Joe Wielebinski frequently represents victims of fraud and other commercial crimes including individuals, investor groups, business owners, financial institutions and corporations in matters involving allegations of complex financial fraud, theft, embezzlement, money laundering and other white collar crimes, public corruption, bribery and foreign corrupt practices. The firm’s Fraud and Asset Recovery group has coordinated a number of fraud investigations resulting in significant domestic and offshore recoveries. As a result of the firms experience in cross-border matters, we have developed a wealth of practical, hands on experience, coupled with an aggressive and knowledgeable approach and a worldwide network of contacts, which enables us to rapidly assemble a team of experienced legal, forensic and other professionals in multiple jurisdictions to assist our clients as needed.

Based on our investigative and forensic capabilities and our international network of legal affiliates, consultants and intelligence operatives, we work effectively to identify and recoup financial losses and misappropriated assets, including assets transferred across international borders. We also collaborate closely with foreign governments as well as domestic state and federal officials to enforce legal actions and increase the possibility of a return to victims. We have been involved in asset investigations and recoveries in Mexico, Panama, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Liechtenstein, United Kingdom, Luxembourg, Hong Kong, Greece, Benin and throughout the Caribbean.

Winstead is a national business law firm with 340 attorneys in Texas and North Carolina. The firm provides a full range of business legal services to some of the most recognized and respected companies across the country and throughout the world.

Matthias Kleinsasser is a Shareholder in Winstead PC, a full-service Dallas-based law firm with offices throughout Texas, as well as New York and North Carolina. Matthias is a member of the Firm’s Business Litigation, Restructuring & Insolvency, and White-Collar Defense Practice Groups. He regularly litigates in U.S. federal district court, U.S. bankruptcy court, and Texas state court.

Matthias has significant experience in the following areas of law:

Fraudulent transfer litigation: Matthias has litigated high-stakes fraudulent transfer litigation matters and regularly advises non-U.S. clients on asset recovery procedures under U.S. law, discovery applications under 28 U.S.C. § 1782, and similar matters.

Receivership proceedings: Matthias frequently represents clients in receivership proceedings filed by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, FDIC, CFTC, and other regulatory agencies. He has also served as a turnover receiver in Texas state court.

Cryptocurrency matters: Matthias has experience with litigation involving cryptocurrency and DeFi, including asset recovery matters.

Regulatory defense: Matthias has represented officers, directors, and other clients in investigations brought by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and other regulators.

Bankruptcy/restructuring matters: Matthias has represented clients in virtually all aspects of business bankruptcy proceedings, including bankruptcy litigation, contested asset sales and debtor-in-possession financing.

Pre-litigation planning/settlement advice: Matthias regularly counsels firm clients on contract negotiation, pre-litigation planning, and settlement advice.

Matthias is a contributor to the CDR Essential Intelligence publication on “Fraud, Asset Tracing & Recovery” and the ICC FraudNet Global Annual Report.

Jacques-Alexandre Genet is a French avocat à la Cour and a partner of Archipel in Paris. He specialises in international enforcement and asset recovery.

He and his team have a wealth of expertise in all aspects of enforcement against sovereign states, including a thorough practical understanding of the law of immunities in key jurisdictions and of international sanctions (including the UN, the EU and OFAC). They have advised international clients, including creditor hedge funds, corporations and individuals in the enforcement of awards and judgments across many civil and common law jurisdictions.

Archipel is also active in fraud cases, where it provides guidance to clients in post-fraud recovery situations and relies on its network of local counsel, advisers, consultants and asset tracers to ensure multi-jurisdictional, coordinated recovery of assets.

Recent cases include the enforcement of UK judgment and worldwide freezing orders against serial debtors, the devising and obtaining of unprecedented French civil search orders to locate worldwide assets of debtors, the enforcement of US judgments and of ICC, ICSID, OHADA and ad hoc awards against several African, Latin American, or Eastern European states or state-owned entities, and the resistance to enforcement measures sought by a foreign state, and a foreign market authority, against two individuals and their respective group of companies.

Jacques-Alexandre graduated in French and US/English business laws (University of Paris X Nanterre), and in economics and finance (Sciences Po); he is a former lecturer at the Sorbonne and a frequent speaker on international enforcement, asset tracing and recovery.

