Ober|Kaler announced today that Gina L. Simms has joined the firm’s Government Investigations and White Collar Defense Group as a principal in the Washington, DC office.

A former Assistant US Attorney, Ms. Simms has over seventeen years of experience in complex white collar and other criminal matters, including health care fraud, financial fraud, tax fraud, government contract fraud, corporate fraud and environmental enforcement.

Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Simms served as an Assistant US Attorney in the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland. While there, she was a Criminal Health Care Fraud Coordinator who screened health care fraud cases and supervised all aspects of investigations. Ms. Simms also served as an Assistant US Attorney in the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia for four years. During her tenure as a government attorney, Ms. Simms was an Associate Independent Counsel as part of the team investigating a former Secretary of Labor for campaign finance-related violations. In addition to her litigation experience, Ms. Simms recently served as an Investigative Counsel at the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Regulation and Enforcement. As a member of the Investigations and Review Unit, she pursued allegations of wrongdoing by oil and gas companies engaged in offshore oil production.

Ms. Simms is a member of several bar associations, including the American Bar Association and Washington Bar Association. She serves on the Advisory Board of First Book-Montgomery County and is a member of Corporate Counsel Women of Color.