Paul A. Hayden

Paul Hayden is a partner in AXS Law Group's Washington, D.C. office and a former federal prosecutor with a distinguished career in the Department of Justice's Criminal Division, Fraud Section leading sophisticated bribery, securities fraud, and procurement fraud cases. He now brings that experience to a practice at AXS focused on white-collar defense, cross-border enforcement and compliance, government and internal investigations, national security, and congressional investigations, offering clients the distinct advantage of a seasoned trial lawyer who has prosecuted the government's most complex cases from the inside.

Prior to joining AXS Law, Paul was a federal prosecutor for almost 10 years in the Department of Justice's Criminal Division, Fraud Section, where he tried complex financial fraud and international corruption cases that collectively resulted in over $1.8 billion in fines, forfeiture, and disgorgement. In the Fraud Section's FCPA Unit, Paul prosecuted landmark international bribery matters, including the trial conviction of a former Hong Kong official employed by a Chinese energy conglomerate for bribing the former President of the United Nations General Assembly and the presidents of two African nations, and the trial conviction of the former Treasurer of Venezuela and her husband in a multibillion-dollar money laundering and bribery scheme — each sentenced to 15 years in prison. Paul also conducted over 50 complex, cross-border corporate investigations in highly regulated industries, including the $231 million resolution of Fresenius Medical Care for FCPA violations spanning 13 countries across Europe, Africa, and Asia, and the $84 million resolution of Stericycle for FCPA violations in Central and South America.

In all, Paul worked with nearly 40 countries on cross-border investigations, including through his invitation to numerous Eurojust meetings in The Hague, Netherlands on large-scale financial investigations involving European banks and foreign nationals. He also participated in several international summits whose participants included officials from Ireland, the U.K., Liechtenstein, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Panama, and Mexico on bilateral efforts to combat crime involving money laundering and foreign corruption. Paul was a frequent speaker at multiple events training foreign judges, prosecutors, and law enforcement in anti-money laundering, FCPA and cybercrime, including in France, Brazil, Zambia, Japan and Indonesia. In addition, he served as a U.S. delegate to the G20 Anti-Corruption Working Group and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum. As a result, he built partnerships and relationships with numerous law-enforcement agencies, officials, and foreign lawyers worldwide.

As a member of the Fraud Section’s Market, Government, and Consumer Unit, Paul also prosecuted securities fraud, market manipulation, and procurement fraud, including a five-week trial involving the theft of millions in federal program funds and the indictment of a senior manager in a cybersecurity procurement fraud scheme. In addition, he served as Senior Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division, working on a variety of policy initiatives with senior DOJ leadership.

Earlier in his career, Paul served as an attorney in the DOJ's National Security Division and as Associate Deputy General Counsel at the Department of Defense, handling high-stakes national security investigations and policy matters. He has maintained a Top Secret/SCI security clearance for nearly two decades and successfully litigated sensitive matters involving the Classified Information Procedures Act (CIPA). Paul also brings extensive Capitol Hill experience, having served as a registered lobbyist, a staffer to a U.S. Senator, and the DOJ's congressional liaison for National Security — personally testifying and preparing Cabinet-level government officials to testify before the U.S. House and Senate.

Paul is a U.S. Army combat veteran who served honorably with the First Infantry Division in Desert Storm/Shield. He is a life member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States.

Paul is admitted to practice in Virginia and is practicing in DC under the supervision of partners of the firm.

Recognition

• 2024 Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, Executive Associate Director's Award
• 2024 FinCEN Director's Award
• 2022 OCDETF Director's Award
• 2019 and 2022 DHS/HSI Financial Investigation of the Year Award
• 2016 FBI and DEA Public Service Awards
• 2014 Assistant Attorney General for National Security's Award for Excellence
• 2012 Director of National Intelligence's Legal Award