Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP

Litigation; White Collar Defense and Investigations

Bob Cleary is Of Counsel in Patterson Belknap’s Litigation department and is a member of its White Collar Defense and Investigations practice. Prior to private practice, Bob had a lengthy and distinguished career as a federal prosecutor, including service as the U.S. Attorney both in the District of New Jersey and in the Southern District of Illinois. Bob concentrates his practice on white collar criminal defense, SEC and related enforcement matters, securities litigation, complex civil litigation, tax controversies, and internal investigations. He has extensive experience in international criminal matters, including money laundering investigations and foreign extradition proceedings.

In March 2024, Bob was appointed to serve as the independent Examiner in the FTX Trading Ltd. bankruptcy case. As Examiner, he was tasked with compiling a report to summarize the findings and status of all prior investigations into FTX’s collapse and to recommend future investigations. Bob was also directed to investigate potential conflicts of interest related to the retention of a prominent law firm as counsel to FTX and to determine whether FTX employees who played a role in the widespread fraud that came to light after the bankruptcy are still employed by the company. Bob filed his initial 210-page Examiner Report in May 2024.  In it, he recommended that the court authorize him to conduct three additional investigations relating to FTX.  Upon obtaining the court’s approval, Bob conducted those investigations and summarized his findings in a 119-page Report, which he filed in September 2024.

Bob has over 40 years of courtroom experience as a trial lawyer and appellate advocate and has also been retained in numerous high-profile corporate criminal matters. The American College of Trial Lawyers recognized Bob’s trial expertise by inducting him as a Fellow in 2014.

Prior to joining Patterson Belknap, Bob served in various senior management positions of a major international law firm, including as Co-Chair of the firm’s global Litigation Department and as a member of the firm’s Executive Committee.

In his capacity as U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey and the Southern District of Illinois, Bob was the chief federal law enforcement officer in those districts, responsible for all federal prosecutions and lawsuits filed against the federal government. Prior to his appointment as U.S. Attorney, he served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York, ultimately becoming the Chief of the Major Crimes Unit. During his tenure as First Assistant U.S. Attorney in the District of New Jersey, he was appointed the lead prosecutor in the Unabomber case, United States v. Theodore J. Kaczynski. Mr. Cleary began his prosecutorial career as a trial attorney for the Tax Division of the U.S. Department of Justice.

Admitted in: New York; New Jersey; U.S. Court of Appeals for the First, Second, and Third Circuits; U.S. District Court for the Eastern and Southern Districts of New York; U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey; U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan

Fellow, American College of Trial Lawyers