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Nekia Hackworth Jones
Partner
201 17th Street NW
Suite 1700
Atlanta, GA 30363
With more than a decade of service as an Assistant United States Attorney — including two years serving with the United States Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. — Nekia Hackworth Jones has deep and practical experience in government investigations and white collar criminal matters, including healthcare and financial fraud cases. In 2015, Ms. Jones...
With more than a decade of service as an Assistant United States Attorney — including two years serving with the United States Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. — Nekia Hackworth Jones has deep and practical experience in government investigations and white collar criminal matters, including healthcare and financial fraud cases. In 2015, Ms. Jones was selected by former Deputy Attorney General Sally Q. Yates to work in the Office of the Deputy Attorney General in Washington, D.C., as Senior Counsel and, later, as Associate Deputy Attorney General and Executive Director of the Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force. In recognition of her talent, she received the prestigious Excellence in Appellate Advocacy Award from the United States Attorney’s Office during her tenure in the Atlanta office.
Ms. Jones counsels and represents companies in connection with government investigations, internal investigations, and business litigation. She also focuses her knowledge and skill on white collar criminal defense matters, representing companies and individuals facing serious business related charges. With a master’s degree in Business Administration from Harvard Business School and a JD from Harvard Law School, she understands the business issues underlying her cases and brings that acumen to bear on her clients’ behalf.
Ms. Jones has received several awards for her legal work and community service in both the private and public sectors. In 2018, she was recognized by the Profiles in Diversity Journal with the Women Worth Watching Award. She has also been recognized as one of Georgia’s Most Powerful and Influential Women by Women Looking Ahead magazine. Ms. Jones is also a 2014 recipient of the Atlanta Bar Association’s Community Service Award. Ms. Jones currently serves as co-chair of the Atlanta Bar Association’s Summer Law Internship Program, which provides legal internships to Atlanta-area high school students. Ms. Jones is also an active director on nonprofit boards and firm committees that promote diversity and inclusion in the legal profession.
was selected by former Deputy Attorney General Sally Q. Yates to work in the Office of the Deputy Attorney General in Washington, D.C., as Senior Counsel and, later, as Associate Deputy Attorney General and Executive Director of the Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force. In recognition of her talent, she received the prestigious Excellence in Appellate Advocacy Award from the United States Attorney’s Office during her tenure in the Atlanta office.
Ms. Jones counsels and represents companies in connection with government investigations, internal investigations, and business litigation. She also focuses her knowledge and skill on white collar criminal defense matters, representing companies and individuals facing serious business related charges. With a master’s degree in Business Administration from Harvard Business School and a JD from Harvard Law School, she understands the business issues underlying her cases and brings that acumen to bear on her clients’ behalf.
Ms. Jones has received several awards for her legal work and community service in both the private and public sectors. In 2018, she was recognized by the Profiles in Diversity Journal with the Women Worth Watching Award. She has also been recognized as one of Georgia’s Most Powerful and Influential Women by Women Looking Ahead magazine. Ms. Jones is also a 2014 recipient of the Atlanta Bar Association’s Community Service Award. Ms. Jones currently serves as co-chair of the Atlanta Bar Association’s Summer Law Internship Program, which provides legal internships to Atlanta-area high school students. Ms. Jones is also an active director on nonprofit boards and firm committees that promote diversity and inclusion in the legal profession.
Experience
Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough Experience
- Serve as lead counsel for a large healthcare corporation in a False Claims Act and Anti-Kickback Statute investigation involving the United States Department of Justice, Department of Health and Human Services-Office of Inspector General, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
- Serve as co-lead investigator, on behalf of a large public university, for a complex ethics and compliance internal investigation spanning multiple years, multiple university offices, and dozens of university employees and officials.
- Serve as lead counsel for a private university on an internal investigation involving a highly sensitive faculty termination and related grievance procedure.
- Represent a former government official who is the target of a public corruption investigation involving the United States Department of Justice.
- Represent individual witnesses in criminal and civil matters pending before federal agencies, including the United States Department of Justice, Securities & Exchange Commission, and the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation Division.
- Serve as lead counsel and co-lead counsel for manufacturing, finance, and financial technology companies defending subpoenas and civil investigative demands before federal and state law enforcement and regulatory agencies.
