John J. Pease III

John has the experience of serving as a federal prosecutor, defense lawyer, and in-house counsel and draws upon that diverse knowledge in achieving favorable results for clients. John has experience representing companies in the life sciences, medical device, and healthcare industries, and was recognized as a Life Sciences Star by LMG in 2023. Ranked for white collar crime and government investigations, Chambers USA noted that John has been described by peers as being "tough, tenacious, and smart,” as well as “thorough and well prepared.”

While at the US Attorney’s Office, John successfully tried numerous complex white collar fraud, corruption, and tax cases, including the prosecution of a major public corruption case involving a prominent state senator. During his 16-year career as a federal prosecutor, John served as chief of the Government and Health Care Fraud Section in the Criminal Division from 2009 to 2013, leveraging his healthcare fraud, AKS, and FCA litigation experience and leading a number of nationwide investigations and prosecutions involving global pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers, defense contractors, and healthcare providers. In addition to his far-reaching first-chair trial experience, John has argued numerous times before the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.

Prior to joining Morgan Lewis, John was executive counsel for Teva Pharmaceuticals, where he managed global government investigations and related criminal and civil litigation (in the United States and internationally) in a variety of areas, including the FCPA; foreign criminal and regulatory statutes; the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act; the Anti-Kickback Statute; compliance with the Controlled Substances Act and DEA regulatory compliance; antitrust violations and the FCA. He worked closely with Teva’s general counsel and senior executive management team, interfaced with the board and audit committee, and served as principal counsel to the global compliance officer. John has handled FCPA investigations in more than 20 countries, with significant experience in Asia, Eastern Europe (including Russia and Ukraine), Western Europe, and Latin America.

He began his career at a national law firm based in Philadelphia, where he handled both complex commercial litigation and white collar matters. John previously taught trial advocacy as an adjunct professor at the Drexel University School of Law and served as a lecturer in law at the University of Pennsylvania Law School. He has spoken on numerous panels regarding white collar crime and government investigations, the FCPA, and healthcare fraud throughout the United States.

Government Investigations and False Claims Act/Qui Tam Litigation

• Successfully defended global medical device company in a three-year investigation by Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office related to alleged unfair and deceptive sales practices, obtaining declination with no charges
• Defended national marketing company and chief executive in federal criminal investigation related to alleged genetic testing and telemedicine fraud and obtained declination on all potential charges
• Defended global business software company in FCA investigation related to alleged overcharges on US government contract and obtained favorable settlement for client
• Represented a major Pennsylvania hospital and health system in investigation of alleged Anti-Kickback Statute violations, Stark regulations, and hospital/clinical practice relationships, and successfully obtained dismissal of FCA complaint and declination of prosecution
• Defended a global wholesale pharmaceuticals distributor in parallel criminal and civil investigation and prosecution involving alleged violations of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and FCA concerning a compounding pharmacy operation
• Defended a defense contractor and high-tech company which produces high-performance photonic devices, components, and systems for US military applications in FCA investigation focused on eligibility for government grant programs (Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR)), and obtained declination on all issues
• Defended a national pharmacy chain in FCA litigation and obtained dismissal of the complaint on motion to dismiss
• Defended a pharmaceutical manufacturer in an investigation and litigation involving alleged payment of physician kickbacks and successfully obtained declination by the federal government
• Defended a leading venture capital firm in life sciences and information technology sector in a FCA investigation related to eligibility of subsidiary to participate in government grant programs, including SBIR, and obtained favorable outcome
• Defended a global pharmaceutical manufacturer in a federal investigation concerning allegations of fraud related to a Phase III clinical trial and successfully obtained declination by federal government and dismissal of FCA complaint
• Defended a federal criminal investigation of a life insurance settlements company and successfully obtained declination of all criminal charges
• Defended a global company that produces cloud-based content management, collaboration, and file sharing tools for businesses in connection with FCA investigation of alleged government overpayments related to its products and obtained declination with no charges
• Defended federal and state investigations of alleged price-fixing and market allocation antitrust violations in the pharmaceutical industry
• Defended a national nonprofit service organization in FCA investigation focused on compliance with federal grant program requirements and successfully persuaded US Attorney’s Office to decline prosecution
• Advised on numerous internal investigations of potential healthcare fraud and abuse issues

Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and Anticorruption

• Conducted internal investigations for global pharmaceutical company involving potential bribery, embezzlement and accounting fraud in Mexico, Chile, Pakistan, and other countries
• Conducted an internal investigation of potential FCPA violations for a global manufacturer of high-technology military and police products in Germany and Turkey
• Conducted FCPA risk assessment in China, Mexico, South Africa, and Spain for a global consumer products company
• Defended retired US Air Force colonel in federal criminal bribery prosecution involving US government defense contractors valued at more than $50 million
• Defended a civil engineer in federal criminal bribery prosecution involving multi-million dollar government contract to restore historic building
• Prepared and drafted a new Code of Conduct for a global manufacturer in the energy industry, and corporate policies and procedures related to the FCPA, third-party due diligence, charitable donations, and compliance training
• Counseled clients on FCPA issues and the development of effective FCPA compliance programs

Other Matters

• Conducted internal investigation on behalf of a global chemical company concerning potential theft of the client’s technology and proprietary manufacturing processes to manufacture components for use in military aircraft; identified responsible party, a global electronics company, filed a lawsuit in federal court for violations of the federal Defend Trade Secrets Act, and achieved favorable settlement for client
• Conducted internal investigations on behalf of two national hospice care providers involving suspected diversion of controlled substances by staff members in multiple jurisdictions across the United States
• Defended national moving truck and self-storage rental company in federal criminal prosecution alleging violations of federal HAZMAT safety regulations, and obtained favorable resolution, including dismissal of most serious charges
• Represented the Philadelphia district attorney in a federal criminal investigation of alleged public corruption
• Represented a former president of a patient assistance nonprofit corporation and successfully obtained declination of criminal and civil charges from two separate US Attorney’s Offices
• Represented a first-degree murder defendant originally sentenced to life without parole as a juvenile at a resentencing hearing and obtained a substantially reduced prison sentence of five years below the existing state mandatory minimum