Vanessa’s public service career includes a Presidential appointment as the US Attorney for the District of Connecticut, state service as an Associate Attorney General, and prior federal service as an Assistant US Attorney and a trial attorney with the US Department of Justice.
Appointed as the US Attorney for the District of Connecticut in 2022, Vanessa brings decades of experience in both the public and private sectors to her representation of clients in a wide range of complex regulatory, commercial, and criminal matters. A seasoned litigator, she offers clients strategic guidance and insight into the litigation process and provides creative solutions to their legal challenges. At McCarter, she helps clients with federal and state government investigations and enforcement actions, the defense of high-stakes white collar matters, corporate investigations, and complex commercial litigation.
As US Attorney, Vanessa exercised broad discretion and decision-making authority in a wide variety of challenging criminal and civil matters. She prosecuted cases related to violent crime and narcotics, child exploitation, human trafficking, environmental crimes, financial fraud, public corruption, cybercrime, and national security issues. She also spearheaded civil rights enforcement and hate crime prevention across the state while stressing the importance of community engagement.
Prior to her appointment as US Attorney, Vanessa served as the Associate Attorney General and Chief of the Division of Enforcement and Public Protection at the Connecticut Office of the Attorney General. Her areas of responsibility included antitrust, opioids, government program fraud, consumer protection, child protection, civil rights, environment, energy, finance, and privacy. Before working in the Attorney General’s office, she served as an Assistant US Attorney in the Civil Division in Connecticut, prosecuting complex civil fraud cases under the False Claims Act, asset forfeiture cases, environmental violations, civil rights matters, and defending Bivens and medical malpractice cases. Vanessa also served as a trial attorney with the US Department of Justice in the Commercial Litigation Branch of the Civil Division.
