Sean P.J. Coyle

Practice Areas

White collar criminal and enforcement matters, regulatory proceedings

Career

Sean Coyle is an experienced trial lawyer, assisting clients in navigating white collar criminal and enforcement matters and the related lawsuits and regulatory proceedings that often come with them. Sean defends clients in major criminal cases and sensitive investigations involving publicly traded companies, corporate officers, and public agencies and officials. He has substantial experience defending clients in regulatory investigations, including before the Securities and Exchange Commission and the California Public Utilities Commission. Sean has conducted internal investigations of public entities and corporations concerning accounting, financial compliance, grants management, and ethics issues, including as part of a federally appointed monitorship. He has also handled a wide range of civil litigation matters in state and federal courts, including securities litigation, commercial disputes, government tort claims, and real property and tax controversies.

Prior to joining Coblentz, Sean served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Major Frauds and Special Prosecutions Section of the United States Attorney’s Office in San Diego. He investigated and prosecuted cases involving virtually every kind of fraud, including securities and insider trading, defense procurement, health care, and tax and bank fraud, as well as cases involving public corruption, obstruction of justice, and money laundering crimes. As a prosecutor, Sean worked extensively on criminal matters that included parallel civil enforcement and qui tam proceedings with agencies such as the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and the Department of Health and Human Services. Sean served as the Southern District of California’s Health Care Fraud Coordinator, responsible for overseeing the district’s healthcare and life sciences-related criminal investigations.

Professional Memberships

Sean is a member of the California State Bar, the Bar Association of San Francisco, and the Conference of California Public Utility Counsel.