We are here to serve you.
We have enjoyed helping individuals and businesses through a variety of legal problems over the years. Let us know if we can help you.
Education
- JD, University of South Carolina School of Law (cum laude, Order of the Coif; Order of the Wig and Robe, South Carolina Law Review)
- BA, The Citadel (summa cum laude, Second Honor Graduate)
Bar Admissions
- South Carolina
- U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
Matt Hubbell is a former federal prosecutor with decades of experience advising and defending clients in white collar criminal defense and False Claims Act/Qui Tam cases. Matt began his legal career in 1991 as an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of South Carolina, where he prosecuted complex white collar and other high-profile cases.
In private practice, he brings global law firm experience to a local practice with deep ties to the legal community in South Carolina. Matt has represented many health care providers, defense contractors, and numerous CEOs and other executives in complex white collar and False Claims Act/Qui Tam matters. He has extensive experience in internal investigations, federal grand jury investigations, State grand jury investigations, parallel criminal and civil proceedings, and trials.
Matt handles matters involving government program fraud, including the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and other Covid relief programs, health care, defense contracting and set-aside programs, environmental enforcement, tax, bank fraud, public corruption, securities, customs, and forfeiture.
Matt is often called upon by corporate counsel to represent individual executives and employees. He has years of experience working in joint defense/common interest groups and serving as local counsel for national and international law firms. He has represented clients in many if not most of the significant and high profile white collar and False Claims Act matters in South Carolina over the last 20+ years.
As an Assistant United States Attorney for nearly 10 years, Matt gained recognition for prosecuting numerous complex white collar crimes involving health care fraud, false claims, environmental crime, securities fraud, computer crimes, wire and mail fraud, tax and money laundering offenses, and public corruption. Among his more high-profile cases were his prosecutions of the first federal criminal health fraud case tried in the District of South Carolina, a shipping company in the largest federal oil spill case in South Carolina, and a state judge for fraud and attempted murder for hire.
In private practice, Matt has achieved the best possible result for numerous clients: a non-public “declination” where he persuaded the government to silently close the matter without any prosecution. In the courtroom, Matt won a not guilty verdict for his client in a lengthy federal antitrust trial in Charlotte, N.C, and a not guilty verdict for his client in a significant federal Clean Water Act case tried in Charleston, S.C.
Matt is honored and humbled by the recognitions and responsibilities the legal community has granted him. Among other distinctions, Matt has served as the President of the Federal Bar Association (S.C. Chapter), the Chair of the Judicial Merit Selection Panel appointed by the Chief United States District Judge in the District of South Carolina, and the Chair of the South Carolina Bar Health Care Section. For many years he has been awarded the highest AV Martindale Hubbell peer rating and has multiple consecutive recognitions by Super Lawyers.
Matt is also well known in South Carolina as a prolific speaker and writer on legal issues related to white collar criminal and False Claims Act/Qui Tam matters.
EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND:
- BA, The Citadel (summa cum laude, Second Honor – Graduate, Battalion
Commander), 1988. - Juris Doctor, University of South Carolina School of Law. Graduated cum
laude; Member of Order of the Coif, Order of the Wig and Robe, South
Carolina Law Review, 1991.
ACHIEVEMENTS AND PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES:
- Board Member, Federal Bar Association, South Carolina Chapter (2021-
2024) - Martindale-Hubbell AV Peer Review Rated Lawyer
- Multiple Selections for South Carolina Super Lawyers®
- Legal Elite Recognition, Charleston Business Magazine, Columbia Business
Monthly, and Greenville Business Magazine (2022 – 2024) - Section Delegate, Health Care Law Section, S.C. Bar House of Delegates
(2019) - Chair, South Carolina Bar Health Care Law Section (2017-2018)
- President, Federal Bar Association, South Carolina Chapter (2016-2017)
- Board Member, Federal Bar Association Qui Tam Section (National) (2015-
2017) - Co-Chair and Founder, Federal Bar Association / S.C. Qui Tam Section
(2015-2017) - Volunteer Mentor, Federal Drug Court Program, United States District
Court, (Bridge Program) (2015) - Council Member, S.C. Bar Health Care Section (2014-2017)
- Board Member and Co-Chair of Criminal Section, Federal Bar Association /
S.C. (2014-2015) - Chairman, Merit Selection Panel for U.S. Magistrate Judge, Charleston
(2014) - Executive Board, Charleston County Bar Association (2001-2004, 2006-
2007, 2011-2012) - United States Magistrate Judge Selection Panel (2007)
- Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of South Carolina (1991-2000)
- Permanent Member, 4th Circuit Judicial Conference
- Admitted, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
- Admitted, U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina
BOOKS:
- Co-Author, Health Care Fraud and Collateral Consequences, 2nd
Edition (S.C. Bar 2011). - Co-Author, Health Care Reform: Recent Developments in Fraud
Enforcement (S.C. Bar 2008). - Co-Author, Federal and State Securities Enforcement (S.C. Bar 2008).
- Co-Author, Computer and Intellectual Property Crimes (S.C. Bar 2003).
ARTICLES:
- Co-Author, “District Court SEES a Lack of Good Cause to Intervene After
Prior Declination,” American Health Law Association (April 22, 2021). - Co-Author, Qui Tam Quarterly (K&L Gates Alerts/Updates), Enforcement
Trends in False Claims Act Liability for Patient Assistance Programs
(October 24, 2018). - Co-Author, The Benczkowski Memorandum: DOJ’s New Guidance on
Corporate Monitors (K&L Gates Alerts/Updates) (January 26, 2018). - Co-Author, A Failure to Implement Cybersecurity Measures Could Lead to
False Claims Act Liability for Defense Contractors (K&L Gates
Alerts/Updates) (January 26, 2018).
SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS:
- Speaker, Bridging Broad Street. Program for Young Lawyers (United States
District Court, Charleston, S.C. (March 27, 2024). - Speaker, S.C. Health Care Fraud Enforcement Panel, Health Law Section
Seminar at the South Carolina Bar Convention (Jan. 18, 2024). - Lecture, White Collar Criminal Practice, Charleston School of Law (Nov.
16, 2023). - Speaker, False Claims Act Updates and Pandemic Cases, Charleston Health
Care Summit hosted by K&L Gates (Oct. 13, 2023). - Lecture, White Collar Criminal Class, Charleston School of Law (2023).
- Panel Speaker, The Defense and Relator’s Counsel Discuss Getting a Case
Resolved, with the Hon. Bruce H. Hendricks, United States District Judge
for the District of S.C; Bill Nettles, Esquire (former U.S. Attorney for the
District of S.C.); Michael J. Moore, Esquire (former U.S. Attorney for the
Middle District of GA); and James Leventis, Assistant U.S. Attorney,
Federal Bar Association Annual Meeting and Convention, District of S.C.
(Sept. 15, 2022). - Speaker, False Claims Act Seminar for District of South Carolina Judges
and Law Clerks, U.S. District Court, Charleston, S.C. (December 15, 2022). - Interview, COVID Relief Fraud with U.S. Attorney Rhett DeHart: What You
and Your Clients Need to Know. In this video, white-collar criminal defense
attorney Matt Hubbell and United States Attorney Rhett Dehart discuss the
federal government’s enforcement efforts against COVID relief program
fraud (December 2021). - Speaker, Health Care Fraud and ABA, 15th Annual Autism Law Summit,
Columbia, S.C. (October 21, 2021). - Panel Moderator, Practicing Before Federal Judges, featuring the Hon. A.
Marvin Quattlebaum, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit; the Hon.
Sherri A. Lydon, U.S. District Judge for the District of South Carolina; the
Hon. David R. Duncan, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge for the District of South
Carolina; and the Hon. Shiva V. Hodges, U.S. Magistrate Judge for the
District of South Carolina, Federal Bar Association Seminar (July 30, 2021). - Co-Moderator, National COVID-19 Health Care Fraud Town Hall,
featuring the Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Department of
Justice’s Civil Division, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas,
the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, the U.S. Attorney for
the Western District of Washington, the First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the
District of South Carolina, and the Deputy Chief of the Civil Division for the
Northern District of Illinois, sponsored by K&L Gates with the Illinois
Health and Hospital Association, Louisiana Hospital Association, North
Carolina Healthcare, The Hospital and Health System Association of
Pennsylvania Association, South Carolina Hospital Association, and
Washington State Hospital Association (August 20, 2020). - Guest Lecturer, White Collar Crime Seminar, Charleston School of Law
(April 11, 2019). - Speaker, Health Care Fraud and Collateral Consequences, How an
Investigation Begins, Civil Investigative Demands and Defending Health
Care Fraud Cases, South Carolina Bar (November 14, 2019). - COVID-19: K&L Gates Triage: OIG Updates Work Plan to Include Audits
of COVID-19 Related Reimbursement and CARES Act Funding (Podcast,
November 18, 2019). - Panel Moderator, Developments in Health Care Enforcement, South
Carolina Bar Convention, Myrtle Beach, S.C. (January 2019). - Panel Speaker, Crisis Management, K&L Gates Conversation Series,
Charleston, S.C. (November 8, 2018). - Panel Speaker, Emerging Trends in Qui Tam/FCA Cases, South Carolina
Bar Convention, Kiawah Island, S.C. (January 2018). - Panel Speaker and Course Sponsor, Current Trends in False Claims Act/Qui
Tam Whistleblower Litigation, Federal Bar Association / South Carolina Bar
– Continuing Legal Education Seminar, Charleston, S.C. (May 12, 2017). - Panel Speaker, Sometimes It’s About More Than Just Money: Defending
Parallel Criminal Prosecutions of Qui Tam Cases, South Carolina Bar
Convention, Greenville, S.C. (January 2017). - Speaker, FCA Developments: Escobar and Beyond, Federal Bar Association
– Federal Litigation & Qui Tam Conference, Washington, D.C. (October 18,
2016). - Panel Moderator and Course Planner, False Claims Act/Qui Tam
Whistleblowers Litigation Involving Health Care Providers, Federal Bar
Association / South Carolina Bar – Continuing Legal Education Seminar
(May 6, 2016). - Panel Discussion with U.S. District Judge J. Michelle Childs and U.S.
