Steve Schleicher and Clayton Carlson Honored with Joe Friedberg Special Achievement Award from Minnesota Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers

Maslon is pleased to announce that Steve Schleicher, a litigation partner and chair of the Investigations & White Collar Defense Group, and litigation attorney Clayton Carlson, will receive the 2024 Joe Friedberg Special Achievement Award from the Minnesota Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. The award, for successfully defending their client in the recent Feeding Our Future trial, will be presented at the association's annual meeting Sept. 7.

Following a seven-week trial, a federal jury in Minnesota acquitted defendant Said Shafii Farah on June 7 of all nine charges in what federal officials claimed to be the nation’s largest fraud case arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. Steve and Clayton represented Farah, one of only two defendants among the seven on trial who were found not guilty. The attorney for the other defendant found not guilty, Andrew Garvis, will also receive the award.

The acquittal was an exceedingly rare result, as only 0.4% of defendants in federal criminal cases were found not guilty at trial in 2022, according to The Pew Research Center.

Steve is a renowned trial lawyer with deep experience in high profile cases. He concentrates his work on high stakes criminal and civil litigation, government and internal investigations, and appellate practice. Steve is well known for his role as a pro bono special prosecutor in the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd. A former federal prosecutor, Steve has defended individual clients in a wide variety of serious matters, including murder, drug, and white collar cases, and has represented businesses in high-profile investigations by state and federal entities around the country. Steve also has experience in military courts, having served as a JAG Corps Officer in the United States Army Reserve for 10 years.

Clayton works with individuals and corporations to help them navigate their interactions with the government. Focusing his practice on criminal defense, government and internal investigations, and complex civil litigation, Clayton has represented both individuals and corporations in a wide variety of both civil and criminal litigation. He has experience defending people accused of crimes in both state and federal court, ranging from DWI, assault, and drug-related offenses, to white collar crimes and murder.

Minnesota Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (MACDL) is a statewide organization that fosters the integrity, independence, and expertise of criminal defense lawyers.