Lionel André is Chairman of SECIL and also serves as our Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Officer. Lionel defends clients in parallel enforcement matters involving the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission and the Department of Justice. He also conducts internal investigations and defends companies and their executives in Government investigations.
Peers rank Lionel at the top of his practice areas. US News-Best Lawyers in America named him one of the best White Collar Defense Lawyers for both for 2021 and again for 2022. Lionel is a highly experienced litigator addressing investigation and white-collar issues. He brings unique and significant work experience of fourteen years of SEC enforcement investigation and litigation experience and seventeen years of DOJ criminal trial experience.
A Brooklyn native of Haitian descent, Lionel represents clients in a broad variety of investigations conducted by the SEC, DOJ, Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, and other federal and state regulators. He is uniquely positioned to handle both regulatory and criminal litigation, as well as the private litigation that can arise as a result of these investigations. Lionel began his career at the SEC’s Division of Enforcement. During his 14 years at the SEC, Lionel handled securities cases in federal court and administrative proceedings around the country.
First joining the SEC as a staff attorney at the Washington headquarters, and eventually promoted to Assistant Chief Litigation Counsel. Lionel handled matters concerning auditor independence, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, broker-dealer regulation and supervision, stock manipulation, "prime bank" securities fraud, unregistered distribution of securities, self-dealing by fund managers, and insider trading. One of his insider trading cases was the subject of a Law and Order episode. While at the SEC, Lionel was awarded the Director’s Award in recognition of Outstanding Contribution to the Enforcement of the Federal Securities Laws. Lionel also created what has come to be known as the “Collections Unit” during his tenure in the SEC’s Trial Section.
After the SEC, Lionel served as Assistant United States Attorney in the Fraud and Public Corruption Section of the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia. At the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Lionel served as Senior Litigation Counsel and Health Care Fraud Coordinator. He prosecuted criminal matters from grand jury to verdict in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. He conducted investigations involving wide-ranging violations of both federal and local criminal laws using a variety of investigative tools, including wire interceptions, administrative and grand jury subpoenas, covert operations, cooperating witnesses, and search warrants.
Lionel supervised teams of investigators from various federal and local law enforcement agencies including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Postal Inspection Service, U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Health & Human Services, the Environmental Crimes Unit of the EPA and the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation Division where his caseload included matters involving healthcare fraud, off-label marketing schemes, pharmaceutical fraud, federal procurement fraud, false claims, campaign finance violations, public corruption, securities fraud, environmental crimes, and money laundering.
Lionel earned the U.S. Attorney's Office Special Achievement Award on six occasions in recognition of meritorious service and sustained superior performance. In 2016, he received the Federal Bureau of Investigation Commendation, awarded for the successful prosecution of U.S. v. Florence and Michael Bikundi, (then the largest healthcare fraud case in the D.C. USAO's history). Lionel also prosecuted U.S. v. Joe L. Parrish and Gregory Scott (one of the largest environmental crime matters in D.C. history, involving two public officials who accepted bribes in exchange for not reporting serious asbestos abatement infractions in violation of the Clean Air Act). Lionel also received the FBI Commendation in 2012, for Outstanding Prosecutorial Assistance to the Federal Bureau of Investigation on local public corruption matters.
Since entering private practice after his 30 years of SEC and DOJ service, Lionel has helped entities and individuals successfully resolve parallel SEC and DOJ matters. He advises minority-owned financial service companies on regulatory and strategic matters, ranging from public policy and corporate governance to litigation, compliance, and administrative actions.
Admitted in New York and the District of Columbia.
