Carsten Reichel

Partner
Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP

Carsten Reichel

Carsten Reichel

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Biography

Carsten Reichel is an experienced former federal prosecutor with the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) and a partner in Norton Rose Fulbright's antitrust and competition group. In over fourteen years at DOJ, he prosecuted complex white collar and economic crimes, including price-fixing, bid-rigging, market allocations, conspiracy and fraud, across a wide range of industrial sectors, within the criminal enforcement program of the Antitrust Division. Before joining DOJ, Carsten worked at an international law firm in its antitrust and litigation groups, where he defended clients in both criminal and civil antitrust investigations and private civil litigation.

As a federal prosecutor, Carsten spearheaded some of the DOJ's most significant criminal cartel matters, including in the shipping, pharmaceuticals, auto parts, air cargo and foreign currency exchange industries, investigating and prosecuting both corporations and individuals. He also led investigations of domestic cartels involving procurement violations and other related fraud and criminal offenses, such as bribery, fraud and obstruction of justice. He negotiated and oversaw the first-ever corporate antitrust compliance monitor imposed pursuant to an Antitrust Division plea agreement. Carsten also led the efforts to expand the DOJ's Procurement Collusion Strike Force initiative to detect and deter criminal cartel activity by federal and state contractors, both internationally and into additional domestic districts. He has worked extensively with numerous corporate applicants under the Antitrust Division's Leniency Program. Carsten received the Antitrust Division Assistant Attorney General's Award of Distinction six times for his work on various criminal investigations and also received the Council of Inspector General on Integrity and Efficiency Award for Excellence. 

Carsten also advised on key policy developments and initiatives in the Antitrust Division's International and Competition Policy and Advocacy sections. As international counsel, he worked with competition enforcement agencies - including those in Japan, Korea, Mexico, Brazil, South Africa, COMESA and throughout Europe – to advise and train on cartel investigation practices and policies and to facilitate international cooperation in cartel enforcement. He also worked with in the US government to advise on the implementation of the Criminal Antitrust Anti-Retaliation Act and oversaw competition compliance in multi-agency efforts to implement the Defense Production Act responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Carsten also served as Special Assistant United States Attorney for the United States Attorney's Office in the District of Maryland, where he investigated and prosecuted federal crimes, including bank fraud, identity theft and violent crimes. He has litigated federal jury trials, as well as numerous pre- and post-trial issues, including sentencing and evidentiary issues.


Professional experience

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  • JD, University of Virginia School of Law, 2003
  • BA, government, cum laude, Harvard University, 1998
  • District of Columbia Bar
  • Department of Justice, Antitrust Division, Assistant Attorney General Awards for:
    • COVID-19 Antitrust Advising Efforts
    • Generic Pharmaceuticals Corporate Resolutions
    • Auto Parts cartel prosecution
    • Deep-Sea Ocean Shipping cartel prosecution
    • Southeastern Real Estate Foreclosure Auctions prosecution
    • Foreign Currency Exchange prosecution
  • Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency Award for Excellence, Airlines Price-Fixing

As a prosecutor and international counsel at DOJ's Antitrust Division, Carsten spoke frequently and broadly on topics relating to cartel enforcement and policies, to a wide variety of federal law enforcement officials, foreign competition authorities, and procurement officials. Selected engagements include:

  • Adjunct instructor for Procurement Fraud Intensive Training Program, Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, Glynco, Georgia, 2012-2022
  • Detecting Collusion in Public Procurement, United States Trade and Development Agency, Global Procurement Initiative, April 2022
  • Detecting and Investigating Bid-Rigging in Public Procurement, International Law Enforcement Academy, Gaborone, Botswana, February 2022
  • Workshop on Cartel Investigation, COMESA Competition Commission, February 2022
  • Panelist, Advocating Public Procurers: New Issues, New Principles, International Competition Network, Advocacy Working Group Annual Workshop, February 2022
  • Implementing the Criminal Antitrust Anti-Retaliation Act, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, January 2022
  • Panelist, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, Regional Centre for Competition in Latin America, Bid-Rigging in Healthcare Sector, 2020
  • Trained Argetinian competition authority in implementation of cartel leniency program, Comisión Nacional de la Defensa de la Competición,Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2019
  • Represented DOJ in OECD/IDB-hosted roundtable on competition issues, Latin American Competition Forum, Lima, Peru, 2013
  • ABA Antitrust Law Section, Cartel and Criminal Practice Subcommittee