{"id":87120,"date":"2022-02-14T12:30:06","date_gmt":"2022-02-14T17:30:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/?post_type=bu-article&#038;p=87120"},"modified":"2022-07-21T16:21:04","modified_gmt":"2022-07-21T20:21:04","slug":"championing-russian-whistleblower","status":"publish","type":"bu-article","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/record\/articles\/2022\/championing-russian-whistleblower\/","title":{"rendered":"Championing a Whistleblower\u2014and the Integrity of Sport"},"content":{"rendered":"\t<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-leadin record-block-editorial-leadin is-style-emphasis-on-text has-media has-media-focus-center-bottom has-primary-theme\">\n\t\t<div class=\"container-lockup\">\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-leadin-media\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<img width=\"2000\" height=\"1500\" src=\"\/law\/files\/2022\/02\/olympic-rings-shinnosuke-ando-unsplash.jpg\" class=\"\" alt=\"Olympic Rings at night\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/02\/olympic-rings-shinnosuke-ando-unsplash.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/02\/olympic-rings-shinnosuke-ando-unsplash-636x477.jpg 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/02\/olympic-rings-shinnosuke-ando-unsplash-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/02\/olympic-rings-shinnosuke-ando-unsplash-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/02\/olympic-rings-shinnosuke-ando-unsplash-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/02\/olympic-rings-shinnosuke-ando-unsplash-1101x826.jpg 1101w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/02\/olympic-rings-shinnosuke-ando-unsplash-909x682.jpg 909w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/02\/olympic-rings-shinnosuke-ando-unsplash-1376x1032.jpg 1376w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/02\/olympic-rings-shinnosuke-ando-unsplash-1761x1321.jpg 1761w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/02\/olympic-rings-shinnosuke-ando-unsplash-459x344.jpg 459w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/02\/olympic-rings-shinnosuke-ando-unsplash-705x529.jpg 705w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/02\/olympic-rings-shinnosuke-ando-unsplash-917x688.jpg 917w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/02\/olympic-rings-shinnosuke-ando-unsplash-1411x1058.jpg 1411w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/02\/olympic-rings-shinnosuke-ando-unsplash-1819x1364.jpg 1819w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/02\/olympic-rings-shinnosuke-ando-unsplash-1333x1000.jpg 1333w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/02\/olympic-rings-shinnosuke-ando-unsplash-1600x1200.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-outer\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-leadin-caption wp-prepress-component-caption\">Photo by Shinnosuke Ando via Unsplash<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-inner\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"wp-prepress-tag\">Major Cases<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"head\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tChampioning a Whistleblower\u2014and the Integrity of Sport\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"deck\">Through her work with a former Russian official, Avni Patel (\u201910) has helped expose large-scale doping schemes in Olympic competitions and pass promising new anti-doping legislation.<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar record-prepress-layout-metabar\">\n\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-date\">February 14, 2022<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-credits\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul data-credit-type=\"By\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/record\/authors\/corinne-steinbrenner\/\">Corinne Steinbrenner<\/a><\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-share js-bu-prepress-share-tools\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-twitter\"><span>Twitter<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-facebook\"><span>Facebook<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-action\"><\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-introparagraph record-block-editorial-introparagraph is-style-dropcap-outlined has-dropcap has-dropcap-color-primary\"><h4>In Brief<\/h4><ul class=\"wp-block-editorial-introparagraph-toc\"><li>Patel represents Grigory Rodchenkov, the former head of Russia\u2019s national anti-doping laboratory who, <em>under pressure from the Russian government<\/em>, spent years helping Russian athletes get away with taking drugs to boost their performance.<\/li><\/ul><div class=\"wp-block-editorial-introparagraph-content\"><p>Back in 2016, <a href=\"https:\/\/wmhlaw.com\/professionals\/avni-p-patel\/\">Avni Patel<\/a>\u2014then a newly hired associate at Walden Macht &amp; Haran\u2014was working late in her Manhattan office one night when the firm\u2019s managing partner, Jim Walden, stepped through her door. He asked if Patel (\u201910) had time to help him with an interesting new case, guessing it wouldn\u2019t take more than 15 hours.<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image alignfarright\"><figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/law\/files\/2022\/02\/Patel-Avni-904x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Avni Patel ('10)\" class=\"wp-image-87126\" width=\"452\" height=\"512\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/02\/Patel-Avni-904x1024.jpg 904w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/02\/Patel-Avni-561x636.jpg 561w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/02\/Patel-Avni-768x870.