Former United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, Carole Rendon possesses a wealth of experience in a range of matters, including criminal prosecution, internal investigations, private defense and civil litigation. As the first woman to serve as the First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, and later as the United States Attorney, Carole both supervised and personally handled high-profile, crisis-level litigation, much of which involved intense public and media scrutiny. As the chief federal law enforcement officer, Carole enforced a wide range of criminal and civil statutes, including False Claims Act litigation and the prosecution of public corruption, civil rights, consumer fraud and violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). She also oversaw and personally handled high-profile civil litigation, including as lead counsel on the Consent Decree providing comprehensive reform for the Cleveland Division of Police. A passionate advocate for the community, Carole helped establish the Northeast Ohio Business Ethics Coalition, the U.S. Attorney’s Heroin and Opioid Task Force, and the Northeast Ohio Cyber Security Consortium.
Carole has significant experience managing crisis-level internal investigations and commercial, regulatory and criminal matters, with a particular depth of knowledge regarding the False Claims Act, FCPA, the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), and monitorships, as well as advising clients on structuring compliance programs to help avoid such problems. Previously, Carole served for a decade as a federal prosecutor in the Organized Crime Strike Force and as Chief of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Boston, Massachusetts, and for more than a decade as a litigator in private practice. She has represented companies and individuals in high-stakes criminal, civil, internal and congressional investigations.
Carole serves as a member of BakerHostetler’s Policy Committee, the firm’s national board of directors.
In her 30-year career, Carole has been involved in nearly every type of criminal, civil and regulatory investigation, in many circumstances with experience serving as counsel on different sides. Representative matters and areas of experience include:
Criminal Litigation and False Claims Act
- Representing a manufacturer in connection with an ongoing EPA investigation being conducted by two U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the DOJ Environment and Natural Resources Division.
Internal Investigations
- Retained by the City of Beachwood to conduct an investigation regarding alleged sexual misconduct by the city’s mayor.
Commercial Litigation
- Representing a national pharmaceutical company in the opioid MDL and related litigation in multiple jurisdictions. Serve as liaison counsel for all manufacturing defendants in the opioid MDL.