Profile
Matthew J. Cannon has more than two decades of criminal and civil litigation experience. He has served as the First Chair in numerous federal jury trials and has combined his courtroom skills, his experience as a federal prosecutor with the Department of Justice (DOJ), and his wide-ranging civil litigation skills into a practice that combines anti-corruption compliance work and litigation. Matt focuses his practice on representing companies and individuals subject to government investigations and litigation. He also assists companies with implementing and assessing anti-corruption compliance programs throughout the world, including programs focused on the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and the U.K. Bribery Act.
Matt’s criminal and civil investigations and litigation experience includes handling matters related to the False Claims Act (with an emphasis on representing financial institutions, defense contractors and health care providers) as well as matters involving DOJ and SEC FCPA investigations, antitrust matters, ITAR, criminal and civil environmental investigations and litigation, class action securities fraud litigation, derivative and corporate governance breach of fiduciary duty matters, and multi-state attorney general investigations involving cybersecurity breaches. Matt’s combination of civil and criminal experience is recognized by The Best Lawyers in America®, in which he is listed in the 2015-2024 editions, including for Criminal Defense: White-Collar and Qui Tam False Claims Act/whistleblower matters.
Prior to joining Greenberg Traurig, Matt served as a federal prosecutor for more than seven years. During his tenure with the government, he served as both the Supervisory AUSA for the Headquarters Office of the Central District of Illinois and was the Lead Prosecutor for the LOGCAP Working Group—a group that prosecuted warzone corruption matters related to the multibillion-dollar LOGCAP III and IV prime contracts awarded to private contractors to provide logistical support to the U.S. Army in relation to the military conflicts in Iraq, Kuwait and Afghanistan. The LOGCAP Working Group had numerous prosecutions and investigations involving bribes, kickbacks, Major Fraud Act, and civil False Claims Act matters, including qui tams. The False Claims Act matters that he handled with the government involved allegations of inflated billing, false certifications, and pricing manipulation. In addition, Matt was lead trial counsel for numerous federal jury trials, including multi-week long fraud trials.
While with the government, Matt was also one of the attorneys who handled an FCPA case involving a subsidiary of a global food-processing and commodities-trading corporation, wherein the total amount of criminal and regulatory penalties paid exceeded $54 million. As a federal prosecutor, Matt supervised public corruption cases and health care fraud cases in addition to handling prosecutions and investigations in the areas of procurement fraud, wire and mail fraud, money laundering, securities fraud, FCPA, ITAR, Clean Water Act environmental matters, and other white collar matters.
Prior to working as a federal prosecutor, Matt was an associate and then partner in litigation for another large Chicago law firm. While there, he handled a wide-range of civil and criminal matters. His work included assisting with internal corporate investigations, defending DOJ and SEC investigations, defending 10b-5 securities class actions, and handling litigation matters in the following areas: civil, criminal, commercial business, antitrust, sports, civil rights, class actions, securities fraud, RICO, copyright and health care.
Concentrations
- Litigation — civil and criminal
- Foreign Corrupt Practices Act
- False Claims Act and qui tam defense
- White collar criminal defense
- Environmental
- Antitrust
- Securities fraud
- Corporate governance litigation and private company shareholder litigation, including derivative and breach of fiduciary duty actions
- Department of Defense procurement fraud and government contracting
- Government litigation
- Internal investigations
- Class action litigation
- Commercial litigation
- Public corruption
- Global Energy & Infrastructure
- Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) & Global Anti-Corruption
Capabilities
Experience
- Represent a major financial institution in multiple False Claims Act actions throughout the United States.
- Represented all former employees of a large defense contractor under investigation by the Department of Justice and the Department of Defense for alleged False Claims Act violations.
- Represented a winery in False Claims Act litigation in Illinois State Court and obtained dismissal of the matter.
- Represented a client in a False Claims Act matter involving the Export-Import Bank.
- Represent a company under investigation for alleged False Claims Act violations stemming from federal government contracts awarded based on a disadvantaged class designation.
- Represented a Fortune 500 company in a False Claims Act investigation.
- Represented a Fortune 500 company in connection with an FCPA compliance assessment.
- Conducted multiple anti-corruption assessments and FCPA investigations for Fortune 500 companies
- Represented a Fortune 50 company in a global FCPA matter.
- Represent an individual client in a criminal antitrust matter filed by the Chicago Office of the Antitrust Division of DOJ.
- U.S. v. Cole et al., Case No. 17-CR-50040-1 (NDIL): Represented an individual defendant banker charged in a federal criminal case in the Northern District of Illinois where the charges involved allegations of fraud in relation to a Small Business Association loan guarantee. One month prior to a scheduled four-week trial and after substantive motions in limine had been filed for our client, the U.S. Attorney’s Office dismissed all the charges with prejudice.
