Ryan Patrick
Biography
Ryan Patrick is a partner in Haynes Boone’s White Collar and Government Investigations Practice. Ryan is an experienced investigator, judge and trial lawyer who has handled or supervised nearly every type of criminal and civil enforcement matter. There are few lawyers with Ryan’s unique experience.
Ryan has spent his career in the courtroom, first as a state prosecutor, then as a Texas district court judge, and finally as the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Texas. From 2018 to 2021 Ryan oversaw one of the largest DOJ offices and the busiest criminal and appellate docket in the country.
Ryan has handled a broad array of white-collar and traditional criminal cases in federal and state courts, including the False Claims Act, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and money laundering. He has both investigated and represented foreign actors, elected officials and corporate defendants in the banking, biotech, energy, healthcare, and space industries. During his time as an assistant district attorney, Ryan was a specially trained prosecutor in the investigation of vehicular fatalities, and he finished his state career assigned to the Special Crimes/Major Offenders section where he handled proactive investigations into the most complex and dangerous criminal organizations along with other one-off exceptional cases. Two of his final trials as state prosecutor were securing a life sentence in a 30-year-old cold case murder and the successful prosecution of a man who spray painted a locally displayed Picasso.
Along with a robust federal defense practice, Ryan still maintains a criminal state practice representing individuals and companies under investigation or charged under Texas criminal statutes. Ryan is the first call from his partners at Haynes Boone for state criminal matters – from corporations facing state Attorney General civil investigations to individual clients under arrest or investigation for any type of state crime.
Ryan’s extensive experience in the courtroom is evidenced in more than 50 first and solo chair jury trials and oral arguments before the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals. As a judge Ryan presided over more than 100 jury trials in four and a half years on the bench.
Having earned his private pilot’s license in 2007, Ryan’s knowledge and passion in aviation has helped him advise clients involved in FAA civil investigations and having been a state elected official, Ryan’s knowledge of the Texas Ethics Code has benefited firm clients navigating state campaign finance laws.
Ryan Patrick is a partner in Haynes Boone’s White Collar and Government Investigations Practice. Ryan is an experienced investigator, judge and trial lawyer who has handled or supervised nearly every type of criminal and civil enforcement matter. There are few lawyers with Ryan’s unique experience.
Ryan has spent his career in the courtroom, first as a state prosecutor, then as a Texas district court judge, and finally as the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Texas. From 2018 to 2021 Ryan oversaw one of the largest DOJ offices and the busiest criminal and appellate docket in the country.
Ryan has handled a broad array of white-collar and traditional criminal cases in federal and state courts, including the False Claims Act, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and money laundering. He has both investigated and represented foreign actors, elected officials and corporate defendants in the banking, biotech, energy, healthcare, and space industries. During his time as an assistant district attorney, Ryan was a specially trained prosecutor in the investigation of vehicular fatalities, and he finished his state career assigned to the Special Crimes/Major Offenders section where he handled proactive investigations into the most complex and dangerous criminal organizations along with other one-off exceptional cases. Two of his final trials as state prosecutor were securing a life sentence in a 30-year-old cold case murder and the successful prosecution of a man who spray painted a locally displayed Picasso.
Along with a robust federal defense practice, Ryan still maintains a criminal state practice representing individuals and companies under investigation or charged under Texas criminal statutes. Ryan is the first call from his partners at Haynes Boone for state criminal matters – from corporations facing state Attorney General civil investigations to individual clients under arrest or investigation for any type of state crime.
Ryan’s extensive experience in the courtroom is evidenced in more than 50 first and solo chair jury trials and oral arguments before the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals. As a judge Ryan presided over more than 100 jury trials in four and a half years on the bench.
Having earned his private pilot’s license in 2007, Ryan’s knowledge and passion in aviation has helped him advise clients involved in FAA civil investigations and having been a state elected official, Ryan’s knowledge of the Texas Ethics Code has benefited firm clients navigating state campaign finance laws.
- Currently representing an American engineering and construction company in an OSHA lead fatality investigation.
- Currently representing a company involved in multiple federal and state investigations regarding their land development engineering plans.
- Currently representing a durable medical good company under investigation for an alleged $70m billing scam.
- Currently representing a privately held oilfield service company facing a PPP fraud investigation.
- Currently representing a college student under indictment for dark web computer hacking activity.
- Currently representing a precious metals company ensnarled in a sanctioned Russian money laundering investigation.
- Currently representing a logistics and delivery company under grand jury investigation by the Texas Department of Insurance.
- Currently representing multiple entities responding to various Texas Attorney General civil investigative demands.
- Currently representing an individual indicted for tampering with evidence in a murder investigation.
- Currently representing a doctor under investigation for insurance fraud.
- Currently serves as outside ethics advisor for a Maltese-based husbandry services company formerly under DOJ investigation and DOD disbarment.
