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 has broad experience advising companies, boards of directors, and senior executives on a wide range of matters, with a particular emphasis on government and internal investigations, enforcement matters, high-stakes disputes, and corporate crises. He has built a reputation as a go-to litigator with an unusual breadth of experience, regularly counseling companies and boards through audit and special committee investigations and other sensitive matters, and private fund managers on compliance, trading, and deal-related diligence.
Ben, a former federal prosecutor, has deep expertise before a range of US regulators, including the Department of Justice (DOJ), Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), in matters 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 clients on a range of compliance, litigation, and enforcement matters at the forefront of regulatory developments involving digital assets, blockchain technology, and artificial intelligence. His recent matters have included investigations by the DOJ, SEC, CFTC, Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), and Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) regarding regulatory compliance for token offerings, centralized and decentralized trading platforms, insider trading, money laundering, and market manipulation.
Ben is recognized as a 2024 Fintech MVP by Law360 and by leading publications, including Chambers and The Legal 500 US, as a preeminent white collar practitioner. Since prosecuting the first-of-its-kind securities fraud matter related to 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 entering 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, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Department of Defense (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 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 notable experience includes representing:
White Collar Defense & Investigations
Complex Commercial and Securities Litigation
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.