Ray D. McKenzie draws on more than a decade of broad experience—including more than five years in private practice at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and more than four years as an Assistant United States Attorney—to advise clients on criminal matters, enforcement actions, and civil litigation. He assists companies with internal investigations relating to, among other issues, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, False Claims Act, and sensitive personnel matters.
As a former federal prosecutor, Mr. McKenzie has extensive courtroom experience, having litigated dozens of cases in federal court, routinely appearing for motions hearings, sentencings, oral arguments, and other proceedings. While serving as an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Maryland, Mr. McKenzie successfully tried cases involving white collar crimes (bank fraud, mail fraud, wire fraud, money laundering, identity theft, and bribery), narcotics offenses, and violent crimes. In addition, Mr. McKenzie was responsible for leading numerous grand jury investigations and working cooperatively with federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to investigate potential violations of federal criminal law. Mr. McKenzie’s grand jury investigations involved extensive document collection and witness testimony.
In May 2018, Mr. McKenzie received the U.S. Attorney’s Award for excellence in the prosecution of fraud. Mr. McKenzie also served as asset forfeiture and Project EXILE coordinator for the Southern Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland.
In December 2019, Mr. McKenzie was appointed to the adjunct faculty of Georgetown University Law Center, where he teaches trial practice.
While Mr. McKenzie was in private practice at Skadden, he represented companies, boards, and individuals in civil, criminal, and enforcement actions. He also helped conduct internal investigations and reviews for companies and their boards in matters involving the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the Securities Exchange Act, the False Claims Act, the Anti-Kickback Act, and employment matters. Mr. McKenzie also devoted significant time to pro bono matters, including representation of domestic violence victims at the Domestic Violence Intake Center at the Superior Court for the District of Columbia.
Prior to attending the University of Virginia School of Law, Mr. McKenzie served seven years as a public-school educator. After graduating from law school, he clerked for the Honorable James R. Spencer at the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, where he helped draft opinions and orders in cases involving, among other matters, employment discrimination allegations, class actions, patent and trademark disputes, contract disputes, and criminal prosecutions.
As an undergraduate and graduate student, Mr. McKenzie was a scholarship member of the University of Virginia conference-champion football team.
Representative Criminal Matters
- Represented a publicly-traded global logistics company indicted in federal court for alleged fraud in connection with contracted services provided to the U.S. Department of Defense for operations in Afghanistan and Iraq
- Investigated and prosecuted a wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy involving the sale of fraudulent financial instruments, resulting in pre-trial and post-trial convictions
- Investigated and prosecuted a multinational drug trafficking organization that was importing significant quantities of controlled substances into the United States from South American countries and laundering narcotics proceeds through various financial institutions and money transfer businesses to South America, resulting in pre-trial resolutions
- Investigated and prosecuted bank fraud conspiracy and aggravated identity theft, obtaining a jury conviction of the defendant following a multi-week trial, and successfully argued multi-issue appeal garnering a published Fourth Circuit opinion affirming the verdict and sentence
- Investigated and prosecuted a transnational gang for RICO violations—including multiple homicides and attempted homicides—resulting in numerous pre-trial resolutions and one mid-trial resolution
- Investigated and prosecuted a multimillion-dollar mortgage fraud conspiracy, resulting in pre-trial resolution
- Investigated and prosecuted a $108 million drug trafficking and money laundering conspiracy, resulting in a jury conviction of the defendant following a multi-week trial that was affirmed on a bifurcated appeal
- Investigated and prosecuted a bribery and drug-trafficking scheme involving a public official, resulting in both pre-trial and post-trial convictions
Representative Investigative and Enforcement Matters
- Investigated corruption allegations on behalf of a multinational firm, including investigations involving Mexico, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Turkey, and several other jurisdictions
- Conducted an internal investigation on behalf of a bank in connection with an inquiry by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission into derivative benchmark rate manipulation
- Conducted an internal investigation on behalf of a biopharmaceutical company in connection with an inquiry by the U.S. Department of Justice into potential Anti-Kickback Act violations
- Conducted an internal investigation on behalf of a defense contractor involving potential claims of fraudulent accounting practices and employment retaliation violations
Representative Litigation Matters
- Obtained summary judgment for a real estate investment trust in a $22 million fraud and fiduciary duty suit against a broker
- Represented a tax preparation service in connection with consumer protection actions brought in multiple state courts (West Virginia, Maryland, and Ohio) and federal courts (Louisiana and Indiana), prevailing on multiple motions to dismiss and for summary judgment
- Represented a tax preparation service in connection with arbitration proceedings relating to breach of contract by a financial institution, obtaining a favorable decision and judgment following the contested hearing and post-hearing briefing
- Represented a member of the “Norfolk Four” in habeas corpus proceedings and related civil rights matters
- Filed briefs on behalf of various non-profit organizations appearing as amicus curiae in Supreme Court cases involving Fifth, Sixth, and Fourteenth Amendment issues
Community Service
Mr. McKenzie serves on the board of trustees for Statesmen College Preparatory Academy, a public charter school in the District of Columbia, and previously served on the board of directors for The Garment’s Hem, a faith-based non-profit organization that offered counseling services and mental health resources to clients in the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Area. Mr. McKenzie also represented domestic violence victims pro bono through the Domestic Violence Intake Center at the Superior Court for the District of Columbia. In addition, Mr. McKenzie is an active member of the Metropolitan Baptist Church of Largo, Maryland.
Education
J.D., University of Virginia School of Law, 2008 (Editor-in-Chief, Virginia Journal of Social Policy & the Law; James C. Slaughter Faculty Honor Award; Ritter Prize for Character, Honor, and Integrity; Raven Society)
M.Div., Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology, Virginia Union University, 2003 (summa cum laude)
B.A./M.T., University of Virginia, 1998 (Algernon Sidney Sullivan Award for Student Leadership and Achievement; Bernard W. Busse Award for Student Leadership and Achievement; Peach Bowl Scholar Athlete)
Bar Admissions
Federal
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
State
District of Columbia
Commonwealth of Virginia
Contact
Direct: 202-868-6369
Email: ray.mckenzie@wtaii.com
Mail: P.O. Box 609, Vienna, VA 22183