Habib F. Ilahi

Habib F. Ilahi counsels business entities and individuals in highly regulated industries through complex health care, procurement, and other government enforcement investigations and litigation, as well as through general white collar criminal and civil defense matters. As a former federal prosecutor with the Fraud Section of the Department of Justice, Civil Division, Mr. Ilahi gained extensive expertise in matters involving the False Claims Act (FCA), the Anti-Kickback Statute, and the Stark Law. Mr. Ilahi has continued his FCA practice in the private sector and has unique experience representing clients on all three sides of the FCA – as defense counsel, relator’s counsel, and government counsel during his DOJ tenure. As defense counsel, Mr. Ilahi has advised and represented pharmaceutical and life sciences companies, hospital systems, national nursing home and long-term care facility chains, large and small government contractors, state and federal grant recipients, and a variety of other types of businesses and individuals in FCA investigations and litigation involving government programs.

Outside of FCA matters, Mr. Ilahi has advised and represented numerous government contractors, foreign and domestic business entities, and individuals in criminal, civil, and administrative government investigations, including those involving government contracting and procurement fraud, violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, securities and accounting fraud, tax fraud, civil and criminal conflict of interest violations, lobbying violations, and sanctions and export-control violations.

Before entering government service, Mr. Ilahi spent 15 years in private practice, including 10 years as Of Counsel at Schertler Onorato Mead & Sears, specializing in white-collar criminal defense. Mr. Ilahi left the firm in 2015 to become Special Counsel to Karl A. Racine, the Attorney General for the District of Columbia, where he advised the Office of the Attorney General on various criminal justice and opioid enforcement related issues affecting the District of Columbia, including drafting landmark legislation that enabled D.C. law enforcement to prosecute elusive synthetic opioid sellers and manufacturers. Mr. Ilahi joined the Department of Justice Civil Division in 2016. In 2019, Mr. Ilahi reentered private practice and, in 2022, he rejoined Schertler Onorato Mead & Sears as a Partner.