Annie Railton is a partner in Goodwin’s Government Investigations & Enforcement practice. She represents companies, boards, executives, and other individuals in government and internal investigations, regulatory and enforcement proceedings, and complex civil litigation. She currently co-leads the firm’s Healthcare Government Enforcement & False Claims Act Defense and Financial Services Litigation & Investigations practices.
Annie is recognized by Chambers USA as a “terrific lawyer” with “a good reputation and judgment” who has “a tremendous ability to fully dissect the government’s arguments through her advocacy.” She regularly defends clients in False Claims Act investigations and litigation, DOJ criminal cases, SEC Enforcement and Examination inquiries, and investigations by state attorneys general, among other regulators. She has also conducted numerous internal investigations for companies, boards of directors, and special board committees. Her matters include, among other things, compliance with health care regulations, anti-kickback and bribery laws, U.S. tariff and customs regulations, and securities laws.
Experience
- Representing multiple individuals in a False Claims Act investigation by the DOJ and several state AGs involving the manufacturing of a controlled substance
- Representing multiple individuals in a DOJ and NYAG False Claims Act and anti-kickback investigation of a pharmaceutical company’s sales and marketing practices
- Representing an international solar company in a DOJ False Claims Act investigation and whistleblower litigation regarding compliance with U.S. tariff and customs laws
- Representing a home furnishing company in a DOJ False Claims Act investigation into compliance with U.S. tariff and customs laws
- Representing an AI company in a DOJ False Claims Act investigation regarding representations made in the procurement of government contracts
- Represented the former CEO of a behavioral health care organization in False Claims Act litigation related to staffing, supervision, and licensure
- Represented private equity investors and their portfolio companies in False Claims Act investigations and internal investigations into compliance with health care regulations, including a medical coding and billing company and a provider of home health services
- Won acquittal at a federal criminal trial for W. Carl Reichel, the former president of pharmaceutical company Warner Chilcott, on charges related to illegal marketing and anti-kickback violations
- Representing a pharmaceutical company employee in a DOJ criminal case charging unlawful importation of a fentanyl precursor
- Represented a former senior employee of a non-profit company in an SDNY federal criminal trial against charges of conspiracy to defraud the government and obstruction
- Represented a New York City tax preparer in an SDNY federal criminal trial against charges of criminal tax fraud and identity theft
- Represented a board member of in a DOJ investigation of a pharmaceutical company’s anti-diversion practices related to the sale of controlled substances
- Represented multiple individuals in DOJ and FTC investigations of a telehealth company’s prescribing and marketing practices related to controlled substances
- Represented a doctor who served as a consultant to a medical device manufacturer in a DOJ kickback investigation
- Represented an operations manager in a DOJ criminal investigation of a medical device company’s design and manufacturing practices
- Represented an investment bank in DOJ and SEC investigations of a cryptocurrency hedge fund
- Represented Wegelin & Co., the world’s oldest private Swiss bank, in defending against criminal tax challenges from the DOJ, IRS and the U.S. Attorney’s Office
- Represented a former SAC Capital Advisors portfolio manager in criminal and SEC allegations of insider trading
- Won full dismissal following a month-long bench trial for Deutsche Bank trader Jon Paul Rorech in an SEC enforcement action alleging the first-ever insider trading case involving credit default swaps
- Represented Ocwen Financial and PHH Mortgage in a class action in which plaintiffs alleged anti-kickback RESPA violations involving mortgage reinsurance
- Represented a public biotech pharmaceutical company, along with several officers, directors and employees, in an SEC investigation into potential insider trading
- Represented a multi-national financial institution in an SEC investigation of derivative trading and pricing
- Represented a venture capital firm and adviser in an SEC investigation into fund decision-making and fiduciary duty issues
- Represented a real estate investment manager and adviser in an SEC investigation regarding potential conflict of interest and fiduciary duty issues
- Represented an asset manager and financial publisher in an SEC investigation of crypto indices
- Represented the former CEO and CFO of a publicly-traded technology company in an SEC enforcement investigation into the company’s disclosures
- Represented a senior financial professional at a public water technology company in an SEC enforcement investigation into corporate accounting practices
- Represented an investment banker in an SEC investigation involving trading practices and off-channel communications
- Representing funds, registered investment advisers, and their boards of directors/independent trustees in connection with inquiries from the SEC Division of Examinations
- Represented the Audit Committee of a multi-national public company in cross-border internal investigations related to compliance with FDA manufacturing regulations and anti-corruption laws
- Represented a multi-national financial institution in an internal investigation regarding potential conflict of interest and bribery issues and related inquiries from federal and state regulators
- Represented a clinical trial company in internal investigations related to its compliance with FDA regulations, including related to good clinical practice
- Represented a genetic testing company in an internal investigation related to marketing and billing activities and a state inquiry regarding laboratory practices
- Represented a venture capital firm in an internal investigation into potential insider trading
- Represented an international uniform and workwear company in a cross-border internal investigation into corruption claims
Annie also provides regulatory compliance counseling and advises companies on the development and implementation of appropriate risk management policies and procedures, including with respect to the False Claims Act and regulatory compliance and reporting obligations. She worked for several years on an independent monitoring team focusing on the domestic ethics program of one of the largest publicly traded companies in the United States.
Areas of Practice
Professional Activities
Annie worked as a Special Assistant District Attorney for the Kings County (Brooklyn) District Attorney’s Office in 2013, where she prosecuted felony cases and conducted several jury trials and evidentiary hearings.
Annie also has an active pro bono practice, representing individuals and entities in a variety of federal and state matters, including several clients in federal criminal cases. She also represented the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers in an amicus brief filed with the US Supreme Court.
At Goodwin, Annie is actively involved in associate mentoring and serves on her group’s Attorney Development Committee. As a member of the Community Service Committee, she also helped plan the annual New York Day of Service for several years.
Annie is a member of the Federal Bar Council, the New York City Bar Association, the Women’s White Collar Defense Association and the National Association of Women Lawyers.
Credentials
Education
JD2008
New York University School of Law
BA2004
New York University
Gallatin School of Individualized Study
(magna cum laude)
Admissions
Bars
- New York
Courts
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
Recognition & Awards
Annie is recognized by Chambers USA for her work in White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations and in Healthcare, where she is described as “a terrific lawyer” who has “a lot of great trial experience and is fantastic.” She is also recommended by The Legal 500 US for her corporate investigations and white-collar criminal defense practice.
Annie has been recognized as a Future Star by Benchmark Litigation and a Rising Star by the New York Law Journal. She was also recognized by Law360 as a White Collar “Rising Star” in 2017, one of only five attorneys nationwide to receive the award that year.
In 2018, Annie served as co-lead counsel in a federal criminal trial in the Southern District of New York, after which the judge praised “defense counsel’s excellent representation of the defendant throughout the case,” noting that “it’s plain that defense counsel did an extraordinary job, including making a successful motion to suppress, getting the count that the defendant had pleaded guilty to dismissed, and getting additional counts dismissed, either because the government couldn’t pursue them or the jury did not find them to be proven.”
At New York University School of Law, Annie was a Student Articles Development Editor for NYU’s Review of Law and Social Change.
Publications
Annie regularly writes and comments on developments related to government investigations and enforcement.
