Charlie Phoenix

Charlie Phoenix is an associate in King & Spalding’s Special Matters and Government Investigations practice. He advises clients on internal investigations, government enforcement actions, white-collar defense, cybersecurity, fintech, AI-related risks, and national-security matters. Before joining the firm, he served more than a decade at the FBI and previously worked at the Department of Homeland Security. Charlie earned his J.D. from Georgetown, an M.S. in National Security and Intelligence with distinction from American University, and a B.A. from the University of Maryland.

Charlie’s practice focuses on corporate internal investigations, government enforcement actions, white-collar criminal defense, and related civil litigation. He advises companies, boards, and individuals in matters involving the False Claims Act and whistleblower allegations, FCPA and anti-corruption issues, financial technology and cryptocurrency investigations, foreign investment review, cybersecurity incidents, and emerging risks associated with artificial intelligence and chatbot technologies. He also counsels clients on national-security-related regulatory considerations.

Before joining the firm, and after a short stint at the Department of Homeland Security, Charlie served for more than a decade in public service at the Federal Bureau of Investigation. In that role, he supported investigations involving public corruption, insider-threat activity, corporate misconduct, FCPA, cybersecurity intrusions, financial crimes, anti-money-laundering violations, FISA 702, drug cartels, and counterterrorism. He held multiple leadership roles across the Bureau, including in the Counterterrorism Division, Intelligence Branch, Inspection Division, and the Office of Private Sector Domestic Security Alliance Council, where he worked closely with Fortune 1000 companies on threat-resilience and information-sharing initiatives. He has completed specialized investigative and analytical training at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia. He maintains a Top Secret/SCI Full Scope security clearance until expiration.

Charlie graduated from Georgetown University Law Center, where he completed concentrations in National Security Law and Artificial Intelligence Law. He earned his M.S. in National Security and Intelligence, with distinction and a focus on cybersecurity and investigations, from American University and his B.A. from the University of Maryland, College Park, where he graduated summa cum laude and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa.