H David Kotz

Education

Kotz graduated cum laude from the University of Maryland, College Park in 1987, with a B.A. in Government and Politics, and earned his J.D. at Cornell Law School in 1990.

Law firms (1990–99)

In his early career, Kotz worked as a litigation associate at three law firms, working on commercial litigation, discrimination, personal injury, and sexual harassment matters: Graham & James (1990–92) and Stults & Balber (1992–94) in New York City, and Pepper Hamilton LLP (1994–99) in Washington, DC.

US Agency for International Development (1999–2002)

Kotz worked at the US Agency for International Development (USAID) from 1999–2002, where he was an Attorney Advisor in the Office of the General Counsel and later a Chief in the Office of Labor and Employee Relations.

Peace Corps (2002–07)

Kotz joined the Peace Corps in 2002, and worked there until 2007, during which time he handled labor arbitrations, employee grievances, and prosecutions of rapes, sexual assaults, and other violent crimes against volunteers. For three years, he was an Associate General Counsel. Starting in 2006, he worked for the Peace Corps as Inspector General.

SEC (2007–12)

In December 2007, Kotz became the Inspector General at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), following the resignation of his predecessor, Walter Stachnik. He was tasked with conducting independent objective audits of SEC procedures and practices to promote economy, effectiveness, and efficiency. His reports involved many issues, including the SEC not uncovering the Madoff and Stanford Ponzi schemes, the Bear Stearns collapse and the SEC's office-leasing program after the Dodd-Frank financial overhaul.

Madoff

Kotz investigated why the SEC failed to detect the $19 billion Madoff fraud. Madoff pleaded guilty to fraud and is now serving a 150-year sentence. In September 2009, Kotz issued a 477-page report that described numerous failures on the part of the SEC in failing to uncover Madoff's Ponzi scheme, despite three examinations and two investigations. Kotz followed that up with extensive recommendations for improvements to SEC procedures and training. The report detailed six substantive complaints against Madoff which was received by the agency. Kotz's investigation did not find evidence that any SEC personnel who worked on an SEC examination or investigation of Bernie Madoff had any financial or other inappropriate connection with Bernie Madoff or the Madoff family that influenced the conduct of their examination or investigatory work. His investigation did find that the SEC received more than ample information in the form of detailed and substantive complaints over the years to warrant a thorough and comprehensive examination and/or investigation of Bernie Madoff for operating a Ponzi scheme, and that despite three examinations and two investigations being conducted, a thorough and competent investigation or examination was never performed.

Stanford

In March 2010, Kotz issued another report finding the SEC also failed to uncover a $7 billion Ponzi scheme perpetrated by Allen Stanford. Kotz found that the Fort Worth, Texas office of the SEC conducted examinations of Standford in 1997, 1998, 2002 and 2004, concluding in each case that Stanford's Certificates of Deposit were likely a Ponzi scheme or a similar fraudulent scheme, but did not order a formal investigation until 2005. Kotz also found that the former head of Enforcement in Fort Worth, Spencer Barasch, played a significant role in quashing investigations of Stanford and sought to represent Stanford on three occasions after he left the SEC. The report found that in 2006, Barasch did briefly represent Stanford. In 2012, Barasch agreed to pay a $50,000 fine to settle a Justice Department conflict of interest claim.

Pequot Capital

In October 2008, Kotz concluded in a 191-page report that there was evidence raising serious questions about the impartiality and fairness of the SEC's investigation of possible insider trading at Pequot Capital Management. The report criticized the "common practice" of giving outside lawyers' clients access to high-level SEC officials when they had complaints about front-line investigators.

Pornography

In 2010, Kotz released a summary of investigations he conducted of 33 employees and contractors who used government computers to access and download pornographic images during business hours.

SEC office lease

In 2011, Kotz issued a report criticizing the SEC for its 900,000-square-foot, $557 million, 10-year lease for new office space. The report found that the SEC's Office of Administrative Services made a deeply flawed and unsound analysis to justify the need for 900,000 square feet, and grossly overestimated the amount of space needed. The analysis was based on estimates of increased funding from Congress to meet new duties for the SEC under the financial overhaul law that Congress enacted in July, the report said.

On January 17, 2012, Kotz resigned from the SEC to join Gryphon Strategies, an investigative firm, to focus on conducting corporate fraud investigations as well as assisting whistleblowers in exposing fraud and improving government accountability.

Gryphon Strategies (2012)

In late January 2012, Kotz joined Gryphon Strategies, a small New York corporate fraud investigation firm, as its Washington representative and managing director.

Berkeley Research Group (2012–present)

In August 2012, Kotz joined the anti-corruption team as a director in the Financial Institutions practice at Berkeley Research Group. In 2013, at Berkeley Research Group, Kotz issued a report commissioned by the National Futures Association regarding a $215 million fraud perpetrated by Russell Wasendorf, as CEO of Peregrine Financial Group. The report found regulators missed warning signs as far back as 1994 and multiple opportunities to catch the fraud.