“I FaceTime’d with NiaLena on a weekly basis and emailed almost everyday.”
Federal Criminal Client
“And believe me when I say the impossible can become possible by hiring NiaLena.”
Federal White Collar Criminal Client
- Successfully represented the owner of a national healthcare company based in Philadelphia during a lengthy internal corporate investigation within a major financial institution as well as a federal criminal investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) spanning three jurisdictions (Southern District of New York, District of New Jersey, and Eastern District of Pennsylvania) concerning allegations of white collar crime, including economic fraud, bribery, income tax fraud, and money laundering and prevented any charges from being filed against him whatsoever in any jurisdiction.
- Successfully represented a commercial broker in the United States District Court in a federal criminal white collar crime case and massive mail and wire fraud conspiracy in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania involving thousands of victims and many millions of dollars in loss that was described on a CNBC primetime special as "one of the largest known advance fee schemes in U.S. history." Following two years of meticulous analysis not only of the federal criminal case but especially of the young client's psychological turmoil and compelling life circumstances that played a critical role in how and why he became involved in and committed the offenses, coupled with strategic and relentless advocacy, the young man was able to avoid losing his life and career to the prison system and has embarked upon a new path after making everyone proud by turning his life around.
- As this young man's mother expressed in an email at the conclusion of the case, "I want to thank you SO MUCH for all of your deep compassion that you had in [my son's] case as well as still continue to have for him and his future. I know for certain that there would of been a very different outcome had we chosen different counsel. No one else would of put the time, effort and emotion into [my son] to get him where he needed to be and all of your very insightful decisions on this journey. I thank you from the bottom of my heart and I will be eternally grateful to you for all that you have done and how you have shaped his life in a very different direction."
- The client's full review on Avvo.com entitled "My Moral Compass" is highlighted on the Quotes by Others page on this website.
- Successfully represented a businesswoman in the United States District Court in a federal criminal white collar crime case involving a massive loan and wire fraud conspiracy in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania involving several millions of dollars in loss to numerous lending institutions. Through critical efforts early on, NiaLena succeeded in reducing by half the loss amount with which her client was charged. During the next two years of very intense representation, NiaLena persistently and relentlessly struggled and eventually succeeded in breaking through her client's denial in an effort to force her to acknowledge her very serious problems as well as her very painful life circumstances which resulted in her crimes in this case. NiaLena then proceeded to meticulously and strategically craft an extremely comprehensive and unique argument in an effort to save her client from spending 15 years in prison and, in the end, managed to secure a sentence of slightly over one year for her client.
- As reflected on the full review on Avvo.com entitled "NiaLena Is Awesome," her client shares that “NiaLena admonished me in every way so that I would listen and she could then provide me with the best possible defense. No other lawyer would have provided me with the tough love that I needed… NiaLena’s love shined through on the 60+ page Sentencing Memo that she prepared. The Judge even complimented her on her work. It was absolutely TREMENDOUS! By God's grace, my sentence was dramatically reduced to just over one year. Much of that is due to the skill of my attorney NiaLena. She works by Love. Listen to her Counsel!”
- Successfully represented a client in a high-profile white collar case that received nationwide media attention in New York Sports and NBC Bay Area, wherein the client was charged federally in the United States District Court with using the U.S. mail to send threatening communications to the head coach of an NFL team. Following an aggressive exploration of “diminished capacity,” succeeded in winning a variance from the prison term recommended by the federal sentencing guidelines and obtaining a probationary sentence for the client.
- Successfully represented a business consultant in the United States District Court in a federal criminal white collar crime case and mail fraud conspiracy in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania involving hundreds of thousands of dollars in loss to an international corporation. During more than two years of very intense representation, NiaLena employed meticulous and strategic analysis not only of the federal criminal case but also of the client's mental health challenges and compelling life difficulties that occurred in his country of origin while he was growing up as well as after he emigrated to the United States and that have haunted him to this day, thereby playing a critical role in how and why he became involved in and committed the offenses. This analysis, coupled with the use of experts and relentless advocacy, resulted in a victorious outcome in which the client was able to avoid losing his life and career to the prison system and embark upon a new path in life.
- As the client's wife expressed in an email following the case, "It has been about 5 months since coming home with my husband from the courthouse. I have thought about you nearly every day since and I want to take this opportunity to thank you for working so hard and for putting so much of yourself into my husband's case; Thus, impacting the judge's decision in our favor. You are an incredible humanitarian, a smart, dedicated and an extremely hard worker. I want to thank you but I also want to thank your parents for instilling in you the values of hard work, dedication, and caring. You were tough when it was necessary and gentle when it was needed. You do your job very well and more importantly you extend yourself beyond what is required of your job, and that is why I am thankful that we met you during our crisis. What you did for us, we will never be able to repay but I will always remember you as an example; and, if I were to be so lucky as to have one of my daughters be anything like you - I would be very proud. As you like to say and I agree, it was definitely a "Divine Intervention" in our case. May God continue to intervene in your life with divine interventions wherever you are, and may you forever be blessed with the knowledge and understanding that is required to defend those who need you the most. I am hopeful that we will keep in touch for a long time to come. Thank you for going above and beyond. We will be forever grateful to you. Thank you for believing in us and thank you for all that you do."
- As reflected on the full review on Avvo.com entitled "More Than A Defense Attorney – A Friend & Fierce Advocate Of Her Clients," the client shares that "She Is Above The Rest!" “She realistically sets her defense on the factual basis of the case; she provides honest advice to her clients that may not be music to the ears of many, but at the conclusion of their cases, the honest advice is much appreciated." "I was able to survive because God opened many doors for me by placing NiaLena in my life." "Thank you so very much NiaLena for being a fierce advocate for the 'little guys' and a super counsel for everyone you come in contact with.”
- Following intense analysis, successfully advised business owners who had come under scrutiny by the federal government for alleged improprieties relating to the Payroll Protection Plan (PPP) loans granted to their multiple businesses and prevented federal white collar fraud charges from being brought against them.
- Successfully represented a client under investigation by the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) and charged with Transmitting Counterfeit Money Orders through the U.S. Mail. During a lengthy investigation spanning a course of five years that included extensive medical and psychiatric testing, NiaLena was able to successfully develop medical evidence showing that the client had previously suffered a stroke that had likely impacted her cognitive abilities and judgment to a degree that it affected her actions which resulted in criminal activity. NiaLena further analyzed and uncovered the client's very troubled past and prior suicide attempts and worked closely with the client in getting treatment and stabilizing the mental health issues. In the end, the judge hearing the case was very moved by the extraordinarily unique circumstances that had come into play and that resulted in the unfortunate commission of the crime as well as the client's extraordinary efforts in rehabilitation and ultimately was convinced not to impose any prison term for the client.
- Successfully represented the majority shareholder of a multi-million dollar company doing business in multiple states that came under federal criminal investigation in the Washington D.C. Metro area for fraud relating to bidding for government contracts. During the grueling and multi-year white collar criminal investigation, NiaLena was able to uncover the painful dynamics in the client's upbringing and marital past that came together in the perfect storm and resulted not only in the offenses charged but also in the severe and debilitating trauma that the client was continuing to experience to this day. Recognizing that the client would likely not survive a prison sentence especially during the COVID-19 pandemic due to advanced age and multiple serious medical issues, NiaLena embarked upon a pathway of tireless and seemingly endless endeavors for 4 ½ years to prepare the elderly and frail client for court proceedings and testimony and to dissect every nuance of the case together with a forensic psychological expert in order to develop unique and persuasive arguments to try and keep the client out of prison. In the end, the creative and relentless advocacy and sheer tireless persistence on an almost daily basis for years resulted in such a victorious outcome that not only was the client saved from a prison sentence but also the client received the minimum amount of probation allowed by the law without even any supervision and can now look forward to enjoying the "golden years" of life in freedom.
- As reflected on the full review on Avvo.com entitled "A Light at the End of the Tunnel," the client shares that "when I initially consulted NiaLena 4 ½ years ago, I felt alone and overcome with anxiety and fear from my legal situation with the federal government and saw only darkness in my future. From our first meeting, however, I knew NiaLena was the only criminal defense attorney who had the desire and passion to walk with me through the complicated process of a white collar crime and ... she became committed to me on a personal level" and "was always available, patient and supportive every step of the way," although she "never minimized my offense but was always upfront and honest with me even when her comments were painful to hear." The "outcome of my case was not only better than I had hoped, but also was principally credited to her outstanding skill in and out of the courtroom." "NiaLena was my salvation; she was my light at the end of the tunnel" and I am "a free woman who received no prison sentence." "One of the things that impressed me the most about her was the sheer and unrelenting passion and determination to help me and the endless amount of time that she devoted to me for years. No other lawyer would do that unless they were billing hourly, which she was not. She was just driven by a sincere desire to save my life and to make it better. And she did."
- Frequent guest speaker for many years on white collar crime as well as ethics in Leadership programs of the Management Department at her alma mater, The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
- Examples of various issues discussed include the changing perception by the courts and society of white collar crime versus violent crime, the motivation of money, ethical dilemmas, defining oneself as a corporate executive, Sarbanes-Oxley Act, evidentiary issues, the 5th Amendment privilege, and federal sentencing issues.
- Examples of various cases discussed include United States v. Michael Milken, Enron (United States v. Kenneth L. Lay and Jeffrey K. Skilling), United States v. Martha Stewart, United States v. Bernard L. Madoff, and United States v. Vincent J. Fumo.
- NiaLena has consistently received “Excellent” ratings from the students, along with very positive feedback such as:
- NiaLena Caravasos was invited on multiple occasions back to her alma mater, The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, to serve as Legal Advisor to MBA students regarding the pros and cons of their case study in which an Investor is suing a Brokerage Firm and Broker for the alleged improper management of the Investor’s multi-million dollar portfolio.
- Representing both the Brokerage Firm and the Broker on different occasions, NiaLena assessed the merits of the securities lawsuit against both her Brokerage Firm team and, alternatively, her Broker team by the Investor as well as the divergent interests between the Broker and the Brokerage Firm and provided strategic advice to the Wharton MBA students regarding their best options in conducting a settlement negotiation and trying to secure the most favorable outcome for the Brokerage Firm and, alternatively, the Broker in addition to weighing the implications regarding the alternative of proceeding to arbitration.
- While working with the MBA students in analyzing all points of contention, NiaLena focused not only on legal strategy in order to help the Brokerage Firm and, alternatively, the Broker prevail but also on how to best deal with the numerous ethical issues and issues of professional responsibility and transparency in the securities industry.