Kevin M. Downing

Kevin M. Downing is an American attorney.

Career

Downing graduated with a B.S. in accounting from St. Joseph's University in 1988. He received his J.D. cum laude from St. John's University in 1994 and his LL.M. in tax law at the New York University School of Law in 1996.[1]

Downing worked in the United States Department of Justice from 1997 to 2012 in the Tax Division, serving first as a trial attorney in the Western Criminal Enforcement Section and then as senior litigation counsel.[1] At the Justice Department, Downing handled cases involving tax evasion via offshore financial vehicles and Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) violations. Downing was the federal prosecutor who handled the KPMG tax shelter fraud case and a case involving allegations that the Swiss bank UBS AG used its private bank division to aid wealthy U.S. nationals evade taxes. Both cases ended in deferred prosecution agreements in 2005. In 2012, Reuters described Downing as "the U.S. prosecutor most responsible for piercing the veil of Swiss bank secrecy".[2]

Downing left DOJ in June 2012 to become a partner at the Washington, D.C. law firm of Miller & Chevalier, where he remained until August 2017.[3] When he joined the firm, he told Reuters that his practice at Miller & Chevalier would involve advising financial institutions on how to comply with the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) of 2010.[2] According to his firm biography, his work focused on "criminal and civil tax matters" as well as money laundering, white collar, and FCPA matters.[1]

Downing represents Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, in the currently ongoing investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections as well as possible collusion between Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign and the Russian government. In 2017, former FBI director Robert Mueller was selected by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to serve as the special prosecutor overseeing the Special Counsel investigation following the dismissal of James Comey by President Trump. On July 26, 2017, the Federal Bureau of Investigation executed a no-knock search warrant on Manafort's northern Virginia home a day after the former campaign manager had met with the Senate Intelligence Committee.[4] On October 30, 2017, Manafort and long-time business partner as well as Trump campaign associate Rick Gates were the first two individuals to be publicly indicted as a result of the 2017 special counsel investigation. Following Manafort's initial hearing, at which Manafort pleaded not guilty, Downing told the media that "There is no evidence that Mr. Manafort or the Trump campaign colluded with the Russian government."[5] Downing left Miller & Chevalier two weeks after taking on representation of Manafort, and continued to represent Manafort after leaving the firm.[3]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Kevin M. Downing, Miller & Chevalier Chartered (version of November 13, 2016).
  2. 1 2 Browning, Lynnley (June 4, 2012). "U.S. tax prosecutor Downing resigns, joins Miller & Chevalier". Reuters.
  3. 1 2 Katelyn Polantz, Paul Manafort's Lawyer Leaves His Firm Two Weeks After Taking Case, National Law Journal (August 27, 2017).
  4. ↑ "The FBI raided Paul Manafort's house". New York Post. August 9, 2017.
  5. ↑ "Manafort attorney: No evidence client colluded with Russia". Reuters. October 30, 2017.
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