Archipel is a boutique law firm serving the cross-border needs of corporate and private clients. Its offices are in Paris and Geneva.

Costas Stamatiou is well experienced in international fraud cases and injunctive relief including worldwide freezing orders and Norwich Pharmacal disclosure orders.

Costas is a partner at Elias Neocleous & Co. LLC. He graduated in law from the University of Wales, Cardiff in 2001 and obtained a Master’s degree in Legal Aspects of Marine Affairs from there in 2002 and a Master’s degree in European Legal Studies from Bristol University in 2003. He was admitted to the Cyprus Bar in 2004. Since 2010 he has been acting as a visiting lecturer in local universities. His main areas of practice are company and commercial law, admiralty law, white collar crime and associated litigation. Costas has extensive experience of international asset tracing and recovery and has been involved in many high profile fraud cases. Costas is a co-author of “Introduction to Cyprus Law” 3rd edition and the Cyprus chapters of “Encyclopaedia of International Commercial Litigation” published by Kluwer Law International, “Shipping & International trade Law” 2nd edition published by European Lawyer Reference and the forthcoming second edition of “ICC Fraudnet Word Compendium: Asset Tracing & Recovery”. Additionally, Costas regularly contributes articles in a number of leading legal publications including: “Cyprus aviation law: aircraft arrests, airline liquidations, air route traffic rights and injunctive relief” ICCLR 2013 24(4); “Dispute Resolution Multi-jurisdictional Guide” 2012/13 published by Practical Law Company (Thomson Reuters); “Supreme Court reconfirms hands-off approach to banking obligations” ILO, Oct 2012; “Minimizing risks of contempt of interim orders by financial institutions” ILO, Nov 2012; “Admiralty jurisdiction: ship arrest, cargo arrest and sale pendente lite” ILO, June 2012; “Cyprus: commercial fraud and tracing of assets” ICCLR 2011 22(9); “Supreme Court clarifies approach for enforcement of arbitration awards” ILO, August 2011; “Advance fee fraud: tracing and recovering assets through courts” ILO, Sept 2011; “Cyprus: Freezing orders, ship arrest warrants, anti-suit injunctions, disclosure orders and Norwich Pharmacal relief in aid of court or arbitration proceedings in Cyprus and overseas”, ICCLR 2010 21(2); and “Cyprus: Forum Non Conveniens in the European Era”, ICCLR 2005 16 (8).

Baldi & Caratsch is a Swiss litigation boutique with offices in Zurich. The firm has been involved in various major fraud disputes and supported other FraudNet members in transnational cases, including the freezing of assets concealed on Swiss bank accounts, assistance in international legal assistance matters and recovery proceedings, institution of local criminal proceedings in aid of a request for tracing concealed assets or a money laundering investigation, recognition of foreign bankruptcy proceedings and of foreign interlocutory measures in Switzerland.

Michele Caratsch holds a law degree of the University of Zurich and a Master of Laws (LL.M.) of New York University. He was admitted to the Zurich Bar in 1991 and to the New York Bar in 1995.

He heads the litigation team of B&C, and specialises in complex commercial litigation and arbitration, with a particular focus on fraud and asset recovery. Michele Caratsch represented clients in several court proceedings, coordinated transnational fraud recovery proceedings in various jurisdictions which involved asset tracing and obtainance of freezing orders in multiple jurisdictions and advised foreign state bodies in formulating requests for mutual assistance directed to Switzerland. He speaks German, Italian and English and is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese.

Laure Michelle is a litigator who has more than 20 years of experience in fraud and asset recovery. She focuses her practice on complex and unusual litigation which often requires creative solutions.

More specifically, Laure advises clients on international matters having connection with Monaco and France, including enforcement and interim measures. She deals also with other types of matters such as real estate, commercial and business law, bankruptcy, inheritance issues, maritime labour law, employment law.

As a member of the Paris bar admitted in March 1997, Laure practices in Paris for 10 years, and then she joined the office of Donald Manasse as a member of the Nice Bar admitted.

Laure is the leader of multi-jurisdictional litigation and disputes resolution of Donald Manasse Nice Office which is a partner of Donald Manasse Monaco office. She appears before the Monaco and French Courts.

Laure is graduated in Environmental Law from University Paris I Pantheon-Sorbonne and holds a Master in European and International Law and another one in Private and Judicial Law from the same university.