Richard Blake

Richard Blake is Chair of McDonald Hopkins’ Government Compliance, Investigations and White Collar Defense Practice Group. When you find yourself the target of a government investigation and facing potential criminal or civil penalties, an experienced attorney with a proven track record is essential for your defense. Richard has more than 35 years in both government and private practice and boasts the experience and talent to successfully fight for his clients' interests.

Richard spent 20 years in government service in various capacities with the United States Army, Department of Treasury and Department of Justice. During his tenure, he worked in the DOJ Organized Crime Strike Force and Economic Crimes Unit, where he prosecuted a wide variety of cases, including organized crime racketeering, money laundering, health care fraud, insurance and tax fraud, domestic terrorism, defense procurement fraud, banking and securities fraud, and identity theft. He was also the first federal prosecutor hired by the Justice Department to exclusively prosecute federal qui tam and civil false claims cases in the Northern District of Ohio.

For more than 15 years, Richard has focused his private practice on assisting clients in a wide variety of criminal and civil matters, including allegations of health care related fraud, securities fraud, Controlled Substance Act violations, contract procurement fraud, public corruption and tax fraud.

Richard’s dedication to his clients is paramount. His ability to assemble teams tailored to a client’s individual needs and circumstances has yielded tremendous success, including Not-guilty verdicts on all counts of criminal conspiracy and willful filing of false tax returns against a Michigan mortgage broker. Although the client’s former partner pleaded guilty to the alleged conspiracy and testified for the government, the jury deliberated just over one hour before fully exonerating the client. The dismissal of all federal charges filed by the Department of Justice against a pharmaceutical distributor charged with violating the Controlled Substances Act; Richard also appeared before the United States Congressional House Committee on Energy and Commerce as the client’s counsel during Congress’ national investigation of opioid abuse.

Not-guilty verdicts on 50 counts of health care fraud and related charges against two Ohio cardiologists following a three-month federal jury trial. Richard subsequently negotiated a civil settlement with the government and succeeded in maintaining the physicians’ licenses and recouped all Medicaid funds withheld during the investigation and trial. The successful representation of the only public official in Ohio to be acquitted at trial of all federal corruption charges in the largest public corruption investigation ever conducted in the Northern District. Richard also conducts internal investigations tailored to the individual needs of his clients. One such investigation for the Cuyahoga County Board of Commissioners addressed the potential impact of a federal public corruption investigation on the county's financial condition and bond rating. The report was released by the county to the public and referred to in the media as "The Blake Report."

During his tenure with the federal government, Richard was honored with the President’s Council on Integrity and Efficiency Award following his successful prosecution of a defense subcontractor who provided the Navy with defective components used on nuclear submarines. He has also received numerous awards for his work as a federal prosecutor, including from the FBI, Department of Defense Criminal Investigative Service, IRS Criminal Investigation Division, United States Environmental Protection Agency, and United States Secret Service.

After leaving government service, Richard continued to serve as an instructor for the FBI, training its agents on health care fraud investigations, Civil False Claims Act and qui tam whistleblower matters, and HIPAA compliance. Richard has also been a featured speaker for delegations of foreign law enforcement dignitaries visiting the United States with the State Department and Council on World Affairs, speaking on issues including federal criminal procedures, international money laundering, public corruption, and organized crime.