JR Drabick is counsel in Ropes & Gray’s litigation & enforcement practice group, where he advises clients across highly regulated industries such as financial services, investment advisory, media, and technology. A former federal prosecutor and SEC enforcement attorney, JR is an experienced trial attorney with a broad background that enables him to offer clients strategic and informed guidance on a wide range of complex enforcement challenges.
Before re-joining Ropes & Gray in 2025, JR served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for over eight years in the District of Massachusetts and Eastern District of Michigan. He was a member of the Securities, Financial, & Cyber Fraud Unit in Boston and the Violent & Organized Crime Unit in Detroit. In these roles, JR investigated and prosecuted a wide range of federal criminal offenses, including securities fraud, market manipulation, international cyber intrusions, money laundering, embezzlement, tax evasion, identity theft, obstruction of justice, and racketeering.
Prior to his time at DOJ, JR was Senior Counsel in the Enforcement Division of the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission in Boston. During his nearly four-year SEC tenure, JR investigated and prosecuted a wide range of securities offenses, including accounting frauds, FCPA offenses, trading frauds, offering frauds, pump-and-dumps, market manipulation, and insider trading. He co-founded and co-led the Boston Regional Office’s accounting fraud working group and was a member of the Complex Financial Instruments Specialized Unit. He also co-led the Boston Regional Office’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee.
JR began his legal career as an associate at Ropes & Gray and as a law clerk for the Honorable Richard J. Leon in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.
Experience
Government Experience
- Trial counsel in five criminal and civil enforcement trials, including as lead AUSA in a multi-week attempted-murder-in-aid-of-racketeering trial.*
- Lead AUSA on securities fraud matters involving pump-and-dumps of penny stocks by foreign and domestic actors generating hundreds of millions of dollars in illicit proceeds. Secured a $58M restitution judgment for victims.*
- Lead AUSA on a matter involving the unregistered sale of securities by a public company chairman who used his real estate attorney to secretly sell his shares.*
- Lead AUSA on a market manipulation matter involving Chinese nationals who led a team of traders using a trading strategy similar to spoofing, generating $7.75M in illicit proceeds at the expense of algorithmic market-makers.*
- Lead AUSA on cyber intrusion matter involving the theft of PII from CPA firms and the subsequent filing of fraudulent tax returns. Facilitated global takedown of infrastructure supporting the malware used in the instrusion.*
- SEC counsel at trial in a securities fraud matter involving misleading statements used to induce brokerage customers to transfer assets to a new advisory firm.*
- SEC counsel in securities fraud matter involving materially misleading statements to counterparties during RMBS trading.*
- SEC counsel in securities fraud matter involving improper rebate and mark-up practices by public supply chain and logistics company.*
- SEC counsel in FCPA matter involving medical device manufacturer that engaged in hundreds of sham transactions with distributors.*
Private Practice
- Represented clothing retailer Carter’s, Inc. in DOJ and SEC investigations and in related class action securities fraud and derivative litigation concerning the company’s reporting of margin support payments to wholesale customers in allegedly incorrect financial periods. Resulted in SEC’s first-ever Non-Prosecution Agreement.
- Represented expert network and associated investment adviser in an SEC inquiry into operations of industry specific expert network and potential insider trading issues.
- Represented Fortune 500 company in antitrust litigation involving allegations of conspiracy and boycott.
*Experience prior to re-joining Ropes & Gray