Eric Bacaj is a skilled litigator at Silverman Thompson with over a decade of experience winning favorable verdicts for his clients. As both a criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor, Mr. Bacaj is known for his exceptional legal writing, award-winning trial skills, thorough cross-examination, and exhaustive investigation.
Mr. Bacaj began his career as a trial attorney in the courtrooms of the Bronx before becoming an award-winning federal prosecutor leading complex white-collar investigations. Mr. Bacaj focuses his practice on white-collar criminal defense, government investigations, and civil litigation.
During his time as an Assistant U.S. Attorney, Mr. Bacaj was routinely trusted with the U.S. Attorney’s highest profile cases within the U.S. and abroad, including cases featured on CBS Evening News, NBC Nightly News, the Daily Show with Jon Stewart, the Washington Post, and the New York Times, among other national news sources. Over nearly a decade with the U.S. Department of Justice, Mr. Bacaj oversaw the investigation and prosecution of high-profile cases involving public corruption, bank fraud, healthcare fraud, tax fraud, chemical spills, corporate non-compliance with federal regulations, transnational organized crime, and asset forfeiture. Mr. Bacaj also spearheaded his district’s review of reports by financial institutions with a team of federal agents. In this capacity, Mr. Bacaj worked closely with the FBI, IRS, DEA, ATF, HSI, U.S. Postal Service, and U.S. Secret Service, as well as inspectors general for the Department of the Treasury, FDIC, and Department of Labor.
While serving in the Justice Department, Mr. Bacaj honed his expertise in international criminal matters. He served as the primary law enforcement contact between the United States and Panama and met regularly with counterparts from the Attorneys General of Mexico and Panama. Mr. Bacaj coordinated formal treaty requests to Mexico, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Panama, Nicaragua, and the Dominican Republic, communicating with public officials in both English and Spanish. During his tenure in the Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs, Mr. Bacaj represented the strategic interests of the United States in transnational criminal prosecutions involving public corruption and bribery under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”), money laundering, identify theft, complex fraud schemes, cryptocurrency, international sanctions, environmental crimes, human trafficking, racketeering, and violent state crimes.
Mr. Bacaj also distinguished himself in private practice. He was selected by the Maryland State Bar Association as a contributor to Maryland Divorce & Separation Law, 10th Edition, and was recognized as a Rising Star by Super Lawyers in 2020 before returning to the Department of Justice.
- The Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law - J.D. - 2010
Cum Laude
- Denison University - B.A. - 2007
- Appellate / Civil Appeals
- Criminal Defense
- Internet Crimes
- DUI / DWI / Drunk Driving
- Business Litigation
- Investigations & White Collar Defense
- Investigation of the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia, resulting in the fraud convictions of two sitting justices.
- Trial and conviction of a doctor for distributing oxycodone beyond the bounds of medical practice, cited by the United States Attorney General as a model prosecution in the fight against the opioid epidemic.
- Conviction of a county prosecutor for falsely billing the public defender service for more than $125,000 during his time in private practice.
- Forfeiture of more than $1.3 million from a financial institution for failing to effectively operate an anti-money laundering program in compliance with the Bank Secrecy Act.
- Extradition of an alleged drug trafficker profiled in a Netflix true-crime series.
- Prevented the introduction of any evidence of wiretapped communications against lead defendant in drug trafficking conspiracy, resulting in a sentence of only two-and-a-half years.
- Resolved a federal civil rights lawsuit brought under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 with a favorable settlement for a pro bono client.
- Partial acquittal of client following trial on child pornography charges.
- Dismissal of charges against client in state court for theft of luggage captured on video at Dulles International Airport.
- Dismissal of armed carjacking charges against client for violations of the Interstate Agreement on Detainers.
- Trial Attorney, U.S. Department of Justice, Office of International Affairs, 2020-2022
- Assistant U.S. Attorney, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of West Virginia, 2014-2018
- Assistant District Attorney, Bronx County, NY, District Attorney’s Office, 2011-2014
- Mr. Bacaj was awarded a Gold Medal for Exceptional Service, the Environmental Protection Agency’s highest honor, for his role in the prosecution of those responsible for a chemical spill in Charleston, West Virginia, that contaminated the water supply of more than 300,000 people.
- Mr. Bacaj also received the Environmental Protection Agency’s Bronze Medal for Commendable Service for the conviction of a laboratory manager responsible for falsifying water samples at a coal mine to avoid Clean Water Act violations.
- During his previous time in private practice, Super Lawyers recognized Mr. Bacaj as a Rising Star in both Maryland and Washington, D.C.
- American Bar Association
- Federal Bar Association
- Bar Association of Montgomery County