Theresa Van Vliet
Theresa Van Vliet concentrates her practice in white collar litigation and civil and compliance matters including international fraud and money laundering, Ponzi schemes, health care, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and general fraud offenses; USA Patriot Act of 2001 and Bank Secrecy Act and negotiations with federal law enforcement entities.
She has extensive trial experience in both the prosecution and defense of white collar and complex litigation. She successfully defended a business owner charged with several federal felonies who pleaded guilty to the commission of a single misdemeanor resulting in a fine and no period of incarceration. During her tenure with the U.S. Department of Justice, she served as the Chief of Narcotics and Senior Litigation Counsel, where she successfully tried more than 40 federal jury trials including a 14-month Racketeering Influenced Corrupt Organization (RICO) trial that resulted in convictions for all defendants. While serving as Chief of Narcotics, she oversaw national and international drug and drug money laundering policy, investigations and prosecutions, and dealt with national security classified information. She also served as a federal prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida.
Van Vliet was recognized for her outstanding performance by Attorney General Janet Reno and selected to assist on a special project involving terrorism. Additionally, she spearheaded an international investigation and prosecution of the highest echelons of Colombian-based money launderers and drug traffickers and received the Distinguished Service Medal for her work from the government of Colombia. She received the Attorney General's Award for Distinguished Service and the Drug Enforcement Administrator's Award for Exceptional Service.
Van Vliet is an active member of the American Bar Association and has been appointed to the ABA Business Law Section Committee on Corporate Compliance, Subcommittee on Compliance Investigations, Subcommittee on Document Retention and E-policies. She also is a Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America, where she is a member of the Thomas A. Mesereau Cup Selection Committee, The Trial Law Institute, and the Diversity Law Institute. She is a frequent lecturer on anti-money laundering compliance matters and has published an analysis of the USA Patriot Act of 2001 and its anti-money laundering provisions. She has also published updates to "Moore's Federal Practice" on matters involving charging documents in criminal cases and asset forfeitures.
Van Vliet is a member of The Florida Bar and is admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, the U.S. District Court for the Southern, Middle and Northern Districts of Florida, and the U.S. Bankruptcy Courts for the Districts of Delaware and Southern District of Florida. She received her juris doctor, magna cum laude, from Nova Southeastern University Law School in 1982 and her bachelor of arts from Trinity College.
- "Best Lawyers" Best Lawyers in America
- "Top Lawyer" South Florida Legal Guide
Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33301
