200 E. Robinson St., Ste. 1150, Orlando, FL 32801 | 407-203-3730 | www.daneckhartlaw.com
Criminal Defense
If the FBI shows up at your front door, you might want to consider giving Dan a call before you answer any questions. Dan is not only a former federal prosecutor but is a former federal agent with extensive criminal defense, civil, asset forfeiture, and compliance experience. He has successfully represented lawyers, doctors, politicians, police officers, Division I coaches, churches, pharmacists, medical facilities, bankers, and small business owners. His clients have been accused of drug offenses, telemarketing and time share fraud, bribery of foreign government officials, regulatory violations, lottery fraud, health care fraud, money laundering, currency smuggling, firearms offenses, NCAA violations, obstruction of justice, attempted murder, sex crimes, and procurement and investment fraud. Dan has defended criminal allegations made in the Middle District of Florida, Southern District of Georgia, Northern District of Illinois, District of the Virgin Islands, Western District of Michigan, Eastern District of Michigan, Southern District of Texas, District of Columbia, the District of Maryland and by various Florida State Attorney’s Offices. This summer he traveled to Vienna, Austria, to negotiate on behalf a of a foreign client wanted by the United States, Italy and the United Kingdom.
After graduating from Michigan State University, Dan started his career in San Francisco as a Special Agent with the United States Customs Service. In the 1980’s “Miami Vice” era Dan investigated money laundering and drug smuggling cases. In 1990, Dan left Customs to attended Memphis State Law School. After graduating from law school, Dan was hired through the United States Department of Justice’s Honors Program as an Assistant Regional Counsel for the Federal Bureau of Prisons in Kansas City. He handled matters involving high-profile inmates including Christopher Boyce (Falcon and the Snowman), Omar Abdel-Rahman (World Trade Center Bombing), Leonard Peltier (Killing of FBI agent at Pine Ridge Indian Reservation), Ted Kaczynski (the Unabomber), Jonathan Pollard (Israeli spy), Tim McVeigh (Oklahoma City Bombing), and John Gotti (Gambino Crime Family). Dan investigated staff misconduct and various security threat groups including the Aryan Brotherhood and the Mexican Mafia. Dan was promoted to Senior Litigation Counsel and assigned to the Coleman Federal Correctional Complex in Central Florida. One of Dan’s cases, Lopez vs. Davis, was heard by the United States Supreme Court. Dan was sworn in by Chief Justice William Rehnquist and provided litigation assistance to the DOJ Office of Solicitor General for the Lopez case.
From 2002 to 2013 Dan was an Assistant United States Attorney (federal prosecutor) in the Middle District of Florida, Orlando Division. Dan worked in the civil, asset forfeiture and criminal divisions during his tenure in the office. Dan’s forfeiture and money-laundering knowledge helped him successfully assist with the prosecution of Orlando fraudster Lou Pearlman and scores of others. He traveled to Brazil, Mexico, Panama, Ireland and the Netherlands to work with foreign prosecutors and agents on cases. He also handled and tried complex white collar matters including bank fraud, mortgage fraud, money laundering, tax fraud, FOREX trading, healthcare fraud, bankruptcy fraud and Ponzi/investment schemes. Dan is licensed to practice law in Florida, Missouri, and Kansas and is willing to take federal criminal cases anywhere in the United States. He is admitted to the Northern, Middle, and Southern Districts of Florida, and the Eastern and Western Districts of Michigan. Dan also owns Global Asset Allies, which is dedicated to helping victims of domestic and foreign fraud maximize their recovery by collaborating with federal prosecutors and law enforcement. He was recently selected as one of the Top 100 Trial Lawyers by the National Trial Lawyers Association and is frequently asked to speak about fraud, crypto-currency, white-collar crime and money laundering.