Assistant U.S. Attorney, Brian Kelly, who prosecuted infamous mobster “Whitey” Bulger, has joined Nixon Peabody LLP
While working for the Department of Justice, Kelly acted as chief of public corruption and special prosecutions in Boston, and had also served as a lead counsel in more than 30 trials in the federal court. One of Kelly’s biggest successes was in recovering more than $500 million under the False Claims Act in his multiple-year financial fraud investigation into Boston’s $14.5 billion project known as the Big Dig.
While in office, Kelly also supervised the prosecution and investigation of high-profile political corruption cases including the convictions of Massachusetts House Speaker Sal DeMasi, former State Senator Dianne Wilkerson, former House Speaker Tom Finneran and former Boston City Councilor Chuck Turner.
Kelly has successfully briefed and argued on more than 20 cases before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First and Ninth Circuits. At Nixon Peabody, Kelly will be focusing on government investigations, regulatory compliance, white-collar criminal defense and health care fraud matters. He will be joining other stalwarts like U.S. Senator Scott Brown and former Middlesex County, Massachusetts District Attorney Gerry Leone.
Speaking on Kelly’s hire, Andrew I. Glincher, the CEO and managing partner of Nixon Peabody said, “Brian has the depth of experience few lawyers in the white-collar defense bar can match given his role in some of the highest profile public corruption and racketeering case brought by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.”
Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney’s office in Boston, Kelly worked as an Assistant United States Attorney in San Diego. He received the Exceptional Service Award from the United States Attorney General in 2004.