John A. Schwab

JOHN A. SCHWAB is a senior litigation associate in the White Collar Criminal Defense and Commercial Litigation practice groups of Pietragallo Gordon Alfano Bosick & Raspanti, LLP.  He resides in the firm’s Pittsburgh office.

Mr. Schwab is an experienced litigator, having represented various individuals, government officials, health care practitioners, and corporate executives and officers in matters investigated by the United States of America and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.  He has defended clients in investigations and cases involving alleged violations of federal and state laws, including mail fraud, bank fraud, internal revenue fraud, procurement fraud, health care fraud, and conspiracy.  Representations reflective of his practice include:

  • Corporate executives and officers in bank and lender fraud matters in meetings with government investigators and prosecutors

  • Health care provider requested to testify regarding medical forgery allegations

  • Doctors and other health care providers facing internal investigations and loss of credentials or hospital privileges

  • Former Department of Defense employee targeted in a federal investigation for alleged role in federal military procurement

  • Business owner charged with credit card and access device fraud

  • Government employee charged with counterfeiting of immigration and Social Security documents and obstruction of justice

  • United States government contracting officer charged with receipt of bribes and kickbacks

  • Government employee charged with illegal receipt of federal benefits 

  • Department of Defense employee charged with travel fraud

  • Federal government employees charged with making false statements or misrepresentations to government investigators


Mr. Schwab’s litigation practice also includes an emphasis on electronic discovery and the impact of technology in civil and white collar criminal cases. His civil practice extends to a variety of matters including commercial disputes, shareholder actions, corporate waste and breaches of fiduciary duty, intellectual property, employment, False Claims Act (qui tam), and other complex commercial litigation.

 

Mr. Schwab joined the firm after serving in the U.S. Marine Corps as the Chief Defense Trial Attorney for the Defense Office at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.  In his capacity as chief trial counsel, Mr. Schwab supervised and led six trial counsel and three staff members.  He was responsible for the office’s most complex cases including fact-gathering, writing and arguing motions, witness preparation, trial, sentencing and the appellate process. During his service with the U.S. Marine Corps, Mr. Schwab served as trial counsel for 10 jury trials to verdict and more than 20 bench trials. 

As the senior trial counsel, Mr. Schwab advised and represented senior military leaders facing internal investigations and criminal investigations.  Many of his cases involved allegations of fraud against the federal government, private entities, or individuals.  Additionally, Mr. Schwab represented doctors and psychologists under investigation and facing potential loss of their licenses or credentials.

In 2007, Mr. Schwab served as the Battalion Judge Advocate in Fallujah, Iraq for 2nd Battalion, 6th Marines, Regimental Combat Team 6 for the U.S. Marine Corps.  In that role, he was the sole legal counsel for the battalion and advised commanders on domestic and international law as well as internal investigations, fiscal law, intelligence reports, criminal justice and other legal compliance matters.  He had direct oversight over all of the unit’s internal investigations which encompassed a wide range of subjects.

Since 2008, Mr. Schwab has served as a faculty member of the National Trial Advocacy College at the University of Virginia School of Law, which is one of the nation’s premier trial advocacy programs for practicing lawyers.  He also serves as a member of the Editorial Board for the Journal of Law and Public Policy for Grove City College which published his article on Honest Services Fraud in its Inaugural Edition in 2010.  Mr. Schwab also performed an internship with the Honorable Robert J. Cindrich on the U.S. District Court in the Western District of Pennsylvania in 2002.

Mr. Schwab was selected by The Legal Intelligencer as a Lawyer on the Fast Track for 2011. The individuals are selected as the future leaders of Pennsylvania's legal community.

Mr. Schwab is a member of the American Bar Association, Allegheny County Bar Association, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and Association of Certified Fraud Examiners.  He is an active member of the Criminal Justice Section of the American Bar Association and the Federal Court Criminal Practice Subcommittee and the Third Circuit Review Program Committee of the Allegheny County Bar Association. 

Mr. Schwab received his J.D. from the Dickinson School of Law of the Pennsylvania State University, where he was an associate editor of the Penn State International Law Review.  He earned his B.S. in Accounting from Grove City College in Grove City, Pennsylvania.

Mr. Schwab is admitted to practice in the State and Federal Courts of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Representative Cases, Publications and Speaking Engagements