Ryan is a career white collar litigator and criminal defense attorney. Whether it is challenging government overreach, defending the wrongfully accused and everything in between, he finds passion and purpose in every case. Ryan never needs to reach far to summon the full force of his formidable talents, knowledge and experience to bear on any adversary threatening his clients’ freedom and well-being.
Ryan is an experienced litigator who has appeared in over 100 complex federal and state cases and dozens of trials. He focuses on all aspects of federal criminal practice, including defending against white collar and fraud offenses—whether in general financial matters, healthcare, banking or other industries. Ryan also focuses on government investigations, public corruption, money laundering and national security matters, as well as violent crimes, sexual misconduct and narcotics offenses. His practice includes representing and assisting companies that need the assistance of outside counsel to conduct internal investigations.
Ryan distinguishes himself from other white collar practitioners through the combination of his experience, preparation and natural talents. He is routinely sought out by other practitioners to provide trial and writing support in high-profile and other complicated matters. As a career-long defense attorney who considers his occupation more of a calling than an occupation, he understands and is attuned to the broader perspective, goals and motivations of clients. Clients appreciate the manner in which he always brings his full, authentic self to any given matter and trust his encyclopedic knowledge of criminal and related laws.
In addition, Ryan has acted as lead counsel on over a dozen appeals before the 7th and 8th Circuits, at all stages of the Illinois Appellate Courts, and on petitions for a writ of certiorari before the Supreme Court of the United States. He is a regular speaker, author and commentator on white collar related news, policy and legal developments.
*Matter completed prior to joining Benesch.
Representative Experience
- Represented a civil plaintiff’s attorney charged with fraud in connection with the high-profile Girardi Keese case and successfully negotiated a plea agreement to a single contempt of court charge, with all other charges dismissed at sentencing. Despite the government’s request for a lengthy prison term, the court imposed a sentence of just four months’ incarceration, with no additional financial penalties.
- Conducted numerous internal investigations, primarily pertaining to employment and compliance issues, including for multiple publicly traded corporations.
-
Participated in trial defense and jury trial for defendant accused of double homicide based primarily on surveillance and vehicle evidence; obtained full acquittal.*
- Participated in trial defense of Harvey Weinstein’s New York prosecution and consulted on appeal.*
-
Represented petitioner in habeas action resulting in vacated murder conviction on eve of hearing.*
-
Represented defendant charged with mortgage fraud; successfully negotiated misdemeanor resolution and sentence of probation.*
-
Acted as lead counsel on successful appeal of felony murder conviction, resulting in overturning of 56-year sentence.*
-
Represented defendant accused of participating in $5 million Ponzi scheme; handled pretrial motions, including conducting evidentiary hearing on motion to dismiss; acted as second chair at trial.*
-
Represented defendant facing false statement charges in public corruption probe; drafted sentencing memorandum and participated in all aspects of sentencing that led to a sentence of one year probation.*
-
Handled all aspects of extensive pretrial litigation in espionage case; acted as second chair at trial, and continued representation at sentencing and on appeal.*