Benjamin Naftalis is New York Deputy Office Managing Partner and previously served as Global Co-Chair of the firm’s White Collar Defense & Investigations Practice.
Ben represents companies, boards, senior executives, and asset managers in government and internal investigations, regulatory enforcement matters, high-profile disputes, and other sensitive situations throughout the US and internationally. He also counsels private fund managers and clients on compliance, trading, and deal-related diligence.
Ben, a former federal prosecutor, draws on his experience before a range of US regulators, including the Department of Justice (DOJ), Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), related to allegations of securities and commodities fraud, insider trading, market manipulation, accounting and healthcare fraud, prescription drug diversion, bribery and corruption, sanctions, and money laundering.
Ben advises cryptocurrency clients on a range of compliance, litigation, and enforcement matters at the forefront of regulatory developments involving digital assets and blockchain technology. His recent cryptocurrency matters have included investigations by the DOJ, SEC, CFTC, Office of Foreign Assets Controls (OFAC), and Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) on regulatory compliance for token offerings, centralized and decentralized trading platforms, insider trading, money laundering, and market manipulation.
He also regularly represents clients in high-stakes business disputes and securities litigation, and counsels public and private companies through crises, including audit and special committee investigations.
Ben is recognized as a 2024 Fintech MVP by Law360 and by leading publications, including Chambers and The Legal 500 US, a preeminent white collar practitioner. Since bringing the first-of-its-kind securities fraud prosecution related to a cryptocurrency in 2014, he has been a recognized leader in the digital asset space — where he is ranked Band 1 by Chambers FinTech. In 2012, he received the US Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service — the DOJ’s second-highest award.
Before private practice, Ben served as an Assistant US Attorney in the Southern District of New York and left as a senior member of the Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force, conducting joint and parallel investigations with the FBI, SEC, CFTC, DEA, DoD, and foreign regulators. During his tenure at the DOJ, Ben led domestic and cross-border investigations involving securities fraud, insider trading, market manipulation, accounting fraud, wire fraud, terrorism and national security, international money-laundering, and global narcotics trafficking. There he also tried eight federal jury trials and briefed and argued more than 10 appeals before the Second Circuit.
Ben clerked for Judge Jed S. Rakoff of the US District Court for the Southern District of New York and Judge Dennis Jacobs of the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. He began his career as a corporate development analyst at DoubleClick, later acquired by Google.
He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a trustee of the Citizens Budget Commission and the Larchmont Manor Park Society.
Ben’s White Collar Defense & Investigations experience includes representing:
Ben’s Civil and Securities Litigation experience includes representing:
Firm honored by Law360 for advising startups, financial institutions, VCs, digital asset and Web3 participants, and corporations on their most innovative and complex transactions, investigations, litigation, and regulatory matters.
Chambers and The Legal 500 recognize Latham’s deep global fintech capabilities and track record of landmark mandates.
Benjamin Naftalis, New York Deputy Office Managing Partner, and Douglas Yatter, Global Vice Chair of the White Collar Defense & Investigations Practice, were named 2024 Law360 Fintech MVPs for representing global cryptocurrency players across multiple jurisdictions in first of their kind regulatory investigations, litigation, and white collar matters.