Ryan Patrick
Biography
Ryan Patrick is a partner in Haynes Boone’s Houston office in the White Collar and Government Investigations Practice. Ryan is an experienced investigator, judge and trial lawyer who has handled or supervised nearly every type of criminal and civil enforcement matter. There are few lawyers with Ryan’s extensive experience.
Ryan’s experience comes from nearly 20 years in the courtroom, first as a state prosecutor, then as a Texas district court judge, and finally as the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Texas, serving from 2018 to 2021. As US Attorney he oversaw one of the largest DOJ offices and the busiest criminal and appellate docket in the country.
Ryan has handled a broad array of white-collar and traditional criminal cases as a state and federal prosecutor, including False Claims Act, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and money laundering investigations involving foreign actors, public officials and corporate defendants in the banking, biotech, energy, healthcare, and space industries. During his time as an assistant district attorney, Ryan was a specially trained prosecutor in the vehicular crimes section, where drunk driving fatalities are prosecuted, and he finished his career at the district attorney’s office assigned to the Special Crimes/Major Offenders section. Here he handled investigations into the most complex and dangerous criminal organizations along with other exceptional cases. One of Ryan’s final trials as state prosecutor was securing a life sentence in a 30-year-old cold case murder and the successful prosecution of a man who spray painted a Picasso.
Along with a robust federal practice, Ryan maintains a criminal state court practice representing individuals and companies investigated or charged under Texas criminal statutes. Ryan is the go-to source at Haynes Boone for Texas criminal matters – from corporations facing environmental investigations to individual clients under arrest or investigation of any number of crimes.
Ryan’s extensive experience in the courtroom is evidenced in more than 50 first and solo chair jury trials and has presented oral arguments before the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals. As a judge Ryan presided over more than 100 jury trials in four and a half years on the bench.
Having earned his private pilot’s license in 2007, Ryan’s knowledge and passion in aviation has helped him advise clients involved in FAA investigations and having been a state elected official, Ryan’s knowledge of the Texas Ethics Code has benefited corporate clients navigating state campaign finance laws.
Ryan Patrick is a partner in Haynes Boone’s Houston office in the White Collar and Government Investigations Practice. Ryan is an experienced investigator, judge and trial lawyer who has handled or supervised nearly every type of criminal and civil enforcement matter. There are few lawyers with Ryan’s extensive experience.
Ryan’s experience comes from nearly 20 years in the courtroom, first as a state prosecutor, then as a Texas district court judge, and finally as the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Texas, serving from 2018 to 2021. As US Attorney he oversaw one of the largest DOJ offices and the busiest criminal and appellate docket in the country.
Ryan has handled a broad array of white-collar and traditional criminal cases as a state and federal prosecutor, including False Claims Act, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and money laundering investigations involving foreign actors, public officials and corporate defendants in the banking, biotech, energy, healthcare, and space industries. During his time as an assistant district attorney, Ryan was a specially trained prosecutor in the vehicular crimes section, where drunk driving fatalities are prosecuted, and he finished his career at the district attorney’s office assigned to the Special Crimes/Major Offenders section. Here he handled investigations into the most complex and dangerous criminal organizations along with other exceptional cases. One of Ryan’s final trials as state prosecutor was securing a life sentence in a 30-year-old cold case murder and the successful prosecution of a man who spray painted a Picasso.
Along with a robust federal practice, Ryan maintains a criminal state court practice representing individuals and companies investigated or charged under Texas criminal statutes. Ryan is the go-to source at Haynes Boone for Texas criminal matters – from corporations facing environmental investigations to individual clients under arrest or investigation of any number of crimes.
Ryan’s extensive experience in the courtroom is evidenced in more than 50 first and solo chair jury trials and has presented oral arguments before the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals. As a judge Ryan presided over more than 100 jury trials in four and a half years on the bench.
Having earned his private pilot’s license in 2007, Ryan’s knowledge and passion in aviation has helped him advise clients involved in FAA investigations and having been a state elected official, Ryan’s knowledge of the Texas Ethics Code has benefited corporate clients navigating state campaign finance laws.
- Represents Dr. Eithan Haim who is under indictment for alleged federal felony HIPAA violations.
- Represents a precious metals company ensnarled in a Russian money laundering investigation.
- Represents multiple companies responding to Texas Attorney General DTPA allegations.
- Represents a logistics and delivery company under grand jury investigation by the Texas Department of Insurance.
- Has handled various internal investigations on behalf of multiple Fortune 100 companies.
- Represents an investor fund who is a potential victim of a larger federal fraud investigation.
- Represents an individual charged with tampering with evidence in a murder case.
