry. Further, the Government expressly agreed to advise state regulators, banks, and investors about her extraordinary cooperation and impressive efforts to transform 5Dimes into a lawful, regulated company.
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Advised gaming companies and coaches of professional sports teams on compliance issues and business opportunities for sports relating to the Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Murphy v. NCAA (2018).
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Advised NCAA coaches and student-athletes on eligibility issues, including representation in enforcement proceedings.
News
October 06, 2021
Cozen O’Connor is pleased to announce that the Philadelphia Business Journal will honor Stephen Cozen, Meredith Slawe, and Stephen Miller at its fifth annual Best of the Bar Awards.
August 19, 2021
Best Lawyers selected 210 Cozen O’Connor lawyers from 23 of the firm’s nationwide offices for inclusion in the 2022 edition of The Best Lawyers in America.
May 26, 2021
Chambers USA, the leading annual guide to the top lawyers and law firms in the United States, has ranked 82 Cozen O’Connor lawyers as leaders in their respective fields in the guide’s 2021 edition; of those, 15 lawyers have been recognized nationally.
April 06, 2021
Mike McTigue, Meredith Slawe, and Marie Bussey-Garza in the Class Actions Practice Group; Anna Wermuth in the Labor & Employment Practice Group; and Michael De Leeuw, Stephen Miller, and Tamar Wise in the Appellate & Supreme Court Practice Group collaborated on an amicus brief that was filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit on Monday, April 5.
April 06, 2021
Meredith C. Slawe, Michael W. McTigue Jr., Stephen A. Miller, Marie Bussey-Garza, Michael de Leeuw, Tamar S. Wise, and Anna Wermuth, the attorneys for the amici curiae, were featured in an article published by Law360.
October 01, 2020
Barry Boss, Stephen Miller, and Kara Kapp negotiate a historic non-prosecution agreement involving 5Dimes, a major offshore sports-betting operator.
August 20, 2020
Best Lawyers selected 201 Cozen O’Connor lawyers from 23 of the firm’s nationwide offices for inclusion in the 2021 edition of The Best Lawyers in America© (Copyright 2020 by Woodward/White, Inc., of Aiken, SC).
August 28, 2019
Best Lawyers selected 138 Cozen O’Connor lawyers from 21 of the firm’s national offices for inclusion in the 2020 edition of The Best Lawyers in America.
June 21, 2019
The team includes Michael de Leeuw, Stuart Shorenstein, Tamar Wise, Stephen Miller, Jesse Loffler, William Lesser, and Anna Hanke.
July 13, 2018
Barry Boss, co-chair of the firm’s Criminal Defense & Internal Investigations Practice, and Stephen Miller, vice chair of the firm’s Criminal Defense & Internal Investigations Practice are featured in GamblingCompliance.
June 29, 2018
Stephen Miller, vice chair of Cozen O’Connor’s Criminal Defense & Internal Investigations Practice, is quoted Law 360 on the impact legalized sports betting has on the integrity of college sports.
January 25, 2018
Stephen A. Miller, vice chair of Cozen O’Connor’s Criminal Defense & Internal Investigations Practice Group, discusses the U.S. Department of Justice’s memo that is guiding its attorneys on when to seek dismissals of False Claims Act cases in Law360.
February 10, 2017
National Hockey League deputy commissioner Bill Daly came to Philadelphia on Thursday to be a keynote speaker at a sports business conference organized by local law firm Cozen O'Connor and Penn's Wharton business school.
February 17, 2016
Stephen Miller, who clerked for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia in 1998 and 1999, discusses his time with the Justice and the influence he had as a judge.
October 08, 2013
In an article titled “Alabama case spotlights Emmert, Saban friendship,” Stephen Miller, of Cozen O’Connor’s Commercial Litigation Department, discusses NCAA enforcement actions as they relate to recent allegations about an Alabama football player accepting impermissible benefits while at the school. Miller states, “The NCAA has a major credibility problem when it comes to enforcement actions, and that's especially so under Mark Emmert because it seems Emmert picks and chooses when he wants to get involved."
Publications
November 09, 2021
Next week, the NCAA's Board of Governors will receive recommendations for new rules and structures for regulating college sports.
October 08, 2021
A quarterly newsletter reviewing Third Circuit opinions impacting white collar defense lawyers
October 08, 2021
Stephen Miller contributed an article to The Legal Intelligencer discussing the US Supreme Court’s October term.
July 13, 2021
A quarterly newsletter reviewing Third Circuit opinions impacting white collar defense lawyers
June 28, 2021
The Supreme Court's June 21, 2021, decision in NCAA v. Alston ended the NCAA’s efforts to stall reform of its amateurism model, say Stephen Miller and Calli Padilla in Bloomberg Law Insights.
April 29, 2021
Stephen Miller and Jonathan Ciriello contributed an article to The Legal Intelligencer discussing how change is coming to the NCAA’s amateurism model.
April 13, 2021
A quarterly newsletter reviewing Third Circuit opinions impacting white collar defense lawyers
March 03, 2021
Stephen Miller and Rohan Mohanty contributed an article to The Legal Intelligencer discussing the U.S. Supreme Court case of Fulton v. City of Philadelphia.
February 09, 2021
Calli Padilla discusses Princeton University's administrative settlement with the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security, to resolve allegations of violations of the Export Administration Regulations.
January 13, 2021
David Reichenberg, Stephen Miller, and Casey James discuss the DOJ's indictment charging Surgical Care Affiliates LLC of colluding with two companies not to solicit each other’s senior-level employees.
January 12, 2021
A quarterly newsletter reviewing Third Circuit opinions impacting white collar defense lawyers.
January 07, 2021
Stephen Miller and Leigh Ann Benson contributed an article to The Legal Intelligencer discussing how earlier this year, only two states still permitted nonunanimous jury convictions—Louisiana and Oregon.
December 04, 2020
Stephen Miller and Catherine Yun contributed an article to The Legal Intelligencer titled, "High Court Examines Requirement of Political Party Affiliation for State Judges." This article discusses a recent case that presents a challenge to the Delaware Constitution’s anti-patronage provisions
November 04, 2020
Stephen Miller and Chase Howard contributed an article to The Legal Intelligencer explaining how in October, the court heard oral argument in Google v. Oracle America, a case that is being closely watched by the software industry.
October 19, 2020
A quarterly newsletter reviewing Third Circuit opinions impacting white collar defense lawyers.
October 19, 2020
Stephen Miller wrote an article discussing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has had on college athletics and the future of the NCAA.
September 30, 2020
Barry Boss, Stephen A. Miller, and Kara Kapp discuss the non-prosecution agreement involving 5Dimes.
May 21, 2020
Karen Williams and Stephen Miller discuss the Supreme Court's decision in Kelly v. United States.
April 07, 2020
A quarterly newsletter reviewing Third Circuit opinions impacting white-collar defense lawyers.
March 04, 2020
Stephen Miller and Kristin Keehan published an article to The Legal Intelligencer discussing the mootness doctrine and some exceptions to it.
January 22, 2020
In the article, Stephen discusses the NCAA’s amateurism policies and the recent signs indicating that the Association may be moving toward a more equitable model that allows players to receive a bigger share of the wealth they create.
January 14, 2020
A quarterly newsletter reviewing Third Circuit opinions impacting white collar criminal lawyers
January 08, 2020
Stephen Miller and Chase Howard published an article to The Legal Intelligencer discussing the U.S. Supreme Court's consideration for whether a state can copyright annotated complications of its own statutes.
December 05, 2019
Stephen Miller and Leigh Ann Benson published an article to The Legal Intelligencer discussing a current case that will be brought before U.S. Supreme Court.
October 09, 2019
Stephen Miller and Ryan Kelly published an article to The Legal Intelligencer discussing when playing politics can become political, specifically in Kelly v. United States.
October 08, 2019
A quarterly newsletter reviewing Third Circuit opinions impacting white collar criminal lawyers.
July 10, 2019
A quarterly newsletter reviewing Third Circuit opinions impacting white collar criminal lawyers
May 09, 2019
Stephen Miller and Rachel Collins Clarke discuss OFAC's expectations for effective sanctions compliance programs.
May 02, 2019
The U.S. Supreme Court is considering whether to limit the power of administrative agencies. 'Kisor v. Wilkie,' which was argued last month, is a head-on challenge to the deference afforded to an agency when interpreting its own regulations.
April 05, 2019
A quarterly newsletter reviewing Third Circuit opinions impacting white collar criminal lawyers.
March 06, 2019
Stephen Miller and Max Kaplan discuss how the 21st Amendment took center stage recently at the U.S. Supreme Court. The justices considered whether the amendment provided an exception to the dormant commerce clause, which disfavors state interference in interstate commerce.
February 06, 2019
Stephen Miller and Chase Howard authored an article in The Legal Intelligencer on the Supreme Court’s upcoming decision regarding whether a state can be brought into another state’s courts without its consent.
January 04, 2019
A quarterly newsletter reviewing Third Circuit opinions impacting white collar criminal lawyers.
December 05, 2018
In AmLaw Litigation Daily, Stephen Miller and Rachel Collins Clarke discuss the fact that the US Supreme Court is considering whether the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment bars the execution of an inmate who no longer remembers his own name, much less committing the capital crime of conviction.
