Benjamin Naftalis is New York Deputy Office Managing Partner and former Global Co-Chair of the firm’s White Collar Defense & Investigations Practice.
A former federal prosecutor, Ben advises companies, boards, and executives on government and internal investigations, enforcement matters, high-stakes disputes, and crises. He is a go-to litigator known for counseling companies and boards through audit and special committee investigations and other sensitive matters, and fund managers on compliance, trading, and deal-related diligence.
Ben’s representative clients include Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), BC Partners, BTIG, Endeavor, Funko, Goldman Sachs, HSBC, Lands’ End, Nissan, One Rock Capital Partners, Shift4 Payments, Silver Lake, TKO, and UFC.
Ben has deep expertise before US regulators, including the Department of Justice (DOJ), Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), the NY Attorney General concerning 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 on compliance, disputes, and enforcement involving digital assets, fintech, and AI. His engagements include disputes and investigations linked to token offerings, centralized and decentralized trading platforms, insider trading, money laundering, and market manipulation.
Law360 recognized Ben as a 2024 Fintech MVP; Chambers and Legal 500 US rank him a preeminent white collar practitioner. Since prosecuting the first cryptocurrency securities fraud case in 2014, he has led in the digital asset space — ranked Band 1 by Chambers FinTech. In 2012, he received the Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service — DOJ’s second-highest honor.
Before private practice, Ben served as an Assistant US Attorney in the Southern District of New York (SDNY), leaving as a senior member of the Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force. He conducted joint and parallel investigations with the FBI, SEC, CFTC, DEA, DoD, and foreign regulators, leading domestic and cross-border matters involving securities fraud, insider trading, market manipulation, accounting fraud, wire fraud, terrorism and national security, international money laundering, and global narcotics trafficking. He tried eight federal jury trials and briefed and argued over 10 appeals before the Second Circuit.
Ben clerked for Judge Jed S. Rakoff (SDNY) and Judge Dennis Jacobs (Second Circuit). He began his career as a corporate development analyst at DoubleClick, later acquired by Google.
Ben is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Ben’s notable experience includes representing:
Ben Naftalis and Ray C. Schrock honored for distinguished leadership and community impact.
Two wins and seven finalist honors in the NYLJ’s annual awards program — including for Large Law Firm of the Year — reflect the firm’s litigation, transactional, and regulatory prowess, innovative office and practice leadership, and clear market leadership in New York.
Firm adds Band 1 Fintech ranking in Hong Kong, maintains Band 1 rankings across the US, UK, Germany, and the UAE.