- Currently serves as the outside ethics advisor for a Maltese-based port husbanding company.
- Represents a private equity fund’s multi-family housing investments currently under investigation by Houston and Harris County for health and safety code violations.
- Represents a multimillion-dollar family business in probate proceedings facing potential IRS criminal charges.
- Represents one of the largest defense contractors in a FCA investigation over a fixed fee contract.
- Represents a doctor and clinic facing trial on criminal charges related to Medicare and Medicaid billing.
- Represents a doctor under investigation for insurance fraud.
- Represented an executive’s daughter before a grand jury investigation for vehicular assault with no charges filed.
- Represented an individual in a felony motorcycle theft allegation with the case dismissed the night before trial.
- Represented an individual and his closely held companies under a civil FIRREA investigation.
- Represented an elder care home during a Texas HHS whistleblower criminal investigation with no charges filed.
- Represented the NFL’s interests during a high-profile criminal investigation.
- Represented multiple clients in “wet lease/dry lease” FAA investigations.
- Counseled high-end jewelry client on Anti-Money Laundering and Bank Secrecy Act issues in the United States.
- Represented a private equity firm regarding their due diligence into a farm under a Department of Agriculture OIG crop insurance fraud investigation.
- Represented two private schools and their owners in a Small Business Administration OIG criminal investigation regarding the alleged misuse of over $2,000,000 in PPP loans. Case closed without charges.
- Represented one of the largest private vaping companies anti-counterfeit investigations on behalf of a nationwide vaping device company leading to the seizure of more than 100,000 counterfeit products with federal and state court orders along with criminal prosecution referrals for the sellers and wholesalers of the counterfeit devices.
- Lead the investigation into the spray painting and defacing of a Picasso.
- Lead the federal investigation into the Santa Fe High School shooting.
- Prosecuted the owner and operator of India-based call centers sentenced for scamming U.S. victims out of millions.
- Prosecuted a Chinese energy company, U.S. oil & gas affiliate and Chinese national indicted for theft of trade secrets.
- Prosecuted a Texas professor and NASA researcher arrested on charges related to China’s Talents Program.
- Prosecuted a former Venezuelan official charged in connection with international bribery and money laundering scheme.
- Prosecuted Ukrainian men who plead guilty to conspiracy and trafficking counterfeit cancer and hepatitis drugs.
- Prosecuted a Texas doctor convicted in $325 million health care fraud scheme.
- Lead in the investigation into multiple doctors, physician assistants, pharmacists and pharmacies who were operating “pill mills” and illegal pain clinics.
*Some of these cases were handled prior to joining Haynes and Boone.
- U.S. Attorney, Southern District of Texas, 2018-2021
- Judge, 177th District Court, 2012-2016
- Assistant District Attorney (Harris County), 2006-2012
- “Financial Manipulation – Revising Public Disclosures”, panel member, Crisis Management Academy, February 29, 2024
- “The Nuances of In-Person vs. Remote Interviews: Key Differences and Approaches to Conducting an Effective Interview,” speaker, ACI 2024 Houston Foreign Corrupt Practices Act Conference, January 25, 2024.
- “Meet the Texas US Attorneys”, moderator, UT Law Government Enforcement Institute, October 28, 2023.
- FCPA Compliance Report Podcast, Guest, episode 652, “Ryan Patrick on the Role of a US Attorney Under the Monaco Memo,” April 2, 2023. Listen on Apple Podcast or Spotify.
- “Understanding the Whistleblower Improvement Act”, panel member, hosted by Kreller Group, March 27, 2023.
- “Managing the Crisis,” speaker, Houston Association of Corporate Counsel, March 22, 2023.
- SDTX Chapter of Federal Bar Association, Federal Agency Practice, speaker, November 17, 2022.
- "What To Do When Things Go Boom: Lawyer Crisis Management," speaker, Houston Bar Association, April 22, 2022.
- "The Art of the Interview: Behavioral Science and Real-Life Takeaways for Interviewing Employees, Whistleblowers and Third Parties," speaker, ACI 2022 Houston Foreign Corrupt Practices Act Conference, January 27, 2022.
- Fraud Fighter Podcast, Guest, 041 - United States Attorney - Ryan Patrick, November 29, 2021. Listen on Apple Podcast or Spotify.
- Houston Area Police Chiefs Meeting, guest speaker, August 24, 2021.
Education
J.D., South Texas College of Law Houston, 2006, The Order of Barristers
B.B.A., Baylor University, 2001, Sigma Iota Epsilon
Admissions
Texas
Court Admissions
U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas
U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas
