Krystal Anali Vazquez joined Ropes & Gray’s litigation and enforcement group in 2019. She focuses her practice on governmental and internal investigations, white collar criminal defense, and anti-corruption matters. Her experience includes representing companies in matters involving the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, government enforcement actions, internal investigations, and complex commercial litigation. Krystal also maintains an active pro bono practice.
During law school, Krystal participated in the Immigrants’ Rights Clinic in addition to providing pro bono assistance for immigrant communities at Catholic Charities and African Services Committee in Manhattan.
Prior to law school, Krystal was a Lannan Fellow at the Lannan Center for Poetics and Social Practice at Georgetown University. At Georgetown, she was awarded the Community Scholars Program Teaching Assistantship and Scholarship, allowing her to serve as teaching assistant for the program where she taught and mentored first-generation college students.
Experience
Government Enforcement Matters
- Conducted investigation on behalf of a major South American airline for potential violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) in connection with the provision of free airline tickets and other items of value to foreign government officials around the world. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) closed its inquiry without recommending an enforcement action against the Company.
- Advised a global biopharmaceutical company in connection with an insider trading matter involving parallel inquiries from both the Southern District of New York (SDNY) and the SEC that ultimately charged a high-ranking law enforcement officer arising from trading in connection with a pharmaceutical merger.
- Advised a multinational energy company in response to a Department of Justice (DOJ) request for information and documents pursuant to a mutual legal assistance treaty (MLAT) with a foreign jurisdiction in Latin America.
- Advised a multinational investment management and financial services company in connection with a grand jury subpoena the company received related to an investigation led by the Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section (MLARS) of the DOJ. The grand jury subpoena related to the company’s business dealings with a European banking group that has been the subject of investigations into alleged anti-money laundering (AML) violations in the United States and abroad.
- Assisted legal team in advising pharmaceutical company on its response to a Second Request from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
- Assisted team in the representation of a major pharmaceutical company in connection to a DOJ subpoena response relating to the implementation of cutting-edge digital health initiatives and a related internal investigation into these issues.
Internal Investigations
- Conducted internal investigation on behalf of U.S. energy company related to FCPA and anti-money laundering risks in Latin America arising from business dealings involving a former high-ranking Peruvian energy consultant.
- Regularly conducts internal investigations for a U.S.‐based multinational medical device and pharmaceutical company involving anti-corruption issues in China. Advises client on implementation of compliance policies.
- Conducting internal investigation on behalf of a multi-specialty medical group into historical pharmacy practices and related criminal matters.
- Part of team who advised a major multinational pharmaceutical company in an internal investigation related to COVID-19 vaccine research and development at their vaccine study site in Argentina.
Anti-Corruption & International Risks Compliance and Diligence
- Advises top private equity firms and other investors on anti-corruption and anti-money laundering risk relating to portfolio companies and proposed investments in the US and globally.
- Conducts pre-acquisition due diligence for clients focused on compliance risks.
Pro Bono
- Part of the Ropes & Gray team involved in defending the legality of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
- Part of teams that have secured grants of asylum for clients in the Northern Triangle.