Rither Alabre

Rither Alabre
Partner
White Collar Defense & Investigations

Biography

Rither Alabre, a former prosecutor and federal law clerk, concentrates his practice in the areas of white collar defense and investigations and complex commercial and corporate litigation, handling high-profile cases throughout the country.

Rither represents public and private companies and company executives in a wide variety of matters, such as:

  • Criminal prosecutions and grand jury investigations by federal and state prosecutors involving securities fraud, antitrust, public corruption, bribery, government contracts, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, tax, money laundering, and bank fraud;
  • Corporate internal investigations; and
  • SEC and other federal regulatory proceedings.

Rither also represents victims of crimes, including victims of financial crimes and extortion, by advocating for their interests before federal and state prosecutors.

Rither has extensive appellate experience and has briefed and argued over 50 cases in federal and state courts, including the New York Court of Appeals, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, and the United States District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York.

Prior to joining Blank Rome, Rither served as a law clerk to federal Judge Kenneth M. Hoyt of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas (Houston Division). Rither also served as a prosecutor in New York City for eight years.

Rither is fluent in French and Creole, and is proficient in Spanish.

Outside the Firm

Rither enjoys tennis, soccer, reading, biking, and spending time with his family.

Experience

  • Represented multibillion-dollar public company and government contractor in False Claims Act and criminal fraud investigation by New York authorities involving allegations of fraud against the state.
  • Advised major real estate company in connection with its $1.2 billion acquisition of assets subject to criminal and civil forfeiture. 
  • Represented major accounting and business management firm in investigation of $10 million embezzlement from celebrity client and related civil litigation.
  • Represented major construction company in criminal investigation alleging enterprise corruption, fraud, bribery, and antitrust violations.
  • Various representations of major construction companies and their executives in federal and state criminal investigations involving minority business and disadvantaged business enterprises programs.
  • Represented former CEO of public company in criminal investigation by the Kingdom of Spain involving allegations of multibillion-dollar Ponzi scheme, reported to be the largest in Spain’s history, and parallel extradition proceedings in the United States.
  • Represented former CEO of public company in $60 million federal securities fraud prosecution, and parallel SEC proceedings.
  • Represented New York politician in prosecution by New York federal prosecutors involving allegations of illegal campaign contributions and obstruction of justice.
  • Represented individual in federal and state investigations alleging multimillion-dollar offshore Internet gambling operation.
  • Represented pharmacy and its owner in criminal multimillion-dollar tax investigation.
  • Representation of medical supply company and its owners in Medicare and Medicaid fraud investigation by the New York State Attorney General’s Office.  
  • Represented the Estate of Michael Jackson in copyright infringement case in the Southern District of New York.
  • Represented U.S. subsidiary of one of the world’s largest energy companies in multimillion-dollar breach of contract trial against New York municipality.
  • Represented biomedical research company in claims for corporate theft, theft of intellectual property, fraud, and patent infringement.
  • Represented victim companies and individuals affected by the failure of Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC.
  • Representation of trader in federal criminal investigation involving allegations of market manipulation, and parallel SEC investigation. 
  • Representation of bank as one of the victims in billion-dollar Ponzi scheme. 
  • Representation of various individuals, including celebrities, as victims of extortion attempts and other financial crimes. 

News & Views

See all News and Views

Recognitions

  • “Pro Bono Award,” by Blank Rome LLP

Affiliations

Memberships

  • District Attorneys Association of the State of New York
  • New York State Bar Association
  • The Guild of Catholic Lawyers
Professional Activities

Rither is a trustee of his church and also serves on the church’s Parish Council. Rither is also actively involved in pro bono service and has been recognized repeatedly by the firm for his service. Rither’s pro bono matters include:

  • A unanimous appellate reversal of an unfavorable trial court decision on behalf of a client
  • Dismissal of all charges against a minor in a criminal prosecution

In 2020, Rither was selected by Blank Rome to be the firm’s 2020 fellow to the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity, an organization of more than 320 corporate chief legal officers and law firm managing partners, created to identify, train, and advance the next generation of leaders in the legal profession. 

Credentials

Admissions

  • New York
  • U.S. District Court - Eastern District of New York
  • U.S. District Court - Southern District of New York
  • U.S. District Court - Southern District of Texas
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit

Education

  • St. John's University, BA, summa cum laude
  • Hofstra University School of Law, JD
Languages
  • Creole
  • French
  • Spanish

A description of the standard or methodology on which the accolades are based can be found here.

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