Michael Pelgro uses his extensive prosecutorial experience to defend companies, officers, directors, and other individuals in criminal, civil, and regulatory investigations, and in complex civil litigation. With nearly 25 years of service as a former Assistant U.S. Attorney and former Assistant District Attorney, Michael is extremely knowledgeable concerning grand jury investigations and the different types of investigative techniques used at both the state and federal levels. Business clients benefit from his insight gained in conducting criminal jury trials, which often involved multiple defendants and numerous witnesses and exhibits. In addition to providing defense in criminal and white-collar litigation, Michael helps clients respond to investigations conducted by the Department of Justice and various regulatory agencies.
Michael served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts from 1989 until 2007, the last five years as Deputy Chief and Chief of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force ("OCDETF") Unit. As Chief, he supervised the U.S. Attorney's largest and most active unit (including approximately 25 prosecutors, paralegals, financial analysts, and legal assistants). Michael was responsible for making all intake decisions on narcotics and money laundering investigations generated by several federal and state law enforcement agencies, and for approving all wiretaps, search warrants, criminal complaints, indictments, plea agreements, sentencing decisions, and government appeals in all OCDETF narcotics cases in the District of Massachusetts.
While an Assistant U.S. Attorney, Michael prosecuted many federal criminal cases in the Major Crimes and OCDETF Units, including complex narcotics conspiracy, narcotics distribution, money laundering, mail fraud, wire fraud, procurement fraud, tax violations, bank robbery, counterfeiting, and firearms cases. He also briefed and argued over 20 First Circuit criminal appeals, including two en banc oral arguments.
During his time in the Major Crimes Unit, Michael initiated a federal firearms pilot program in the District of Massachusetts that later became a nationwide Department of Justice initiative known as "Operation Triggerlock." In this capacitiy was appointed to be the first "Operation Triggerlock" coordinator for the District of Massachusetts.
Before joining the Department of Justice, Michael served for six years as an Assistant District Attorney in Middlesex County, Massachusetts. In that capacity he prosecuted numerous criminal cases, including murder, manslaughter, vehicular homicide, armed robbery, rape, aggravated assault, felony larceny, and property crimes. Michael has also been associated with the litigation practice of another national law firm, where he conducted general business litigation.
Representative Experience
The following is a brief summary of Michael's experience and accomplishments:
· Representing the former Chief Financial Officer of a company in an ongoing Securities and Exchange Commission revenue recognition investigation.
· Representing the owner of a power plant in Salem, Massachusetts in connection with civil/criminal investigations by the Occupational and Safety Health Administration, the Massachusetts Department of Public Safety, and the Essex County District Attorney's office of a power boiler tube explosion in November 2007, causing three fatalities; also representing the owner in connection with a civil lawsuit filed in Suffolk Superior Court by decendents' families and others.
· Representing an international investment fund in an ongoing Department of Justice criminal tax investigation.
· Represented MIT student in connection with state investigation of college prank incident allegedly causing personal injury and environmental damage; criminal prosecution declined by the Suffolk County District Attorney's office in March 2008.
· Represented an individual in connection with a criminal investigation by the FBI and the IRS involving allegations of tax fraud and campaign violations; criminal prosecution declined by the U.S. Attorney's Office in the spring of 2009.
· In July 2009, appointed to the Criminal Justice Act Panel for the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts to represent certain indigent defendants in federal criminal cases.
· In August 2009, appointed by U.S. District Court Judge Nancy Gertner to represent an indigent prisoner in a civil rights lawsuit against several employees of the Worcester County Sheriff's Office.
Honors/Awards
Order of the Cross and Crown
Phi Beta Kappa
Received Department of Justice Director's Award for Superior Performance as an Assistant United States Attorney
Received numerous Certificates of Appreciation and Special Achievement awards from the Department of Justice and from different federal and state agencies in recognition of the successful prosecution of cases and/or superior performance
Received a letter of commendation in 1998 from Louis J. Freeh, then-Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, for the successful prosecution of a multiple defendant case involving a 3 1/2 month jury trial in which the government called 112 witnesses and introduced over 400 exhibits
Related Professional Experience
Served as a panelist in 2008 for Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education seminars on trial advocacy and trying a criminal case in federal court.
Served as a Judge at numerous law school mock trial and moot court competitions
Served as an Instructor on multiple occasions in Trial Advocacy courses conducted by the Department of Justice at its National Advocacy Center in Columbia, South Carolina
Served as an Instructor at several in-house training programs at the U.S. Attorney's Office and as a Mentor to new federal prosecutors