Previous Professional Experience
- U.S. Attorney’s Office, Atlanta (2008-2015, 2017-2018)
- Investigated and prosecuted approximately 100 federal criminal cases, including mortgage fraud, tax fraud, healthcare fraud, securities and investment fraud, human trafficking, criminal street gangs, firearms violations, public corruption, and drug trafficking
- Complex Frauds Section (2013-2015, 2017-2018)
- Devised strategy and provided counsel to federal law enforcement officers regarding ongoing investigations of individuals and organizations to determine nature and scope of possible violations of federal law, including securities and investment fraud, bank and mortgage fraud, tax fraud, and healthcare fraud
- Collaborated and consulted with federal regulators, including the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Internal Revenue Service, to strategically evaluate and assess potential violations of federal law
- Violent Crimes Section (2008-2013)
- Served as trial counsel in more than 10 federal criminal jury trials, including trials involving a racially motivated prison murder by two supremacist gang members (life and 31-year sentences), a sex trafficking defendant who exploited five adult women and a 13-year-old child (life sentence), and father-son defendants who robbed local Atlanta businesses (40- and 20-year sentences)
- Argued three appeals before the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals with favorable results, including an opinion affirming a life sentence in a human trafficking case and a published opinion defining the scope of the derivative citizenship defense in criminal immigration matters
- Complex Frauds Section (2013-2015, 2017-2018)
- Investigated and prosecuted approximately 100 federal criminal cases, including mortgage fraud, tax fraud, healthcare fraud, securities and investment fraud, human trafficking, criminal street gangs, firearms violations, public corruption, and drug trafficking
- U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, DC (2015-2017)
- Associate Deputy Attorney General (October 2016 to January 2017) & Executive Director of the Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force (August 2016 to January 2017).
- Served as an advisor to the Attorney General and Deputy Attorney General of the United States, as well as senior Department officials, regarding policies and programs designed to combat financial fraud. Led an interagency task force charged with facilitating coordination in identifying financial fraud trends, driving enforcement initiatives, and setting priorities for fraud prosecutors and regulatory agencies
- Senior Counsel to the Deputy Attorney General (July 2015 to September 2016).
- Provided advice and counsel to the Deputy Attorney General of the United States on a range of legal, policy, and programming matters of national significance, including criminal justice reform, corrections, prisoner reentry, alternatives to incarceration, and Indian country
- Associate Deputy Attorney General (October 2016 to January 2017) & Executive Director of the Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force (August 2016 to January 2017).
- Litigation Associate, Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough (2006-2008)
- Corporate Restructuring Associate, New York office of international law firm (2004-2005)
Education
-
Harvard Law School,
JD
(2004)
- Co-Managing Editor, Harvard BlackLetter Law Journal
- Treasurer and Spring Conference committee co-chair of the Harvard Black Law Students Association
- Harvard Business School, Master of Business Administration (2004)
- Emory University, BBA, cum laude (1999)
Admissions
- Georgia
- New York
Clerkships
- Judicial Law Clerk, the Honorable Sterling Johnson Jr., U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York (2005 - 2006)
Practice Areas
Industries
Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough Experience
- Serve as lead counsel for a large healthcare corporation in a False Claims Act and Anti-Kickback Statute investigation involving the United States Department of Justice, Department of Health and Human Services-Office of Inspector General, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
- Serve as co-lead investigator, on behalf of a large public university, for a complex ethics and compliance internal investigation spanning multiple years, multiple university offices, and dozens of university employees and officials.
- Serve as lead counsel for a private university on an internal investigation involving a highly sensitive faculty termination and related grievance procedure.
- Represent a former government official who is the target of a public corruption investigation involving the United States Department of Justice.
- Represent individual witnesses in criminal and civil matters pending before federal agencies, including the United States Department of Justice, Securities & Exchange Commission, and the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation Division.
- Serve as lead counsel and co-lead counsel for manufacturing, finance, and financial technology companies defending subpoenas and civil investigative demands before federal and state law enforcement and regulatory agencies.
Previous Professional Experience
- U.S. Attorney’s Office, Atlanta (2008-2015, 2017-2018)
- Investigated and prosecuted approximately 100 federal criminal cases, including mortgage fraud, tax fraud, healthcare fraud, securities and investment fraud, human trafficking, criminal street gangs, firearms violations, public corruption, and drug trafficking
- Complex Frauds Section (2013-2015, 2017-2018)
- Devised strategy and provided counsel to federal law enforcement officers regarding ongoing investigations of individuals and organizations to determine nature and scope of possible violations of federal law, including securities and investment fraud, bank and mortgage fraud, tax fraud, and healthcare fraud
- Collaborated and consulted with federal regulators, including the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Internal Revenue Service, to strategically evaluate and assess potential violations of federal law
- Violent Crimes Section (2008-2013)
- Served as trial counsel in more than 10 federal criminal jury trials, including trials involving a racially motivated prison murder by two supremacist gang members (life and 31-year sentences), a sex trafficking defendant who exploited five adult women and a 13-year-old child (life sentence), and father-son defendants who robbed local Atlanta businesses (40- and 20-year sentences)
- Argued three appeals before the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals with favorable results, including an opinion affirming a life sentence in a human trafficking case and a published opinion defining the scope of the derivative citizenship defense in criminal immigration matters
- Complex Frauds Section (2013-2015, 2017-2018)
- Investigated and prosecuted approximately 100 federal criminal cases, including mortgage fraud, tax fraud, healthcare fraud, securities and investment fraud, human trafficking, criminal street gangs, firearms violations, public corruption, and drug trafficking
- U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, DC (2015-2017)
- Associate Deputy Attorney General (October 2016 to January 2017) & Executive Director of the Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force (August 2016 to January 2017).