Magistrate Judges Mary Gordon Baker, Kaymani D. West, and Leo
Brisbois: Increasing Diversity Among Federal Magistrate Judges, The
Federal Magistrate Judges Association’s Board and Diversity Committee,
U.S. District Court, Charleston, S.C. (April 12, 2016). - Moderator, Panel Discussion: Current False Claims Act Issues with U.S.
Attorney William Nettles, South Carolina Bar Convention, Healthcare Law
Section CLE (2016). - Speaker, Highlights of Proposed Revisions to OIG Exclusion Authority &
Trends in Fourth Circuit False Claims Act Case Law, S.C. Bar Convention,
Healthcare Law Section CLE (2015). - Panel Moderator and Course Planner, Settling False Claims Act and Qui
Tam Cases, South Carolina Bar Convention, Healthcare Law Section CLE
(2015). - Panel Moderator, Health Care Law in South Carolina: Hot Topics, Tips, and
Trends Seminar, South Carolina Bar (May 9, 2014). - Speaker, Federal Fraud Enforcement of Health Care Law, Health Care Law
in the Federal Courts, Federal Courts Law Review Symposium, Charleston
School of Law (January 28, 2011). - Speaker, Effects of the Financial Crisis on White Collar Crime, Symposium
on Crime and Punishment, Charleston School of Law (February 19, 2010). - Speaker, Ethics: Prosecution and Defense Points of View, Elements and
Defenses of South Carolina Crimes Seminar, South Carolina Bar (June 12,
2009). - Speaker, Federal and State Securities Enforcement Seminar, South Carolina
Bar (December 9, 2008). - Speaker, Defense is Not the Dark Side, South Carolina Federal Criminal
Law Update, Charleston School of Law (July 7, 2006). - Speaker, Health Care Fraud and Collateral Consequences, Association of
Certified Fraud Examiners, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina (October 25,
2006). - Speaker, Federal Computer and Intellectual Property Crimes Seminar,
South Carolina Bar (March 28, 2003).
REPRESENTATIVE CASES:
- Represented the manager of a dredging project in a federal criminal
environmental trial and won a not guilty verdict on all counts. The
prosecution, led by the Department of Justice Environmental Crimes
Section, alleged felony violations of the Clean Water Act, the Rivers and
Harbors Act, and false statements to the United States. This case is believed
to be the second federal criminal environmental case ever tried in the
District of South Carolina. - Represented a corporate employee in a lengthy criminal antitrust trial and
won a complete not guilty verdict. The trial was held in federal court in
Charlotte, North Carolina and was the result of a wide-ranging, 3-year
Department of Justice investigation into alleged price-fixing in the United
States polyester fiber manufacturing industry. After two weeks of trial, the
jury deliberated for approximately four hours before finding the client not
guilty. - Obtained a complete dismissal of all charges in the U.S. Department of
Justice’s indictment against client in the “Tiger King” case involving co-
defendant “Doc” Antle in Case No. 4:22-cr-00580-JD (United States of
America vs. Antle, et al.), filed in the District of South Carolina (2023). - Obtained dual federal and state cooperation agreements securing declination
of prosecution of client, a global nuclear engineering company, in a multi-
billion-dollar securities and fraud parallel criminal prosecution involving the
financial collapse of the VC Summer Nuclear Power Plant Project (2017-
2022). - Represented numerous health care providers including hospitals,
laboratories, hospital and practice CEOs, COVID-19 providers, DME
providers, and doctors in criminal and False Claims Act / Qui Tam cases. - Represented real estate business owner in a complex national IRS
investigation of multi-billion-dollar, syndicated conservation easement
industry and concluded the matter for the client without any civil, criminal,
or administrative sanctions. - Negotiated plea agreement to a misprision offense with a binding sentence
of probation for the owner and chief executive of a defense contractor after a
6-year investigation of over $38M in government 8(a) set-aside program
contracts (2022). - Defended a contractor and achieved a declination of all criminal charges in a
lengthy U.S. Department of Justice investigation of set-aside contracts in the
SBA’s Service-Disabled Veteran program (2016-2022). - Defended a South Carolina Legislator in a high-profile public corruption
investigation/prosecution by a special prosecutor where all felony charges
were dismissed, and the case was resolved with a single misdemeanor
offense and a sentence of probation. - Defended CEO in complex multi-year investigation by U.S. Attorney, FBI,
and IRS concerning alleged campaign finance and tax violations. Achieved a
total declination of prosecution after convincing the Department of Justice
Tax Division to decline prosecution of alleged tax offenses. - Represented a former corporate board chairman in a month-long securities
fraud trial with cameras in the courtroom touted by the South Carolina
Attorney General as the largest and most complex white-collar case in South
Carolina history. - Represented clients including a major manufacturer, an international
shipping company, and corporate employees in environmental cases
involving the Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, and other environmental
laws. - Represented companies and business executives in federal investigations
involving the IRS and the Tax Division of the Department of Justice. - Represented doctors and other health care providers in prescription drug
fraud and DEA diversion cases. - Represented corporate employees in both grand jury investigations and at
trial in antitrust cases brought by the Antitrust Division of the Department of
Justice. - Prosecuted a state probate judge after it was discovered that the judge was
defrauding elderly widows by transferring their land to himself. After the
judge received a sentence of imprisonment, he attempted to hire a “hit man”
to assassinate his enemies. Hubbell then prosecuted the judge for attempted
murder-for-hire, at which point the judge committed suicide in prison. - Briefed and argued appeals in the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.
- Prosecuted numerous environmental crimes and obtained one of the first jail
sentences ever in the District of South Carolina for an environmental crime –
a case in which the owner of a laboratory falsified safe drinking water tests
for elementary schools. - Prosecuted the Captain and First Engineer of the Norwegian ship Star
Evivva in what was believed to be the largest offshore oil spill case in South
Carolina. The spill involved thousands of gallons of heavy fuel oil and
resulted in the death of about 200 migratory birds. The case raised difficult
international and jurisdictional legal issues but was successfully concluded
with the conviction of the Norwegian shipping company. - Prosecuted what is believed to be the first federal health care fraud case tried
in the District of South Carolina. After a lengthy and difficult trial, the
defendant – a nursing home doctor – stood convicted of numerous counts of
defrauding Medicare and Medicaid by “upcoding” his services. In addition,
the doctor was convicted of money laundering and was sentenced to serve
30 months in prison. - Prosecuted a complex conspiracy case involving members of the Medellin
cocaine cartel who attempted to break a kingpin out of the Charleston
County Jail prior to his sentencing. The trial lasted over two weeks and was
extraordinary for, among other things, the high security surrounding the trial
– including heavily armed federal agents in a helicopter and on rooftops near
the courthouse. On appeal in the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, Hubbell
successfully argued the government’s case against famed Miami defense
attorney Roy Black. - Prosecuted a difficult circumstantial murder case involving a defendant who
murdered his wife’s paramour with a remote-controlled car bomb. The trial
lasted two weeks, and the government called over 80 witnesses to the stand
– including several scientific experts – to prove the case. The defendant was
convicted and sentenced to life.
COMMUNITY SERVICE:
- Community Advisory Board Member, Mother Emanuel Empowerment
Center. MEEC is a collaborative effort of comprehensive care between
Mother Emanuel AME Church, the National Crime Victims Research and
Treatment Center (NCVC) in the department of Psychiatry & Behavioral
Sciences at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), and
Charleston Dorchester Mental Health Center (CDMHC). The Mother
Emanuel AME Church hosts the location of the Empowerment Center on the
grounds of the church campus to serve as a central resource hub to connect
those impacted by the Mother Emanuel AME Church massacre to advocacy,
grief support, and/or mental health counseling. Staff offers a wide range of
services designed to assist families, survivors, and church members in their
recovery and to provide a gathering place that facilitates their connection to
each other (2019). - Eucharistic Visitation Ministry, St. Michael’s Church: Deliver communion to
the sick at home or in hospitals (2015-Present).
