July 11, 2011
Publication: The Wall Street Journal
Kobre & Kim represented Pankesh Patel, an English businessman, in a precedent-setting Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) trial in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, which resulted in a mistrial — widely heralded as a victory for the defense. The case involved the first large-scale sting operation involving FCPA. Kobre & Kim obtained a novel ruling in the client's favor regarding the limits of U.S. jurisdiction under the FCPA, with the court entering a judgment of acquittal in favor of Mr. Patel on an alleged substantive violation of the act. The court also acquitted Mr. Patel of charges of conspiring to commit money laundering due to insufficiency of the evidence. The jurors were unable to reach a verdict on any of the remaining charges, despite at least six different votes.