Annie’s recent publications include:
- Co-Author, “An International Guide to Corporate Internal Investigations, Second Edition,” American Bar Association, November 21, 2025
- Co-Author, “Tariff Evasion Draws Increased Federal Scrutiny,” New York Law Journal, November 2025
- Co-Author, “The Big Lessons from the SEC Speaks Conference 2024,” The Columbia Law School Blue Sky Blog, April 2024
- Co-Author, “Blueprint of the Advisers Act-Related SPAC Enforcement Actions So Far,” Goodwin Client Alert, June 2023
- Co-Author, “The Supreme Court Holds that the False Claims Act’s Scienter Element Turns on Defendant’s Subjective Beliefs, Rejecting Seventh Circuit’s Objective Standard,” Goodwin Client Alert, June 2023
- Co-Author, “The False Claims Act and Kickbacks: Factual Causality Required,” New York Law Journal, April 2023
- Co-Author, “DOJ Revises Corporate Compliance Guidance to Take on Compensation Incentives and Communications Preservation – With a Continued Emphasis on Individual Accountability,” Goodwin Client Alert, March 2023
- Co-Author, “DOJ Announces Nationwide Voluntary Corporate Self-Disclosure Policy in Effort to Standardize and Incentivize Timely Self-Reporting,” Goodwin Client Alert, February 2023
- Co-Author, “Whistleblower Lawyers Use False Claims Act to Target Private Equity Firms Invested in Healthcare and Life Sciences,” Journal of Health Care Compliance, June 2022
- Co-Author, “HHS OIG Opines on Longstanding Medtech Legal Issue—Physician-Owned Device Distributors,” WLF Legal Pulse, May 2022
- Co-Author, “Newly Appointed Federal Watchdogs Warn They Are Focused on Private Funds,” Goodwin Client Alert, April 2022
- Co-Author, “The DOJ Goes Phishing: The Rise of False Claims Act Cybersecurity Litigation,” Business Crimes Bulletin, March 2022
- Co-Author, “Senate Judiciary Committee Advances False Claims Act Amendment to Full Senate,” Life Sciences Perspectives, November 2021
- Co-Author, “PE Investment in Health Care Attracting Greater Federal Scrutiny,” New York Law Journal, June 2021
- Co-Author, “Life Sciences Companies Face Heightened Insider Trading Risks and Scrutiny,” Compliance & Enforcement, April 2021
- Co-Author, “For Civil Enforcement, The Pandemic Is Just Beginning,” New York Law Journal, April 2021
- Author, “Enhanced Scrutiny of COVID-19 Medicare Payments and Data Reporting for Hospitals,” New York Law Journal, October 2020
- Co-Author, “Next for America’s Nursing Homes: A Legal Pandemic,” New York Law Journal, June 2020
- Co-Author, “To Fight the Pandemic, Health Care Companies Face New Opportunities But Old Legal Risks,” New York Law Journal, April 2020
- Co-Author, “New Attack on Physician Compensation Models Under the Stark Law,” New York Law Journal, December 2019
- Co-Author, “Does Violating Medicare Regulatory Guidance Still Create False Claims Act Liability?,” New York Law Journal, June 2019
- Co-Author, “Claim Certifying Medical Necessity Must Meet Definition of ‘Reasonable and Necessary,” New York Law Journal, March 2019
- Co-Author, “New DOJ Policies May Help Companies Better Navigate False Claims Act Investigations,” Risk & Compliance Magazine, October 2018
- Co-Author, “DOJ Announces Public Release of the Cyber-Digital Task Force’s First Report; Impact on and Role of the Private Sector Likely to be a Focus in the Coming Months,” Compliance & Enforcement, August 2018
- Co-Author, “DOJ Announces Establishment of Task Force on Market Integrity and Consumer Fraud; SEC Chairman Highlights Actions Involving ICOs,” Digital Currency & Blockchain Perspectives, July 2018
- Co-Author, “Two Recent Cases Illustrate Need to Rely on Causal Concepts in FCA Cases,” New York Law Journal, June 2018
Annie’s recent speaking engagements include:
- Speaker, “Private Equity Investment Risks in Healthcare,” ABA National Institute on Health Care Fraud, June 2022
- Speaker, “Internal Investigations and the Prosecutor’s Perspective,” Compliance Savvy Executive Series, April 2022
- Speaker, “Compliance Program Growth – Internal Investigations,” Goodwin Foundations In Healthcare Compliance Series, December 2021
- Speaker, “False Claims Act Risks and Trends in U.S. Higher Education,” Boston Bar Association Virtual Higher Education Legal Conference, March 2021
- Speaker, “False Claims Act Risks and Trends in U.S. Higher Education,” Goodwin Higher Education Symposium, October 2020
- Speaker, “Healthcare Issues + Trends: The False Claims Act and Other Government Enforcement,” Goodwin Webinar Series, July 2020
- Speaker, “Legal Risks Associated with PPP Loan Applications,” Airbase Navigating Uncertainty Series, May 2020
- Speaker, “Enforcement Trends and Risks in Healthcare and Life Sciences,” New York Healthcare + Biotech CLE Day, October 2019
- Speaker, “Government Investigations and Compliance,” Benchmark Women in Litigation Forum, September 2017