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/02\/Patel-Avni-1355x1536.jpg 1355w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/02\/Patel-Avni-729x826.jpg 729w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/02\/Patel-Avni-602x682.jpg 602w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/02\/Patel-Avni-911x1032.jpg 911w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/02\/Patel-Avni-1166x1321.jpg 1166w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/02\/Patel-Avni-304x344.jpg 304w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/02\/Patel-Avni-467x529.jpg 467w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/02\/Patel-Avni-607x688.jpg 607w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/02\/Patel-Avni-934x1058.jpg 934w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/02\/Patel-Avni-1204x1364.jpg 1204w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/02\/Patel-Avni-1458x1652.jpg 1458w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/02\/Patel-Avni-882x1000.jpg 882w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/02\/Patel-Avni.jpg 1500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 452px) 100vw, 452px\" \/><figcaption>Photo courtesy of Avni Patel<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Five and a half years and thousands of working hours later, Patel is still involved in the case\u2014one that has made her an unexpected expert in the chemistry of detecting performance-enhancing drugs and led to her being named to&nbsp;the<em> <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/images.law.com\/media\/nationallawjournal\/supplements\/NLJTB_Sports_2021\/mobile\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>National Law Journal\u2019s<\/em> list<\/a> of 2021 \u201cSports, Gaming &amp; Entertainment Trailblazers,\u201d in recognition of her work in the sports anti-doping sphere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The client Patel agreed to help represent was Grigory Rodchenkov, who had recently resigned as head of Russia\u2019s national anti-doping laboratory. Months earlier, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the watchdog tasked with keeping performance-enhancing drugs out of international sports, had accused Rodchenkov of covering up positive drug tests for elite Russian athletes. Fearing the Russian government would resort to violence to keep him from exposing the full extent of Russia\u2019s doping schemes, Rodchenkov fled to the United States. (Weeks after he left Russia, two of Rodchenkov\u2019s former associates at the Russian Anti-Doping Agency unexpectedly died.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Soon after his arrival, Rodchenkov was subpoenaed by the US Department of Justice. He and the American filmmakers sheltering him knew he needed legal counsel, so\u2014after a false start with another attorney\u2014they turned to Walden, a respected specialist in white-collar investigation and defense. In a scene in <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.icarus.film\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Icarus<\/a><\/em>, a Netflix documentary that captured Rodchenkov\u2019s whistleblowing experience, the filmmaker assures Rodchenkov that his new lawyer is \u201cthe big one\u2014the top of the top of the top.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"headline-2\" class=\"wp-block-editorial-headline record-block-editorial-headline\">Bringing the Truth to Light<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Patel describes her first interaction with Rodchenkov as a surreal experience. She accompanied Walden to a meeting in a darkened room, she says, and listened as Rodchenkov relayed a farfetched-sounding tale of corruption that reached all the way to the Kremlin. Over time, Patel came to fully grasp Rodchenkov\u2019s complicated narrative: Under pressure from the highest ranks of the Russian government, he spent years helping Russian athletes get away with taking drugs to boost their performance. In 2014, he participated in an elaborate plot that involved swapping urine samples in the dark of night to cover up doping among Russian athletes at the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. Now that he was safely on US soil\u2014and in possession of terabytes of data to corroborate his accusations\u2014he wanted to share what he knew with anti-doping authorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories alignright record-block-editorial-relatedstories\">\n\t\t<h3 class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-title\">Related<\/h3>\n\t\t<ul class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-list\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-list-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<article class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-category\"><span>Experiential Education<\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/record\/articles\/2021\/andrew-tran-close-encounters-with-whistleblower-law\/\" class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-title-link\">Close Encounters with Whistleblower Law<\/a><\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-date\">March 17, 2021<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-list-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<article class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-category\"><span>Olympics<\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/record\/articles\/2021\/kristen-thorsness-olympic-rower\/\" class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-title-link\">Peak Performance<\/a><\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-date\">July 26, 2021<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-list-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<article class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-category\"><span>Looking Back<\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/record\/articles\/2021\/thomas-burke-first-olympic-gold\/\" class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-title-link\">First Olympic Gold<\/a><\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-relatedstories-article-date\">April 6, 2021<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe wanted to get all that information out there,\u201d says Patel, \u201cbut the first task was establishing the credibility of our client.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She and Walden spent weeks with Rodchenkov, interviewing him, reviewing data from his computer hard drives, and helping him figure out how to believably present his story. They supported him through days of interviews with WADA, which eventually recommended the suspension of Russia\u2019s Olympic team based on information Rodchenkov supplied. Russia\u2019s suspension lasts through 2022, but Russian athletes who are cleared of doping have been allowed to compete in Olympic games under the banner of the Russian Olympic Committee, rather than under the Russian flag.