- Served as an advisor to the Attorney General and Deputy Attorney General of the United States, as well as senior Department officials, regarding policies and programs designed to combat financial fraud. Led an interagency task force charged with facilitating coordination in identifying financial fraud trends, driving enforcement initiatives, and setting priorities for fraud prosecutors and regulatory agencies
- Senior Counsel to the Deputy Attorney General (July 2015 to September 2016).
- Provided advice and counsel to the Deputy Attorney General of the United States on a range of legal, policy, and programming matters of national significance, including criminal justice reform, corrections, prisoner reentry, alternatives to incarceration, and Indian country
- Associate Deputy Attorney General (October 2016 to January 2017) & Executive Director of the Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force (August 2016 to January 2017).
- Litigation Associate, Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough (2006-2008)
- Corporate Restructuring Associate, New York office of international law firm (2004-2005)
Articles & Speeches
Recognitions
- Georgia’s Most Powerful and Influential Women by Women Looking Ahead Magazine (2018)
- Women Worth Watching Leadership Award, Profiles in Diversity Journal (2018)
- Community Service Award, Atlanta Bar Association (2014)
- Excellence in Appellate Advocacy, United States Attorney’s Office Award (2013)
- Georgia Lawyers On the Rise, Daily Report (2012)
Professional Activities
- Atlanta Bar Association
- Board of Directors, Lawyer Referral and Information Service (2019 to present)
- Board of Directors (2014-2015)
- Law Week (2013-2015)
- Committee Co-Chair, Summer Law Internship Program (2007-present)
- American Law Institute
- Member (2018 to present)
- Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys
- Foundation Board of Directors (2017-present)
- Inter-Bar Relations (2010-2011)
- Legal Education (2009-2010)
- Board of Directors & Committee Co-Chair, Political Action (2008-2009)
- State Bar of Georgia
- Committee on Professionalism, Member (2013-2015)
- Gate City Bar Association
- Board of Directors, Secretary (2015)
- Board of Directors, Secretary (2015)
Leadership
- Master, Bleckley Inn of Court (2018-2020)
With more than a decade of service as an Assistant United States Attorney — including two years serving with the United States Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. — Nekia Hackworth Jones has deep and practical experience in government investigations and white collar criminal matters, including healthcare and financial fraud cases. In 2015, Ms. Jones... was selected by former Deputy Attorney General Sally Q. Yates to work in the Office of the Deputy Attorney General in Washington, D.C., as Senior Counsel and, later, as Associate Deputy Attorney General and Executive Director of the Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force. In recognition of her talent, she received the prestigious Excellence in Appellate Advocacy Award from the United States Attorney’s Office during her tenure in the Atlanta office.
Ms. Jones counsels and represents companies in connection with government investigations, internal investigations, and business litigation. She also focuses her knowledge and skill on white collar criminal defense matters, representing companies and individuals facing serious business related charges. With a master’s degree in Business Administration from Harvard Business School and a JD from Harvard Law School, she understands the business issues underlying her cases and brings that acumen to bear on her clients’ behalf.
Ms. Jones has received several awards for her legal work and community service in both the private and public sectors. In 2018, she was recognized by the Profiles in Diversity Journal with the Women Worth Watching Award. She has also been recognized as one of Georgia’s Most Powerful and Influential Women by Women Looking Ahead magazine. Ms. Jones is also a 2014 recipient of the Atlanta Bar Association’s Community Service Award. Ms. Jones currently serves as co-chair of the Atlanta Bar Association’s Summer Law Internship Program, which provides legal internships to Atlanta-area high school students. Ms. Jones is also an active director on nonprofit boards and firm committees that promote diversity and inclusion in the legal profession.
Experience
Following is a selected sampling of matters and is provided for informational purposes only. Past success does not indicate the likelihood of success in any future matter.Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough Experience
- Serve as lead counsel for a large healthcare corporation in a False Claims Act and Anti-Kickback Statute investigation involving the United States Department of Justice, Department of Health and Human Services-Office of Inspector General, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
- Serve as co-lead investigator, on behalf of a large public university, for a complex ethics and compliance internal investigation spanning multiple years, multiple university offices, and dozens of university employees and officials.
- Serve as lead counsel for a private university on an internal investigation involving a highly sensitive faculty termination and related grievance procedure.
- Represent a former government official who is the target of a public corruption investigation involving the United States Department of Justice.
- Represent individual witnesses in criminal and civil matters pending before federal agencies, including the United States Department of Justice, Securities & Exchange Commission, and the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation Division.
- Serve as lead counsel and co-lead counsel for manufacturing, finance, and financial technology companies defending subpoenas and civil investigative demands before federal and state law enforcement and regulatory agencies.
Previous Professional Experience
- U.S. Attorney’s Office, Atlanta (2008-2015, 2017-2018)
- Investigated and prosecuted approximately 100 federal criminal cases, including mortgage fraud, tax fraud, healthcare fraud, securities and investment fraud, human trafficking, criminal street gangs, firearms violations, public corruption, and drug trafficking
- Complex Frauds Section (2013-2015, 2017-2018)
- Devised strategy and provided counsel to federal law enforcement officers regarding ongoing investigations of individuals and organizations to determine nature and scope of possible violations of federal law, including securities and investment fraud, bank and mortgage fraud, tax fraud, and healthcare fraud
- Collaborated and consulted with federal regulators, including the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Internal Revenue Service, to strategically evaluate and assess potential violations of federal law
- Violent Crimes Section (2008-2013)
- Served as trial counsel in more than 10 federal criminal jury trials, including trials involving a racially motivated prison murder by two supremacist gang members (life and 31-year sentences), a sex trafficking defendant who exploited five adult women and a 13-year-old child (life sentence), and father-son defendants who robbed local Atlanta businesses (40- and 20-year sentences)
- Argued three appeals before the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals with favorable results, including an opinion affirming a life sentence in a human trafficking case and a published opinion defining the scope of the derivative citizenship defense in criminal immigration matters
- Complex Frauds Section (2013-2015, 2017-2018)
- Investigated and prosecuted approximately 100 federal criminal cases, including mortgage fraud, tax fraud, healthcare fraud, securities and investment fraud, human trafficking, criminal street gangs, firearms violations, public corruption, and drug trafficking
- U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, DC (2015-2017)
- Associate Deputy Attorney General (October 2016 to January 2017) & Executive Director of the Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force (August 2016 to January 2017).
- Served as an advisor to the Attorney General and Deputy Attorney General of the United States, as well as senior Department officials, regarding policies and programs designed to combat financial fraud. Led an interagency task force charged with facilitating coordination in identifying financial fraud trends, driving enforcement initiatives, and setting priorities for fraud prosecutors and regulatory agencies
- Senior Counsel to the Deputy Attorney General (July 2015 to September 2016).
- Provided advice and counsel to the Deputy Attorney General of the United States on a range of legal, policy, and programming matters of national significance, including criminal justice reform, corrections, prisoner reentry, alternatives to incarceration, and Indian country
- Associate Deputy Attorney General (October 2016 to January 2017) & Executive Director of the Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force (August 2016 to January 2017).
- Litigation Associate, Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough (2006-2008)
- Corporate Restructuring Associate, New York office of international law firm (2004-2005)
Education
-
Harvard Law School,
JD
(2004)
- Co-Managing Editor, Harvard BlackLetter Law Journal
- Treasurer and Spring Conference committee co-chair of the Harvard Black Law Students Association
- Harvard Business School, Master of Business Administration (2004)
- Emory University, BBA, cum laude (1999)
Admissions
- Georgia
- New York
Clerkships
- Judicial Law Clerk, The Honorable Sterling Johnson Jr., U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York (2005 - 2006)
Practice Areas
- White Collar Defense & Government Investigations
- Litigation
- Commercial Litigation & Business Torts
- Healthcare
- Banking & Financial Services
Industries
- Georgia’s Most Powerful and Influential Women by Women Looking Ahead Magazine (2018)
- Women Worth Watching Leadership Award, Profiles in Diversity Journal (2018)
- Community Service Award, Atlanta Bar Association (2014)
- Excellence in Appellate Advocacy, United States Attorney’s Office Award (2013)
- Georgia Lawyers On the Rise, Daily Report (2012)
- Atlanta Bar Association
- Board of Directors, Lawyer Referral and Information Service (2019 to present)
- Board of Directors (2014-2015)
- Law Week (2013-2015)
- Committee Co-Chair, Summer Law Internship Program (2007-present)
- American Law Institute
- Member (2018 to present)
- Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys
- Foundation Board of Directors (2017-present)
- Inter-Bar Relations (2010-2011)
- Legal Education (2009-2010)
- Board of Directors & Committee Co-Chair, Political Action (2008-2009)
- State Bar of Georgia
- Committee on Professionalism, Member (2013-2015)
- Gate City Bar Association
- Board of Directors, Secretary (2015)
- Board of Directors, Secretary (2015)
- Master, Bleckley Inn of Court (2018-2020)
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