- Overview
- Experience
- Affiliations
- Insights
Overview
Rhett DeHart is ranked Band 2 in Litigation: White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations in South Carolina Chambers USA. .jpg?width=150&height=126&name=DeHart_%20Rhett%20(1).jpg)
Rhett DeHart is a Chambers-ranked litigator who represents companies and individuals in white-collar criminal and civil actions involving healthcare fraud, the False Claims Act, customs and import fraud, bank fraud, environmental crimes, and internal investigations. He brings to every client and case a 20-year career as a federal prosecutor. Rhett’s experience with the Justice Department and federal and state law enforcement agencies provides his clients – whether companies or individuals – with unique advantages in defending criminal, civil, and administrative actions.
Prior to private law practice, Rhett served as Acting United States Attorney in South Carolina, capping a 20-year career as a federal prosecutor. As Acting U.S. Attorney, Rhett successfully oversaw numerous high-profile criminal and civil cases, including an $11 billion securities fraud case involving the state’s largest utility company, a $140 million False Claims Act suit involving healthcare providers, and a $30 million investment fraud case involving a coastal real estate development. He also served as First Assistant United States Attorney and Assistant United States Attorney and served as the liaison between the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Federal Judiciary in South Carolina.
Having prosecuted and defended hundreds of federal cases, Rhett is an experienced and respected litigator. He has tried approximately 30 cases to verdict, authored more than 40 appellate briefs, and argued nine cases before the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. Rhett has worked closely with every major federal and state law enforcement agency, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Health and Human Services (HHS-OIG), the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Customs Service (ICE), and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
In addition to government investigations, Rhett represents property owners and developers in environmental litigation under the Clean Water Act, the Endangered Species Act, and the National Environmental Policy Act.
Rhett also brings extensive legislative experience to his client representations. Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Rhett was Counsel to the United States Senate Judiciary Committee, where he was lead counsel for criminal legislation.
Publications & Presentations
Publications
- Co-Author, "SCOTUS Limits Scope of Federal Anti-Bribery Law," Corporate Compliance Insights, July 2, 2024
- Co-Author, “DOJ Signals Expanded Use of Independent Monitors for Corporate Criminal Enforcement,” Corporate Compliance Insights, June 8, 2022
- Co-Author, “Covid Fraud Enforcement: What You and Your Clients Need to Know,” Duffy and Young, February 2022
- Author, “Is the Exclusionary Rule” South Carolina Lawyer, March 2015
- Co-Author, “Federal and State Securities Enforcement,” South Carolina Bar, 2008
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Co-Author, “Big Brother on the Beat: The Expanding Federalization of Crime,” Texas Review of Law & Politics, Vol. 1, Issue 1, 1997
Presentations
- Panel moderator and speaker on criminal case trends under the Roberts Supreme Court, White-Collar Crime Institute, September 2025
- Panel moderator on a panel addressing trends on cross-border investigations, Southeastern White-Collar Crime Institute, September 2024
- Panelist, Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP’s First Annual Health Care Fraud Symposium, March 14, 2023
- Co-Presenter, "Best Practices for Internal Investigations," The Association of Corporate Counsel South Carolina Annual Meeting, September 16, 2022
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Education
- University of South Carolina School of Law, J.D. (Order of the Coif) | 1994
- University of South Carolina Honors College, B.A., International Studies | 1991
Bar Admissions
- South Carolina
Court Admissions
- South Carolina Supreme Court
- United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
- United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
- United States District Court for the District of South Carolina
Related Services
- Represented a global investment firm in an environmental suit under the Clean Water Act and the Endangered Species Act regarding the largest real estate development in the history of Charleston, South Carolina. Won summary judgment in U.S. District Court and successfully argued against an injunction in the Fourth Circuit, which resulted in a published decision.
- Defended the Chief Officer of a container ship in a criminal environmental investigation in the Port of Charleston involving an international shipping company and received a declination from the Justice Department.
- Conducted a successful internal investigation on behalf of an international logistics and shipping company that uncovered at least $750,000 in embezzled funds by a former employee. Submitted findings to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, which indicted the former employee for wire fraud.
- Represented an international investor against a cryptocurrency company in a week-long trial in the District of Delaware.
- Represented an elected official and obtained an immunity agreement in the Special Counsel’s investigation into the 2020 Presidential election in the District of Columbia.
- Represented an engineering firm and obtained a declination in a criminal investigation by the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC).
- Represented an investor in an insider trading investigation and obtained a declination in a criminal prosecution in the Southern District of New York and a civil declination from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
- Represented the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of a utility company in a breach of contract case and obtained a favorable settlement in the District of South Carolina.
- Represented a defense contractor and obtained a favorable settlement in a False Claims Act case in the Northern District of Iowa.
- Represented physician and obtained a settlement in a False Claims Act case in the District of South Carolina.
- Represented skilled nursing facilities and obtained a dismissal in a False Claims Act case in the District of Columbia.
Education
- University of South Carolina School of Law, J.D. (Order of the Coif) | 1994
- University of South Carolina Honors College, B.A., International Studies | 1991
Bar Admissions
- South Carolina
Court Admissions
- South Carolina Supreme Court
- United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
- United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
- United States District Court for the District of South Carolina
Related Services
Affiliations
- South Carolina Bar Association
- Federal Bar Association
- Charleston County Bar Association
Education
- University of South Carolina School of Law, J.D. (Order of the Coif) | 1994
- University of South Carolina Honors College, B.A., International Studies | 1991
Bar Admissions
- South Carolina
Court Admissions
- South Carolina Supreme Court
- United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
- United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
- United States District Court for the District of South Carolina