- Currently representing a foreign oilfield services company in a steel tariff False Claims Act investigation.
- Successfully represented Dr. Eithan Haim who was indicted for and cleared of felony HIPAA violations.
- Successfully represented a southwest Houston clinic and its owners indicted for Medicare fraud.
- Successfully represented a corporate executive under investigation as part of a $100 million South Carolina port warehouse construction kickback and honest services fraud investigation.
- Successfully represented an executive’s daughter under grand jury investigation for vehicular assault.
- Successfully represented an elder care home under a whistleblower criminal investigation.
- Successfully lead a counter-counterfeit investigation on behalf of a nationwide vaping device company leading to the seizure of more than 100,000 counterfeit products with federal and state court orders along with criminal prosecution referrals for the sellers and wholesalers of the counterfeit devices.
- Successfully represented the owners of two private schools under grand jury investigation for PPP fraud.
- Successfully represented a private equity’s multi-family housing investment under investigation by Houston and Harris County for health and safety code violations.
- Successfully represented a multimillion-dollar family business in probate proceedings facing potential IRS criminal and civil violations.
- Represented one of the largest defense contractors in a FCA investigation over fraudulent billing allegations in a fixed fee contract.
- Has handled various internal investigations on behalf of multiple Fortune 100 companies.
- Successfully represented an individual indicted for felony auto theft.
- Represented an individual and his closely held companies under a civil FIRREA investigation.
- Represented an elder care home during a Texas HHS whistleblower criminal investigation with no charges filed.
- Successfully represented the NFL’s interests during a high-profile state criminal investigation.
- Successfully represented multiple clients in “wet lease/dry lease” FAA investigations.
- Counseled high-end jewelry client on Anti-Money Laundering and Bank Secrecy Act issues in the United States.
- Successfully represented a private equity firm regarding their due diligence into a farm under a Department of Agriculture crop insurance fraud investigation.
- Lead the investigation into the spray painting and defacing of a Picasso painting.
- Lead the federal investigation into the Santa Fe High School shooting.
- Prosecuted the owner and operator of India-based call centers sentenced for scamming U.S. victims out of millions.
- Prosecuted a Chinese energy company, U.S. oil & gas affiliate and Chinese national indicted for theft of trade secrets.
- Prosecuted a Texas professor and NASA researcher arrested on charges related to China’s Talents Program.
- Prosecuted a former Venezuelan official charged in connection with international bribery and money laundering scheme.
- Prosecuted Ukrainian men who plead guilty to conspiracy and trafficking counterfeit cancer and hepatitis drugs.
- Prosecuted a Texas doctor convicted in $325 million health care fraud scheme.
- Lead in the investigation into multiple doctors, physician assistants, pharmacists and pharmacies who were operating “pill mills” and illegal pain clinics.
*Some of these cases were handled prior to joining Haynes Boone.
- U.S. Attorney, Southern District of Texas, 2018-2021
- Judge, 177th District Court, 2012-2016
- Assistant District Attorney (Harris County), 2006-2012
- “Preparing Businesses for ICE raids,” speaker, Strafford Publications, April 10, 2025.
- “The evolving Reality of Third-Party Due Diligence, Monitoring and Audits,” panel member, ACI 2025 Houston Foreign Corrupt Practices Act Conference, January 22, 2025.
- “Financial Manipulation – Revising Public Disclosures”, panel member, Crisis Management Academy, February 29, 2024
- “The Nuances of In-Person vs. Remote Interviews: Key Differences and Approaches to Conducting an Effective Interview”, 17th Annual Forum on the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act – Houston, January 25, 2024
- “Meet the Texas US Attorneys”, moderator, UT Law Government Enforcement Institute, October 28, 2023
- FCPA Compliance Report Podcast, Guest, episode 652, “Ryan Patrick on the Role of a US Attorney Under the Monaco Memo,” April 2, 2023. Listen on Apple Podcast.
- “Understanding the Whistleblower Improvement Act”, panel member, hosted by Kreller Group, March 27, 2023
- “Managing the Crisis,” speaker, Houston Association of Corporate Counsel, March 22, 2023
- SDTX Chapter of Federal Bar Association, Federal Agency Practice, speaker, November 17, 2022
- "What To Do When Things Go Boom: Lawyer Crisis Management," speaker, Houston Bar Association, April 22, 2022
- "The Art of the Interview: Behavioral Science and Real-Life Takeaways for Interviewing Employees, Whistleblowers and Third Parties," speaker, ACI 2022 Houston Foreign Corrupt Practices Act Conference, January 27, 2022
- Fraud Fighter Podcast, Guest, episode 041 - United States Attorney - Ryan Patrick, November 29, 2021. Listen on Apple Podcast.
Education
J.D., South Texas College of Law Houston, 2006, The Order of Barristers
B.B.A., Baylor University, 2001, Sigma Iota Epsilon
Admissions
Texas
Court Admissions
U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas
U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas
