Davis Polk is pleased to announce that Avi Gesser, an official with the U.S. Department of Justice, has rejoined the firm as a partner in the Litigation Department in New York. Mr. Gesser will work in our White Collar Criminal Defense Group representing clients in a wide range of white collar criminal defense matters and investigations as well as complex commercial litigation.
From mid-2010 to December 2012, Mr. Gesser served as Counsel to the Chief of the Justice Department, Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, where he assisted the Chief in overseeing more than 100 federal prosecutors who work on Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, securities, health care, and other fraud investigations and cases. From early 2011 through August 2013, he was the Deputy Director of the Justice Department, Criminal Division’s Deepwater Horizon Task Force, and was jointly responsible for investigating and prosecuting BP, Transocean and Halliburton in connection with the Macondo oil spill.
In recognition of his work on the Deepwater Horizon oil spill matter, Mr. Gesser was honored with the Attorney General’s Award for Exceptional Service, the highest award given by the Justice Department for Exceptional Prosecutorial Achievement, and the FBI Director’s Award for Excellence in the category of Outstanding Criminal Investigation.
