Li Yu

Li Yu is an experienced trial and appellate lawyer whose practice focuses on health care and pharmaceutical fraud, financial and securities fraud, civil rights, commercial, and other complex litigation. A recognized expert in qui tam and other whistleblower cases, Li has a proven track record of rooting out fraud and securing justice for victims of fraudulent and illegal conduct.

For more than a decade, Li served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, including four years as the senior counsel to the civil frauds unit, where he led the government’s qui tam litigation in cases concerning Medicare Part C, prescription drug marketing, pharmacy billing, medical devices, and other fraud matters. During his AUSA tenure, Li obtained more than a dozen significant civil fraud settlements totaling over $800 million and secured other important relief for American consumers.

Li has successfully litigated numerous cases to protect vulnerable individuals and ensure the fair and efficient functioning of the economy. For example, in a mortgage fraud case, Li obtained a series of injunctive orders to stop fraudulent flip sales and persuaded a federal district court to hold the fraudster in contempt after a trial for circumventing an injunction. He also spearheaded a series of Fair Housing Act cases against several of the largest real estate developers in the nation, which resulted in retrofits at more than 15,000 rental apartments to improve accessibility for people with disabilities.

Before joining DiCello Levitt, Li worked in securities enforcement at the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. He also served as senior counsel to the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations under Sen. Jon Ossoff, where he conducted consequential and headline-grabbing investigations into the mistreatment of military families by a large housing contractor and the sexual abuse of women prisoners by federal prison staff, among other issues. Earlier in his career, Li served as a law clerk for the Hon. Sidney H. Stein of the Southern District of New York and as a litigation associate at two international firms.

Li is a member of the Federal Bar Council and the New York City Bar Association’s Federal Courts Committee and is a frequent contributor to Law360, where he provides expert analysis on the False Claims Act and related topics. Outside of work, he is an active volunteer, including with InTandem Cycling, which provides tandem bicycling programs to people who are blind, have low vision, or cannot ride independently due to other disabilities.