Chris served for nearly ten years as New Jersey’s Monmouth County Prosecutor. As the Governor-appointed and Senate-confirmed chief law enforcement officer for the county, Chris oversaw the day-to-day operations of more than 300 employees and the administration of a $25 million budget. Chris was responsible for the coordination of law enforcement efforts of more than 2,000 county-wide law enforcement officers across 48 municipal police departments.

Chris previously served for ten years as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Districts of New Jersey and Maryland. As a federal prosecutor, Chris handled hundreds of federal criminal investigations and prosecutions while serving in the Special Prosecutions (Public Corruption) Division, the Terrorism Unit, and the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force. Chris specialized in cases involving extortion and bribery, mail, wire and bank fraud cases, money laundering, national security and material support of terrorism cases, export control/ITAR matters, cyber-crimes, and other financial and tax offenses.

Chris proudly began his legal career with the United States Navy. He continues his service as a Captain (O-6) in the Navy Reserve. While on active duty, Chris was assigned tours as a prosecutor, defense attorney, legal assistance advisor, and appellate attorney at various commands across the globe. He has also provided at-sea legal services to military personnel attached to a number of vessel commands.

Chris deployed to Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. During the deployment, Chris served as an operational law advisor and command judge advocate for a joint Special Operations Command comprised of Navy SEAL and Army Special Forces personnel. Chris has led and participated in customized anti-corruption, international law, human rights law, criminal justice, and conflict/stability operations training for senior civilian and military members in challenging areas across the Middle East, Africa, and Eastern Europe.

Chris completed tours as the Executive Officer (XO) of the NR National Security Law Unit at the Pentagon, the XO of the NR Naval War College (Law) in Newport, RI, and N1/Senior Advisor of NR SOUTHCOM HQ.

• Successfully represented a federal defendant charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering, bank fraud, and passport fraud. Despite an advisory guideline range yielding 168 months, secured a substantial downward variance at sentencing resulting in a sentence of 9 months’ time served and one year of supervised release.
• Successfully represented a client in an U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission civil enforcement investigation alleging insider trading violations, negotiating a favorable settlement that resolved the matter and avoided parallel federal criminal charges.
• Represented physician client in negotiating and reviewing an employment services agreement with a major Atlanta hospital network, including strategic counsel regarding compensation structure, contractual obligations, restrictive covenants, and potential civil claims arising from partner conduct that jeopardized the client’s existing employer relationship.
• Served as independent hearing officer for a New Jersey municipality in an employee dispute involving the retirement of a senior police executive, overseeing evidentiary proceedings, and providing impartial findings and recommendations on sensitive employment and administrative issues.
• Represented New Jersey county in responding to document and information requests relating to investigation conducted by the New Jersey Office of the State Comptroller, including strategic counsel concerning governmental compliance, document production, and investigative response obligations.
• Secured entry into New Jersey Pretrial Intervention (PTI) program and ultimately obtained full dismissal of charges filed against a college student-athlete charged with 2nd degree Unlawful Possession of a Handgun and other ammunition-related counts in New Jersey Superior Court.
• Successfully represented New Jersey client in a high-exposure criminal matter charged in New Jersey Superior Court, securing a negotiated non-custodial resolution through strategic advocacy, pretrial negotiations, and mitigation-focused representation.
• Successfully represented a domestic violence victim in obtaining a Final Restraining Order (FRO) following a contested merits trial in the New Jersey Superior Court, Chancery Division, Family Part, and subsequently served as victim’s counsel and advocate in related criminal proceedings against the offender, ensuring coordinated protection of the client’s safety and legal interests across parallel matters.
• Represented client in the review and negotiation of an employment services agreement and related benefits documentation in connection with prospective employment at a New York-based craft beverage distribution company; provided strategic counsel to assess contractual terms, compensation structure, and long-term employment considerations.
• Successfully represented both individual and corporate clients in a high-stakes investigation conducted by the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General, Division of Criminal Justice, involving allegations of theft by deception and environmental regulatory offenses; secured a non-custodial resolution with a probationary term for the individual client and obtained dismissal of all charges against the organization.`
• Successfully defended clients in civil action filed in the Chancery Division of the New Jersey Superior Court which sought declaratory and injunctive relief seeking the transfer of client’s ownership in a residential property. Through strategic litigation and settlement negotiations, secured a complete resolution of all claims, including a six-figure settlement in favor of the clients.
• Successfully negotiated a favorable federal sentencing resolution in the nation’s first prosecution under the new “Protecting Lawful Streaming Act” (PLSA) that went into effect in 2021, obtaining a one-year sentence on behalf of client.

