Mary Jo White, President Obama’s pick to lead the Securities and Exchange Commission, brings experience as both a prosecutor and a defense attorney.
A partner at Debevoise & Plimpton, she has defended some of the biggest Wall Street names. But as the United States attorney in Manhattan, she went after a Japanese bank for fraud. Here are some of her most memorable cases:
Defense Attorney
2012: N.F.L | Ms. White was hired by the N.F.L. to look into allegations that the New Orleans Saints carried out a bounty system for hurting opponents.
2010-2012: JPMorgan Chase | Ms. White represented JPMorgan Chase in cases stemming from the financial crisis.
2011: News Corporation | Independent directors of the media company hired Ms. White amid a phone-hacking scandal.
2010: Kenneth Lewis | Ms. White represented Bank of America’s former chief executive, Kenneth Lewis, when he was sued by the New York attorney general. Mr. Lewis was accused of defrauding investos in the acquisition of Merrill Lynch.
2008: Siemens | Siemens paid $1.6 billion to resolve a federal bribery investigation. The German company had retained Ms. White to conduct an internal investigation.
2007: HCA | Ms. White represented the hospital chain HCA in an investigation by the S.E.C. and the Justice Department into whether Senator Bill Frist violated insider trading laws when he sold his stake in the company. The investigation was closed with no charges filed.
2005: Morgan Stanley | Ms. White was retained by the board of Morgan Stanley to vet John Mack for the job of chief executive. She attracted some controversy in that role, when she sought information from the director of enforcement of the Securities and Exchange Commission.
2004: Tommy Hilfiger | Ms. White represented the clothing company as it was being investigated for possible tax violations.
Prosecutor
2002: Presidential Pardons | When Ms. White stepped down as United States at! torney, she left behind an unfinished investigation into whether there was any wrongdoing in President Bill Clinton’s 177 final pardons and commutations.
2002: Campaign Finance | Ms. White wrapped up a three-year investigation into campaign contributions to Sen. Robert G. Torricelli, ultimately deciding not to file charges.
2001: United States Embassies in Africa | Four followers of Osama bin Laden were convicted for their roles in the bombing of American embassies in Africa in 1998. Over all, Ms. White’s office announced 10 criminal indictments of bin Laden and his followers.
2001: Los Angeles International Airport | Ms. White’s office won the conviction of an Algerian man in a plot to blow up the airport.
1999: Financial Fraud | Patrick R. Bennett was convicted in a financial scheme that prosecutors said cheated investors out of nearly $700 million.
1996: Jetliner Plot | Ramzi Ahmed Yousef was convicted in a failed plot to blow up a number of American jetliners as they lew over the Pacific Ocean. Mr. Yousef was also convicted the following year for his role in the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center.
1995: Daiwa Bank | Ms. White announced the indictment of the Japanese firm Daiwa Bank, forcing it to close its operations in the United States. The bank was accused of illegally covering up $1.1 billion in trading losses.
1993: United Nations Plot | Ms. White’s office prosecuted Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman, a blind Egyptian cleric, in connection with a plot to blow up the United Nations and other New York landmarks. Mr. Abdel Rahman and nine others were convicted in 1995.
1993: World Trade Center Bombing | The year she took office as the United States attorney in Manhattan, Ms. White oversaw a prosecution stemming from the Feb. 26, 1993, bombing of the World Trade Center. That resulted in four convictions the following year.
1992: John Gotti | As the chief assistant United States attorney in the eastern district of New York, Ms. White led the s! uccessful! prosecution against John Gotti, who was convicted of murder and racketeering.
