Matt is an experienced criminal and civil litigator with a deep understanding of federal and state enforcement actions, investigations, and administrative proceedings from his decade in government service. From his broad experience, Matt’s practice focuses on sensitive civil and criminal matters, government and corporate internal investigations, state and federal regulatory and enforcement actions, environmental compliance and litigation, and defending military servicemembers facing court-martial and adverse administrative actions.

Immediately prior to joining Flannery | Georgalis, Matt was the Assistant Section Chief of the Ohio Attorney General’s Charitable Law Section, which is responsible for the regulation, investigation, and enforcement of fraud and abuse of charities throughout the State of Ohio. Matt led investigations and litigation involving nonprofit healthcare systems, higher education institutions, charitable foundations, and individuals for misusing multi-million-dollar charitable funds. He also oversaw licensing actions before the Ohio Casino Control, Liquor Control, Lottery, and Horseracing Commissions. Before assuming his role in Charitable Law, Matt was the Supervising Attorney of the Ohio AG’s Environmental Criminal Prosecution Unit, where he prosecuted a wide variety of environmental crimes including solid and hazardous waste violations, water and air pollution, and destruction and theft of natural resources. He also represented the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of Natural Resources (DNR) in federal and state civil litigation. Matt uses his in-depth knowledge of the Ohio government to help his clients navigate various regulatory and enforcement matters before state agencies, commissions, and boards.

Before joining the Attorney General’s office, Matt served on active duty for seven years in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps, gaining extensive litigation experience at both the trial and appellate levels. Matt was an appellate defense counsel at the Army’s prestigious Defense Appellate Division in Washington, D.C. There, he filed hundreds of appellate briefs and presented oral arguments at the highest courts in the military, successfully obtaining several full reversals of soldiers’ criminal convictions and sentences. Matt began his Army career as a military prosecutor and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney at Fort Knox, Kentucky, serving as lead counsel in dozens of courts-martial, including those for murder, sexual assault, crimes against children, and government fraud. In 2014, he deployed to Afghanistan for nine months as the general counsel for a general officer-level command where he was responsible for conducting sensitive investigations throughout the combat theater. Matt continues to serve as a Major in the Army Reserve and has received several awards for his military service, including the Bronze Star, Meritorious Service, Afghanistan Campaign, and Army Commendation Medals.

Education

University of Wisconsin Law School (J.D., 2010, International Law Journal)
Columbia University (B.A., Political Science and History, 2005)

Admissions

Ohio
Wisconsin
Northern District of Ohio
Southern District of Ohio
U.S. Army Court of Criminal Appeals
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces
Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals
Supreme Court of the United States

Government Service

Ohio Attorney General’s Office (2017-2022)
Supervising Attorney, Environmental Criminal Prosecution Unit (2017-2019)
Assistant Section Chief, Charitable Law Section (2019-2022)

U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps (2010-present)
Active Duty (2010-2017)
Army Reserve (2017-present)

Professional Memberships

Columbus Bar Association
Ohio State Bar Association
National Asian Pacific American Bar Association

Presentations

Presenter, “Responding to a White-Collar Criminal Investigation,” Ohio State Bar Association Business Law Institute, May 2023

Presenter, “Medical Marijuana: A Business and Criminal Law Update,” Columbus Bar Association, April 2022

Presenter, “Charitable Challenges and Opportunities – Dissolutions, Transactions and Restricted Funds,” Pro Bono Partnership of Ohio, February 2021

Presenter, “Environmental Criminal Enforcement 101,” Ohio State Bar Association 34th Ohio Environment, Energy, and Resources Law Seminar, March 2019

Panelist, “Handling Parallel Criminal and Civil Enforcement Actions,” Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association 2018 Environmental Law Institute: Great Lakes Update, December 2018

Presenter, “Annual Case Law Update,” Ohio State Bar Association 33rd Ohio Environment, Energy, and Resources Law Seminar, March 2018