• Obtained full dismissal of federal narcotics-related charges brought in 2023 against client in the District of New Jersey.
• Successfully negotiated pretrial intervention (PTI) resolution for an out-of-state client charged by the State of New Jersey with 2nd degree Graves Act Firearms offenses.
• Obtained successful rulings at both New Jersey Supreme Court and New Jersey Appellate Division, affirming the lower court’s dismissal decision in American Civil Liberties Union v. New Jersey County Prosecutors Association of New Jersey, 257 N.J. 87 (2024) on behalf of the County Prosecutors Association of New Jersey (CPANJ). The Supreme Court issued a precedential Open Public Records Act (OPRA) opinion deciding a case of first impression, holding that CPANJ is not a public agency under OPRA or subject to the common law right of access.
• Represented two unrelated multinational companies to conduct compliance reviews when such companies were the focus of state investigative and regulatory agencies.
• Secured favorable criminal sentencing outcome in the District Court for the District of Columbia for an attorney charged with conduct stemming from the events at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.
• Negotiated with the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission and the United States Department of Justice in relation to securing alternative dispositions for alleged insider trading and securities fraud.
• Secured favorable criminal sentencing outcomes for a multitude of criminal defendants charged with federal crimes in the District of New Jersey, the District of South Carolina, and the District of Columbia in matters involving, among other things, the January 6, 2021 incident at the U.S. Capital Building; offenses involving financial fraud, conspiracy, money laundering and various narcotics and violent crimes.
• Successfully negotiated a favorable criminal disposition of an individual charged with securities fraud and theft offenses in New Jersey and simultaneously brought a plaintiff’s action against a gambling institution as alleged facilitators of the underlying criminal conduct.
• Successfully represented Solute, Inc., a prominent defense technology and engineering firm, in its multi-million dollar acquisition by Sigma Defense LLC, a portfolio company of Sagewind Capital.
• Successfully represented a foreign-based corporation with a presence in the United States in matters concerning the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and alleged violations of federal securities laws.
• Successfully advised a multinational corporation concerning federal securities laws and the possibility of their application to cryptocurrency.
• Drafted employee handbooks, compliance best practices and ethics policies for multiple professional baseball teams.
• Represented a not-for-profit corporation in connection with law enforcement investigations in New Jersey and simultaneously worked with client to strengthen the corporation’s internal controls, compliance practices and training tools.
• Represented individuals and families in connection with school disciplinary proceedings in both Monmouth County, New Jersey and Charleston, South Carolina, and successfully secured relief for families of victims of HIB and separately for individuals wrongfully suspended from school.
• Represented corporate, governmental, and individual witnesses in connection with inquiries by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the New Jersey State Police, the New Jersey Comptroller and other investigative bodies.
• Successfully defended a public official publicly named as a defendant in a civil defamation action resulting in a mutual dismissal of all claims, with no liability attaching to our client.

CK is proud of and grateful for Chris’s extraordinary service to his country and community.

Chris is a United States Navy active-duty veteran now serving as a Captain (O-6) in the U.S. Navy Reserve. In 2014, Chris deployed to Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. During the deployment, Chris served as an embedded operational law advisor and Command Judge Advocate for Navy SEAL Team EIGHT, supporting a joint Special Operations command composed of Navy SEAL and Army Special Forces personnel. Chris has also served on various missions across Iraq and the Middle East in support of Operation Inherent Resolve.

Chris served as the XO of the NR National Security Law Unit at the Pentagon, the XO of the NR Naval War College (Law) in Newport, RI, and N1/Senior Advisor of NR SOUTHCOM HQ combatant command. He currently serves as Commanding Officer of the NR Office of Judge Advocate General (OJAG) CIVLAW Unit in Washington, DC.

Among his many accomplishments while serving as New Jersey’s Monmouth County Prosecutor, Chris spearheaded the county-wide law enforcement response to Hurricane Sandy to ensure the safety of affected citizens, launched the first county-wide Special Needs Registry in the nation to protect the county’s most vulnerable citizens, and established the first county-wide Body Worn Camera pilot program in the State. For his efforts in combatting opioid addiction, Chris was named Prosecutor of the Year by the New Jersey Narcotics Enforcement Association and awarded the CrimeStoppers Leadership Award.

During his 9 years of service as a federal prosecutor, Chris investigated and prosecuted numerous complex federal cases involving public corruption, terrorism, financial frauds, organized crime, cybersecurity and money laundering. Chris secured guilty verdicts in more than 20 federal jury trials and led high-profile public corruption investigations, including “Operation Broken Boards” and “Operation Bid Rig III,” which resulted in dozens of arrests and convictions. Chris also coordinated regional counterterrorism security initiatives and advised multinational companies and government officials on FCPA compliance and anti-corruption matters.