Cozen O’Connor today announced Kurt Konrad Lunkenheimer, a trial lawyer turned federal prosecutor in Miami, has joined its White Collar Defense & Investigations group. The firm’s first White Collar Defense & Investigations lawyer to be based in Florida, Lunkenheimer joins Cozen O’Connor as a member and will work out of the Miami, Fla. office. Lunkenheimer joins from the U.S. Attorney’s Office (USAO) in the Southern District of Florida.
Lunkenheimer has successfully managed and prosecuted a wide range of high-profile national and international cases, most involving large-scale drug trafficking, white-collar fraud, and money laundering. Prior to that, he was a member of a national law firm’s white-collar litigation team, defending corporate clients facing misbranding allegations, finance fraud, procurement fraud, and environmental crimes.
“White collar defense is all about delivering results when the stakes are high. As a former prosecutor, Kurt knows how government investigations unfold and how the cases are built,” said Barry Boss, co-chair of the White Collar Defense & Investigations group. “He’s ideally suited to guide clients, whether as target, subject, or witness, through every phase of the criminal justice process — from high stakes government investigations to trial and appeal. He’s a great addition to our team and I’m happy to welcome him aboard.”
As a member of the USAO Money Laundering Section, Lunkenheimer prosecuted both domestic and international money laundering cases, with a focus on corruption in Venezuela and South America. In that role, he convicted at trial a former Venezuelan National Treasurer and her husband of international promotional money laundering connected to a foreign bribery scheme, and successfully defended a motion to dismiss an indictment on Venezuelan diplomatic immunity claim. Previously, as deputy chief of the USAO Criminal Division’s Major Crimes Section, he oversaw all alien smuggling and maritime crimes cases; served as a liaison for criminal cases in Florida’s Monroe County; and interfaced with the U.S. Coast Guard with respect to the prosecution of all Major Crimes maritime cases.
In private practice, he defended companies and individuals under scrutiny for an array of criminal activities, conducting internal investigations, reviewing and prioritizing critical documents, conducting witness interviews, and presenting investigation results internally and to government agencies.
“As an experienced trial lawyer and a public prosecutor in Miami for more than a decade, Kurt’s the perfect choice to lead the white collar group’s expansion into south Florida,” said Susan Eisenberg, office managing partner of Cozen O’Connor’s Miami office. “His public/private practice experience gives him the unique and critical perspective needed to help our clients fully understand their potential exposure. I’m thrilled he’s joining us.”
Lunkenheimer is the second litigator/former federal prosecutor to be added to the White Collar Defense & Investigations Group this summer. He joins white collar defense attorney and former federal prosecutor Sarah Krissoff, who moved to the firm’s New York City office in July.
“I’m honored to be leading the White Collar Defense & Investigations team’s expansion into South Florida,” Lunkenheimer said. “As a former federal prosecutor with government contacts throughout the country, I know from first-hand experience that our group has constructed a tremendous reputation throughout the legal community. I’m very much looking forward to bringing that level of service to our clients here in Florida.”
Lunkenheimer earned his J.D. at the Duke University School of Law and his A.B. at Princeton University.
