Jay Holtmeier is a co-leader of WilmerHale’s Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and Anti-Corruption Group and is also part of the firm’s White Collar Defense and Investigations Practice. He represents both institutions and individuals in intricate government and internal investigations, focusing on corporate governance and compliance matters. With extensive expertise in FCPA issues, he is also knowledgeable about environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) concerns, as well as Dodd-Frank Act whistleblower provisions. Jay’s diverse litigation background includes roles as a federal prosecutor, senior in-house attorney, and private practice lawyer.
In FCPA-related cases, Jay has represented clients during government and internal investigations involving activities across Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and Australia. He frequently advises clients encountering challenging FCPA issues in various business contexts and has helped numerous industries develop and implement FCPA compliance programs. His work often focuses on FCPA challenges related to mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, and other corporate transactions. He is a prolific writer and speaker on this topic and is a co-author of the authoritative text in the field, Complying with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (Matthew Bender, 10th ed. 2021), recognized by Global Investigations Review for having participated in more public FCPA resolutions over the past decade than nearly any other lawyer.
Since joining WilmerHale in 2004, Jay has held various roles, including senior vice president and principal legal counsel with the Reuters Group (now Thomson Reuters), where he oversaw all litigation and compliance matters in North and South America. As an assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, he tried several cases to verdict and led extensive grand jury investigations into crimes such as racketeering, securities fraud, murder, narcotics, and counterfeiting. Among his notable prosecutions are United States v. Jose Muyet, et al. and United States v. Ronald Ocasio, et al., related cases involving over twenty murders, for which he received the Director’s Award for Superior Performance from the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys. He also handled United States v. Carol Bayless, which garnered national attention and calls for the impeachment of the presiding U.S. District Judge.
