Bio Details

Richard started his career in public service as a prosecutor and tried approximately 40 criminal cases to verdict by the age of 30. From 1992 until 2019, he represented national and regional banks, broker dealers and investment advisers and counseled them with respect to their legal and regulatory obligations. He helped coordinate the defense of some of the largest securities claims in the country, including cases related to the fallout from the 2000 and 2008 market crashes and Puerto Rico’s debt repricing in 2013.

In 2019, he re-entered public service when he joined the New Jersey Bureau of Securities as its Enforcement Chief. Enforcement handled investigations and made recommendations about actions related to securities law violations, whether by registered or unregistered persons. He acted as the lead interrogator in some of the country’s largest fraud investigations and worked with counterparts at the SEC, FINRA and other agencies to investigate and prosecute fraud impacting the securities markets.

Richard returned to the private sector in 2023 and is now a litigation shareholder with the law firm Stevens & Lee. His focus remains on securities-related work. He also co-leads Stevens & Lee’s Senior Investor Compliance Services Team, which provides training and guidance to help firms protect their investor clients from bad actor exploitation and scams.

Richard served for decades on the Board of the Vermont Rail System, a family-owned, short line rail freight operation. Over the years, he has performed board and advisory work for non-profit organizations, and he frequently lectures about his work experience, the financial markets and industry issues at events sponsored by the SEC, FINRA, SIFMA, and the National Society of Compliance Professionals.