The Inside Track: Hearing from the Regulators on Key Issues

JOANNIE WEI is Assistant Director of the Federal Trade Commission’s Midwest Region in Chicago where she supervises the office’s consumer fraud litigation.

Prior to assuming this role, Joannie brought federal cases involving a wide variety of fraud in different sectors, including both deceptive practices online and fraudulent financial schemes. She has brought cases involving illegal online affiliate marketing and billing practices, as well as cases against those engaged the deceptive sale of credit cards, credit repair, student loan debt relief, and mortgage loan modification services. She also has extensive experience in healthcare related fraud and the assisting and facilitating of fraud in the money transfer industry. In addition to the FTC’s casework, Joannie is committed to outreach and has worked to enhance the FTC’s efforts to fight fraud affecting certain population segments such as older adults, minorities, lower-income communities, immigrants and service members.

Prior to joining the FTC, Joannie served as a law clerk for the Honorable James F. Holderman of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and worked as a litigation associate at a Chicago-based law firm.

Joannie graduated summa cum laude from the University of Illinois College of Law.

Denise Barnes counsels clients in high-stakes matters related to fraud allegations, including in healthcare, federal contract procurement, and securities and financial services. A former trial attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), she has extensive experience handling issues related to compliance, white-collar and regulatory investigations, and complex commercial litigation. Denise represents businesses in public and non-public investigations, regulatory inquiries, and proceedings involving federal and state agencies. She frequently assists clients navigating government investigations related to allegations arising under the False Claims Act (FCA), Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS), Stark Law, and Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act (FIRREA). Notably, during her tenure at the DOJ, she spearheaded numerous multi-district investigations that resulted in over $2.7 billion in recoveries for federal taxpayers.

Denise’s notable accomplishments include investigating and settling high-profile cases involving major financial institutions, hospital systems, and government contractors, displaying a unique skill-set and holistic experience in navigating intricate legal landscapes. She continues to leverage this extensive experience to represent clients in a myriad of investigations and compliance matters.

Melissa R. Hodgman is an Associate Director in the Division of Enforcement at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. She joined the Commission in 2008, became Senior Counsel in 2009, joined the newly formed Market Abuse Unit in 2010, was promoted to Assistant Director in 2012, and to Associate Director in 2016. Melissa served as the Acting Director in 2021. She was an Associate at Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy. She obtained a BSFS in 1990, a JD Magna cum Laude in 1994, and an LLM in Securities with Distinction in 2007 from Georgetown University.

Andrea Griswold is a Partner in the White-Collar Defense and Investigations Practice at Skadden. Prior to joining Skadden in 2024, Ms. Griswold most recently served as the Deputy United States Attorney and the Chief Counsel to the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York. In these capacities, Ms. Griswold was the principal advisor to the U.S. Attorney and oversaw all prosecutions and litigation across the office. As the deputy U.S. attorney, Ms. Griswold was also responsible for the day-to-day operations of the office, including oversight of more than 400 lawyers and other personnel, and worked closely with leadership across all sections of the Department of Justice. Previously, from 2020-22, Ms. Griswold was Chief of the Southern District's Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force, supervising the prosecution of a series of significant individual and corporate prosecutions, many focusing on fraud involving private funds, cryptocurrency, digital assets and SPACs.

Prior to serving in leadership at SDNY, Mis. Griswold investigated and tried to verdict a series of complicated securities fraud matters, including a series of investigations alleging misconduct in the hedge fund and private equity industries.

Ms. Griswold previously worked for five years as an associate at another international law firm. She holds degrees from Georgetown University and New York University School of Law.

Lisa Miller is the Chief of the Market Integrity & Major Frauds Unit within the Fraud Section of DOJ’s Criminal Division. In this position, Lisa supervises more than 40 federal prosecutors who specialize in the investigation and prosecution of complex financial fraud matters, including, among others, securities, commodities, investment, consumer, government procurement, and bank fraud cases.

Prior to her current role, she served as the Principal Assistant Chief of the Fraud Section’s Health Care Fraud Unit, where she assisted in supervising more than 70 attorneys based in Washington, D.C., and in 15 Strike Force locations across 24 federal districts. In this role, in addition to overseeing investigations and trials, Lisa worked closely with federal agencies and U.S. Attorneys’ Offices in developing and implementing national enforcement priorities. Lisa previously served as a Trial Attorney in the Fraud Section and as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, during which time she investigated and prosecuted a wide range of cases, including those involving wire, mail, and bank fraud, money laundering, tax offenses, federal program bribery, health care fraud, and securities and investment fraud schemes. Her experience includes leading or co-chairing more than 14 federal jury trials and briefing and arguing appeals before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit.

Lisa is a graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law and Cornell University. Before becoming a federal prosecutor, Lisa clerked for the Honorable Edgardo Ramos, U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of New York; worked as a litigation associate at a law firm in New York; and served as a Special Assistant Attorney General at the D.C. Office of the Attorney General.