Gordon C. Rhea P.C., 2009 – Present
Chief litigator handling environmental and toxic tort matters for Richardson, Patrick, Westbrook, and Brickman in an Of Counsel capacity.  In capacity of Gordon C. Rhea P.C., handling high-profile white collar criminal cases, primarily involving tax matters; representing plaintiffs and defendants in a variety of commercial disputes, tax, and injury cases.

Over past six years, I have averaged four to five jury trials per year.  Major trials in recent years include:

• Represented chief financial officer of prominent EDC company in 2 ½-month-long white collar criminal trial in Federal Court, client acquitted on all counts
• Represented prominent business man in Federal tax evasion and money laundering prosecution, charges dismissed
• Represented prominent business owners in Federal criminal structuring case, charges dismissed
• Represented landowner-defendant in multi-million dollar litigation in Federal court over a land deal gone bad
• Represented Senator in the Virgin Islands charged with multiple felonies, acquitted on all counts
• Represented a former Virgin Islands Governor in a criminal matter, resolved and resulted in a dismissal
• Represented workers suffering from pulmonary damages caused by exposure to heavy metals in industrial dust, settled during closing arguments
• Represented Virgin Islands government in environmental case against oil refinery and bauxite refinery, settled for cash and remediation value.
• Represented e-commerce company in AAA three-judge panel arbitration resulting in judgment for clients
• Represented major Virgin Islands government official in wrongful termination arbitration before AAA
• Represented in criminal and civil litigation the owner/CEO of several offshore companies providing asset protection and tax-minimizing structures.

Richardson, Patrick, Westbrook, and Brickman, 2003 – 2009
Member, handling a variety of complex civil and criminal cases with a specialty in toxic torts, groundwater and industrial pollution, and white collar criminal defense.  Managed major litigation involving abusive tax shelters and promoter liability against national accounting firms, including KPMG.  Represented New Jersey, Puerto Rico, and the United States Virgin Islands in litigation against major oil companies to recover damages and cleanup costs from contamination to groundwater resources from petroleum and petroleum additives, such as MTBE

Gordon C. Rhea, P.C., 1991 – 2002
Worked as sole practitioner, handling large white-collar criminal cases and co-counseling with major national firms in large-scale civil and criminal litigation, including a class action involving some three thousand residents in the Virgin Islands claiming damages flowing from exposure to silicas and heavy metals released from a bauxite refinery.  On the criminal side, represented several business men in Federal criminal investigations by the Justice Department’s Criminal Tax Division.

Partner, Law Firm of Alkon and Rhea, 1982-1991
Founded prominent plaintiff’s and white-collar criminal defense firm in the United States Virgin Islands, specializing in toxic tort litigation, product liability cases, and complex white collar cases, predominantly involving tax issues or government corruption claims.  Over a period of fifteen years, brought a host of cases against the Hess Oil refinery and the Martin Marietta bauxite refinery in the Virgin Islands for toxic exposure to workers, including asbestos, heavy-metal catalysts, silica, solvents, and isocyanate paints.  Also brought ground-breaking product liability cases against automobile manufacturers Ford, Suzuki, and Fiat involving injuries caused by vehicle instability, firewall failures, and occupant protection failures.  Handled litigation involving airplane crashes, turbulence encounters, and a wide range of catastrophic worker related injuries.  Served as co-counsel in litigation against Exxon, ESSO, Texaco and others for contaminating the sole-source aquifer on the island of St. Thomas with petroleum and chlorinated hydrocarbons.  Also maintained an active criminal practice, including a string of white collar cases, homicides, and high-profile felonies.  Extensive appellate work in the Third Circuit Court of Appeals.

Special Assistant United States Attorney, U. S. Virgin Islands, 1981-1982.
Prosecuted major felonies in the United States Virgin Islands, including a series of high-profile murder cases.

Assistant United States Attorney, Washington D.C., 1976-1981.
Prosecuted hundreds of criminal cases in the Superior Court for the District of Columbia and in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.  Cases ranged from misdemeanors to first degree murders to complex white collar prosecutions.  Served rotations in the misdemeanor, grand jury, felony trial, and appellate divisions.  Tried approximately seventy jury trials.  Served as the Deputy Director of Superior Court Operations, overseeing all felony prosecutions in the District of Columbia, and as the Executive Assistant United States Attorney under United States Attorney Charles C. Ruff, with responsibility for coordinating local and Federal law enforcement agencies, reviewing and authorizing major local and Federal prosecutions, trying high-profile prosecutions in the nation’s capital, and assisting in managing the Federal prosecutor’s office of more than 160 civil and criminal lawyers.

Special Assistant to the Chief Counsel, Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Activities, Washington, D.C., 1975-1976.
Worked closely with Chief Counsel F. A. O. Schwartz, Jr. investigating potential abuses by the intelligence community, including attempts to assassinate foreign leaders and to undermine domestic political movements.  Extensive work acquiring documents, deposing witnesses, writing reports, drafting legislation, and preparing Senators Church and Mondale for hearings.  A major drafter of reports on CIA attempts to assassinate Fidel Castro and on FBI attempts to discredit Martin Luther King.

Law Offices of Barry Tarlow, Los Angeles, California.  Associate, 1974-1975.
Specialized in defending complex criminal cases and drafting and arguing appeals in the 9^th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Woodcraftsman, Thales Marine, San Diego, 1970-1971.

United States Peace Corps, Ethiopia, 1968-1970.

Worked as a teacher and as a community development worker in remote villages in the Ethiopian highlands and in the Ogaden desert, near Somalia.