With nearly three decades of criminal and civil litigation experience at the United States Department of Justice (DOJ), Gene Rossi leverages the skills he honed as a renowned federal prosecutor to primarily concentrate on matters relating to criminal defense and government investigations as a shareholder in the Firm of Carlton Fields.

Born and raised in Middletown, Connecticut, Gene grew up on a dairy farm and worked in his family’s lumber business where he learned the value of hard work.  After law school, Gene worked as a Washington Representative for Connecticut Governor Bill O’Neill from 1983-89. During 1989-2016, he had a prolific DOJ career. 

In 2001 in Alexandria, Virginia, Gene became an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia (EDVA), where he led and supervised a vast array of high-profile investigations involving the opioid crisis, OCDETF, murder, health care, tax, immigration, public corruption, terrorism, and the environment. Gene also served as Deputy Chief of the Narcotics Unit; and later as chief of the Specials Unit.His achievements in the courtroom have earned him a multitude of commendations, including the FBI Washington Field Office’s Career Achievement Award in 2016 — the only time the award had ever been presented to a prosecutor. 

Gene has long had a passion for education beyond the many DOJ prosecutors whom he trained. He has taught legal writing and ethics at American University Law School, constitutional law and criminal procedure at George Mason University, and trial advocacy at Harvard and University of Virginia law schools. 

Gene is a dedicated community advocate. He was on the board of directors of D.C. Law Students In Court, a five-school consortium that provides legal aid to tenants and indigent criminal defendants. He serves on the board of Friends of Guest House, a women’s reentry program in his home town of Alexandria, Virginia. In addition to being a long-time youth basketball coach, he is also the founder and commissioner of Alexandria’s “Hoop Madness Club” (close to 400 members), which plays outdoor basketball all year.  Gene has been married to his wife Diane Deaton Rossi since 1985; they have three wonderful adult children (Leigh, Will, and Jack), as well as an adorable rescue dog (“Bugsy”).