November 08, 2018
Stephen Miller, Vice Chair of the firm's White Collar Defense & Investigations Practice, and Leigh Ann Benson, an associate in the firm's Commercial Litigation Department, co-authored, "US Supreme Court Considers Asbestos Actions Under Maritime Law" for The Legal Intelligencer.
October 05, 2018
A quarterly newsletter reviewing Third Circuit opinions impacting white collar criminal lawyers.
July 09, 2018
A quarterly newsletter reviewing Third Circuit opinions impacting white collar criminal lawyers.
May 07, 2018
Stephen Miller, vice chair of the firm's Criminal Defense & Internal Investigations Practice Group and Isaac Binkovitz, an associate in the firm's Commercial Litigation Department, co-authored, "US Supreme Court Considers Appropriate Deference to Foreign Law," for The Legal Intelligencer.
April 13, 2018
Stephen Miller, vice chair of Cozen O'Connor's Criminal Defense & Internal Investigations Practice Group, and Pamela Dorian, an associate in the firm's Commercial Litigation Department, co-authored, in The Legal Intelligencer "Supreme Court Considers State Ban on Political Apparel in Polling Place."
April 12, 2018
A quarterly newsletter reviewing Third Circuit opinions impacting white collar criminal lawyers.
April 03, 2018
Stephen Miller, vice chair of Cozen O'Connor's Criminal Defense & Internal Investigations Practice Group, and Pamela Dorian, an associate in the firm's Commercial Litigation Department, co-authored, in The Legal Intelligencer "Is a Warrant Necessary to Search a Vehicle Parked Near a Person's Home?"
February 07, 2018
Stephen Miller and Rachel Collins Clarke, members of Cozen O'Connor's Criminal Defense & Internal Investigations Practice, co-authored in The Legal Intelligencer, “Supreme Court Tackles Fourth Amendment Case Involving Cellphone Privacy."
January 11, 2018
Stephen Miller, vice chair of Cozen O'Connor's Criminal Defense & Internal Investigations Practice, and Leigh Ann Benson, associate in the firm's Commercial Litigation Department, co-authored, in The Legal Intelligencer "Masterpiece Cakeshop v. CCR: A Difficult Balance for Justices."
December 04, 2017
Stephen A. Miller, vice chair of the firm's Criminal Defense & Internal Investigations Practice Group, and Haryle Kaldis, an associate in the firm's Commercial Litigation Department, co-authored for The Legal Intelligencer, "Supreme Court Examines Intersection of Class Waivers and Employees’ Rights".
November 09, 2017
Stephen A. Miller, vice chair of Cozen O'Connor's Criminal Defense & Internal Investigations practice, and Leigh Ann Benson, associate in the firm's Commercial Litigation department, co-authored in Yahoo!, "NJ's Supreme Court Gamble: Garden State Takes on PASPA."
October 10, 2017
Stephen Miller, vice chair of Cozen O'Connor's Criminal Defense & Internal Investigations practice, and William Lesser, an associate in the firm's Commercial Litigation department, co-authored for The Legal Intelligencer, "US Supreme Court Confronts Partisan Gerrymandering."
June 09, 2017
Jeffrey Monhait and Stephen Miller discuss the new collective bargaining agreement between the NBA and the NBA Players Association and review the disciplinary powers of both the teams and the league in their Law360 article, "Navigating NBA's New CBA During Misconduct Investigations."
May 04, 2017
Stephen Miller, vice chair of Cozen O'Connor's Criminal Defense & Internal Investigations practice, and William Lesser, of the Commercial Litigation department, discuss internet restrictions on registered sex offenders in The Legal Intelligencer.
April 04, 2017
Stephen Miller and Matthew Coin, both of Cozen O'Connor's Criminal Defense & Internal Investigations practice, discuss the U.S. Supreme Court in The Legal Intelligencer.
January 11, 2017
Stephen A. Miller and Kathryn Young Galla discuss a case in which the U.S. Supreme Court is grappling with the issue of racial bias in the decision-making of a criminal trial jury.
August 03, 2015
Barry Boss, Stephen Miller, and Rebecca Brodey discuss the U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division’s latest investigation – airline capacity restrictions.
October 29, 2012
The NCAA is a financial juggernaut. Each year, the organization generates nearly a billion dollars of revenue premised largely on its perceived status as shepherd of the amateur ideal. Indeed, the NCAA takes great pains to cultivate that image by, among other things, reminding us that most student-athletes “go pro in something other than sports.”
October 23, 2012
A lawyer's take on how to fix the National College Athletics Association's broken, capricious system for investigating and punishing schools and student-athletes accused of impropriety