March 04, 2013
Kathleen McGovern ’88CBA, ’91L knows that, for too many
people, the love of money truly is the root of all evil. And she’s
devoted her professional life to doing something about it.
McGovern is currently the Senior Deputy Chief for Litigation at the
U.S. Department of Justice,
Criminal Division, Fraud Section, where she is responsible for
supervising the Section’s investigation and prosecution of complex
white-collar crime cases throughout the country.
“My job is about helping people who pretty much have lost
everything because of the actions of others,” she said. “For me,
working on trials and being part of cutting edge prosecutions is
all about making it right for the victims. And it’s a great way for
me to put my Vincentian ideals of helping those in need into
action.”
She has substantial experience with jury trials, including
corporate securities and healthcare fraud, high-yield investment
schemes, money laundering and tax conspiracy cases. Most recently,
her work has been focused on cases relating to complicated
corporate, securities and investment fraud cases, as well as
investigations and initiatives to combat sophisticated financial
frauds which contributed to the recent financial
crisis.
“Greed is a powerful motivator,” she noted, ‘and even though many
of the cases that we prosecute are rather complex, they usually
come down to a person or group attempting to deceive others for
their own financial gain. No matter how intricate or extensive
these crimes are, they all involve taking advantage of others in
some way. And that’s just wrong!”
Prior to joining the Justice Department in 2003, McGovern held a
number of key positions in the Suffolk County District Attorney's
Office, including Deputy Bureau Chief of the Economic Crime Bureau
and Principal Assistant District Attorney in the Major Crime
Bureau.
She acknowledges that the combination of her B.S. in Accounting
from St. John’s College of Business Administration and J.D. from St. John’s
School of Law provided the perfect academic foundation for
success in her current position.
“Being a graduate of St. John’s really did so much for my career,”
she acknowledged. “The mixture of my business and legal backgrounds
put me in a great spot for my position at the Department of
Justice. And the other thing that I would point out is that at
every step of the way, there was always someone, usually a St.
John’s graduate, who was looking to help me. That’s just the way
things are with St. John’s alumni. We’re always there for each
other.”
Grateful for what the University did for her, McGovern shows her
appreciation by reaching out to current students planning to embark
on a profession similar to her own. She shares firsthand
information about her career as an active participant in the Alumni Insider’s
View…Program (AIV...), and frequently offers students valuable
experience as interns within the Department of Justice.
Like many of her alumni colleagues, she is impressed by the
personal qualities that St. John’s students bring to the
professional world.
“Students from the University have a great work ethic and they’re
hungry to do the right thing,” she remarked. “They have a great
attitude and they’re used to coming from a different background
where everything isn’t handed to them. It’s a very different
mindset, a real working class mindset, which definitely appeals to
our alumni. We have a very active group of alumni here in
Washington, and whenever we get a resume from someone from St.
John’s we pass it around to see if anyone knows of an available
position. That’s what makes St. John’s graduates so special. We’re
always there for each other, and for the students.”