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Rodchenkov\u2019s revelations set off a flurry of investigations at sports federations around the world ahead of the 2018 Winter Olympics\u2014and new investigations continue to arise as implicated athletes request participation in international competitions. These investigations usually require Rodchenkov\u2019s involvement, and Patel, now a partner at Walden Macht &amp; Haran, remains his primary legal support in preparing testimony, affidavits, and witness statements. Some federations help cover legal costs for key witnesses, but most of Patel\u2019s work with Rodchenkov is <em>pro bono<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ve developed a relationship with the client and very much care about him,\u201d she says, \u201cbut also really care about the story and want to make sure this is seen through.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"headline-1\" class=\"wp-block-editorial-headline record-block-editorial-headline\">A New Law to Combat Doping<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Working with Rodchenkov made clear to Walden and Patel that athletic doping involves far more than a few dishonest athletes. Doctors and trainers supply drugs, government officials oversee doping systems, regulators accept bribes\u2014and their actions affect an industry that generates billions of dollars in broadcasting licenses and corporate sponsorships. The attorneys also concluded that the regulatory bodies overseeing sporting competitions don\u2019t have the power to curb this level of corruption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIf someone violates the WADA code, they\u2019re not going to jail,\u201d says Patel. \u201cThey\u2019re suspended from future Olympics.\u201d While that might deter an individual athlete who wants to compete, she says, it\u2019s not enough to stop high-level politicians from orchestrating doping schemes that benefit their countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Walden saw an opportunity for a long-arm statute that would give US law enforcement the power to prosecute international doping fraud. Working with members of Congress and fair-sport organizations, he drafted the first iteration of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/116th-congress\/house-bill\/835\/text\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act (RADA)<\/a>. Patel helped with subsequent revisions, and the act became law in December 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Federal prosecutors announced their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2022\/01\/12\/sports\/olympics\/federal-antidoping-law.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">first indictment under the new law<\/a> in January, accusing a Texas man of providing performance-enhancing drugs to two athletes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Patel says the indictment is gratifying. \u201cThere\u2019s always a fear\u201d she says, \u201cthat you\u2019re going to help pass a law that ends up sitting in the books for decades, getting dusty.\u201d She\u2019s pleased that the FBI has dedicated considerable resources to enforcing RADA, developing a specific unit to oversee sports-integrity investigations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe fact that they are prosecuting somebody who is providing the substances to an athlete is very exciting to me,\u201d she adds, \u201cbecause it\u2019s a sign that law enforcement recognizes what a widespread system this is.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Patel, who began her career as an assistant district attorney in the Bronx DA\u2019s Office, enjoys working on complicated investigations. The Rodchenkov case is a perfect example, she says, of a complex investigation that requires attention to myriad legal issues and the interplay among them. It\u2019s also an example of a case where it pays to take the time to truly understand a client\u2019s needs and goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-end-of-article\">\u201cThe more complex and high stakes the matter,\u201d she says, \u201cthe more important building and maintaining relationships with the client and key players becomes\u2014regardless of whether the client is an individual or a corporation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Patel represents Grigory Rodchenkov, the former head of Russia\u2019s national anti-doping laboratory who, under pressure from the Russian government, spent years helping Russian athletes get away with taking drugs to boost their performance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11260,"featured_media":87123,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"bu_prepress_billboard":"{\"post_id\":86676,\"hed\":\"A Double Dose of Growth\",\"dek\":\"Next Article\",\"class\":\"wp-block-editorial-billboard record-block-editorial-billboard is-layout-align-left has-media\",\"backgroundId\":\"86679\",\"backgroundUrl\":\"\\\/law\\\/files\\\/2022\\\/01\\\/moderna-vaccine-bottle-mufid-majnun-unsplash-970x456.jpg\",\"backgroundType\":\"image\",\"backgroundOpacity\":\"100\"}","_bu_prepress_primary_term":"","_bu_prepress_primary_term_manual":"Major Cases"},"tags":[4137],"bu-publication":[3742],"record-article-category":[3918,3744,3786],"record-topic":[],"bu_edition":[],"media_type":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/87120"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/bu-article"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11260"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=87120"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/87120\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":87167,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/87120\/revisions\/87167"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/87123"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=87120"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=87120"},{"taxonomy":"bu-publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-publication?post=87120"},{"taxonomy":"record-article-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/record-article-category?post=87120"},{"taxonomy":"record-topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/record-topic?post=87120"},{"taxonomy":"bu_edition","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu_edition?post=87120"},{"taxonomy":"media_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media_type?post=87120"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}