Based in the firm’s New York office, Howard Master is a Partner, Managing Director, and Counsel to the CEO. Howard supports the firm’s global practices, including its work supporting white collar criminal defense, civil litigation and arbitration; its anti-corruption and fraud investigations; and its monitorship and compliance efforts. Howard also advises the firm on major strategic initiatives.

• EXPERIENCE PRIOR TO NARDELLO & CO.

  At the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York (SDNY), where Howard served as a public corruption prosecutor and later as Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division and Criminal Health Care Fraud Coordinator, Howard investigated and prosecuted individual and corporate wrongdoers responsible for major corruption scandals and financial crimes, including those responsible for the largest fraud, kickback, and money laundering scheme ever perpetrated against New York City; Sheldon Silver, the Speaker of the New York State Assembly, who received millions of dollars in bribes; and a corporate executive at Valeant Pharmaceuticals who carried out a $10 million kickback and money laundering scheme.

  Later, at the New York State Office of the Attorney General (OAG), where Howard served as Senior Enforcement Counsel to the Attorney General, Howard led and represented the State of New York in significant OAG and multistate investigations. His accomplishments included a pioneering investigation and enforcement action targeting pervasive workplace misconduct by Harvey Weinstein and The Weinstein Company, and successful multistate and local investigations of the opioids industry.

  At the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office (SCDAO), Howard served as Special Counsel to the District Attorney. There, he supervised many of the office’s most significant investigations, including an investigation that exonerated a man who served 33 years in prison for a murder he did not commit. Howard also created the SCDAO’s Conviction Integrity Bureau and oversaw all of the SCDAO’s conviction integrity, public corruption, and complex fraud and money laundering cases.

  Howard has been an Adjunct Professor at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School since 2016, where he teaches an advanced seminar on corruption law. He is a frequent lecturer on corruption, ethics, and investigative techniques.

  Early in his career, Howard clerked for the Honorable José A. Cabranes in the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and for the Honorable Victor Marrero in the Southern District of New York.

• While at the SDNY, Howard uncovered and prosecuted a $500 million fraud, kickback, and money laundering scheme involving New York City’s CityTime IT project. He held accountable the corporate and individual wrongdoers responsible for the crimes, secured and supervised a corporate monitor, and recovered record restitution for the City.
• While at the SDNY, Howard investigated and prosecuted Sheldon Silver, the Speaker of the New York State Assembly, after uncovering his involvement in two different bribery schemes.

Education

• JD, magna cum laude, New York University School of Law
• BA, Ethics, Politics & Economics, Yale University

Awards

• US Department of Justice, Director’s Award for Superior Performance
• Federal Law Enforcement Foundation, Prosecutor of the Year
• US Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, Investigation of the Year
• Order of the Coif

Professional Affiliations

• Federal Bar Council

Publications

• “Legislative Corruption,” The Anti-Corruption Manual: A Guide for State Prosecutors (2021)