- Represented a Fortune 500 company in connection with an electronics and aerospace parts ITAR investigation.
- U.S. v. Tamimi Global Company, Ltd., Case No. 11-CR-40083 (CDIL): Represented the United States in obtaining a deferred prosecution agreement as part of a global settlement of $13 million to resolve criminal and civil claims arising from kickbacks and gratuities paid by an employee of the defendant to a prime contractor employee and a military officer.°
- U.S. v. Ray Chase, Case No. 10-CR-40020 (CDIL): Represented the United States in obtaining the conviction of a U.S. Army officer who accepted $1.4 million in illegal gratuities while stationed in Kuwait during Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.°
- U.S. v. Robert Peter Bennett, Case No. 08-CR-40051 (CDIL): Represented the United States in obtaining the conviction of a supervisor for a prime contractor to the U.S. Army for accepting kickbacks in violation of the Anti-Kickback Act.°
- U.S. v. Shabbir Khan, Case No. 06-CR-4005 (CDIL): Represented the United States as lead trial counsel in obtaining an obstruction of justice conviction for conduct concerning the defendant’s payment of kickbacks to an employee of a prime contractor for the U.S. Army.°
- Represent a multi-billion dollar private entity in an environmental investigation involving more than 100 facilities in California.
- Represented a manufacturer in an environmental investigation related to allegations of hazardous waste dumping.
- Represented a railroad company in an environmental hazardous waste spill.
- Represent a railroad company in a CERCLA action.
- Represent a railroad company in relation to matters related to an environmental SUPERFUND site.
- Represented a public university system in a multi-state investigation related to a cybersecurity matter.
- Assisted multiple clients with internal investigations related to cyber breaches and interacted with government regulators and prosecutors throughout the country related to the same.
- Serve as lead counsel in litigation brought against Royal Canin, a Mars entity, wherein RICO claims were dismissed.
- In re Acceptance Insurance Companies Securities Litigation, 423 F.3d 899 (8th Cir. 2005): Served as co-counsel representing the company and its corporate officers in a class action securities fraud matter where the Eighth Circuit affirmed the district court’s rulings partially granting a motion to dismiss and granting a motion for summary judgment.°
- Served as co-counsel in a multi-million dollar arbitration proceeding between two hospital systems concerning a joint operating venture. The client won the arbitration proceeding and was awarded its attorneys’ fees.°
- Served as co-counsel to an insurance company to investigate and bring civil RICO claims against individuals participating in insurance fraud rings. This work included multiple cases in multiple jurisdictions.°
°The above representations were handled by Mr. Cannon prior to his joining Greenberg Traurig, LLP.
- Assistant United States Attorney, July 2005-July 2010
- Supervisory Assistant United States Attorney, United States Department of Justice, Central District of Illinois, July 2010 -December 2012
- Lead Prosecutor for the LOGCAP Working Group, Fall 2007-December 2012
- Acting Senior Litigation Counsel for the Central District of Illinois, 2009-2010
- Participated in the National Procurement Fraud Task Force
- Served as member of the Suspension and Debarment Sub-Committee for the National Procurement Fraud Task Force
- First Procurement Fraud Coordinator for the Central District of Illinois
- Served as the reviewing Supervisor for the Public Corruption Task Force located in Illinois’ capital city of Springfield
Recognition & Leadership
- Listed, Super Lawyers magazine, Illinois Super Lawyers, 2021-2024
- Listed, The Best Lawyers in America, Criminal Defense: White-Collar; 2015-2024
- Qui Tam Law, 2015-2020 and 2024
- Listed, Leading Lawyers Network, Commercial Litigation; Criminal Defense: White Collar Law, 2015-2024
- Team Member, a Law360 “Environmental Practice Group of the Year,” 2022
- Listed, The Legal 500 United States
- Dispute Resolution - Corporate Investigations and White-Collar Criminal Defense: Advice to Corporates, 2020-2021
- Dispute Resolution - Corporate Investigations and White-Collar Criminal Defense: Advice to Individuals, 2020-2021
- Member, Aurora University Board of Trustees
- Member, American Bar Association
- Member, Federal Bar Association
- Member, Chicago Bar Association
- Adjunct Professor, Constitutional Law, Aurora University, Spring 1999-Spring 2001
- Former Search and Rescue Volunteer, Will County Emergency Management
Credentials
-
J.D., magna cum laude, University of Illinois College of Law
- Chief Justice, University of Illinois Moot Court Bench, 1996-97
- Harno Fellow
- B.A., Political Science, summa cum laude, Aurora University
- Illinois
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
- U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
- U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado
- U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin