ANGELO J. CALFO
email:
acalfo@yarmuth.com
phone: (206) 516-3872
Angelo’s practice emphasizes complex civil and commercial litigation, and white collar criminal defense.
As a former federal prosecutor, an important part of Angelo’s practice is counseling businesses and individuals in responding to criminal and civil government prosecutions in the securities, environmental, tax, health care and safety areas.
Angelo has extensive experience in conducting corporate internal investigations, and in advising clients how to respond to investigative findings through corporate compliance programs, through voluntary disclosure to appropriate government agencies or through litigation.
Angelo’s recent clients and matters have included:
• White Collar Criminal Defense: Angelo represents several publicly-traded companies, businesses and individuals in grand jury investigations and criminal prosecutions involving alleged securities fraud, environmental offenses, government contracting fraud and health care fraud. Recently, Angelo represented Olympic Pipe Line Company, which was a joint venture of Texaco, GATX Corporation and Atlantic Richfield Company, in a prosecution of the corporation for alleged criminal environmental offenses arising out of a major gasoline spill.
• False Claims Act and “Qui Tam” Litigation: Angelo represents clients in government investigations prompted by whistleblowers alleging fraud in connection with government contracts and programs. The firm also assists these companies in defending parallel employment litigation brought by alleged whistleblowers alleging retaliation under the False Claims Act or the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Angelo recently obtained a dismissal of a whistleblower’s lawsuit under the False Claims Act in Leon v. IDX Systems Corporation, in which the alleged whistleblower claimed retaliation due to his complaints about the company’s participation in a federal research program. The firm successfully argued that the whistleblower’s claims should be summarily rejected due to the whistleblower’s spoliation (or destruction) of electronic evidence.
• Government Civil Enforcement Actions: Angelo assists clients in responding to government enforcement litigation brought by federal agencies such as the Securities & Exchange Commission, the Commerce Department, the Federal Trade Commission, the Office of Pipeline Safety and by debarment officials of federal agencies. Often these enforcement actions are brought parallel to or in connection with ongoing criminal or False Claims Act litigation in which we also represent the client.
• Civil and Commercial Litigation: Often in conjunction with parallel government investigations or prosecutions, Angelo has represented clients in a wide variety of complex civil and commercial litigation, including securities fraud, employment, lender liability, and wrongful death litigation. As an example, Angelo is currently defending a “Big Four” accounting firm tax partner in civil litigation alleging accounting malpractice arising out of allegedly improper tax strategies.
Angelo began law practice at Morrison & Foerster in San Francisco as an associate in the firm’s commercial litigation department. From 1989 to 1997, Angelo served as an Assistant United States Attorney, where he managed numerous federal grand jury investigations and prosecuted and tried several criminal matters involving the aerospace, banking and securities industries. The government gave Angelo several awards during his tenure, including the Chief Postal Inspector’s National Award and the Attorney General’s Special Achievement Award, and he was also appointed to the Attorney General’s Advocacy Institute. Angelo has been with Yarmuth Wilsdon Calfo since 1997.
Angelo graduated magna cum laude from Santa Clara University, School of Law, in 1986, where he was the Research Editor of the Santa Clara Law Review and an extern to United States District Judge William A. Ingram. He received his undergraduate degree, cum laude, from Loyola-Marymount University of Los Angeles in 1983.
Angelo has served as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Matt Talbot Center, a nonprofit drug and alcohol recovery center offering services to homeless men and women, located in the Belltown neighborhood of Seattle.
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