Craig Carpenito is co-leader of the firm’s Government & Internal Investigations Group. His practice is focused on governmental and corporate investigations, securities regulatory and enforcement matters, white collar criminal defense, health care investigations and complex civil litigation. Prior to joining Alston & Bird, Craig served as both an assistant U.S. attorney in the Securities and Health Care Fraud Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey and as senior counsel with the Securities and Exchange Commission’s New York Regional Office.
Craig has extensive experience in counseling both public and private companies, as well as highly regulated entities in the financial services and health care industries, through critical situations. Craig routinely represents both corporate and individual clients in investigations by the DOJ, SEC, CFTC, OFAC, IRS, HHS, as well as FINRA, the CME, and various State’s Attorney General’s Offices.
Craig is also a trial lawyer with substantial experience in all phases of litigation, including the successful trial of numerous complex matters to verdict.
Craig has recently been named a Rising Star as one of the top white collar defense and government/internal investigations attorneys under the age of 40 in the industry by both Law360 and Super Lawyers.
- Conducted numerous internal investigations for multinational financial services and health care companies concerning potential issues arising under the federal securities, commodities and health care laws, as well as numerous other state and federal laws and regulations.
- Represents a multinational financial services company in parallel investigations by federal and state regulators relating to its residential mortgage-backed securitization (RMBS) practices.
- Represents a worldwide financial services provider in an internal investigation of potential violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and OFAC regulations by an employee who attempted to broker deals with the Iranian government.
- Represented investment companies, broker-dealers, funds and numerous individuals in several high-profile insider trading investigations and prosecutions by the SEC, FINRA, DOJ and foreign regulators, including those stemming from the high-profile “expert networking” investigation.
- Represented a senior executive in global parallel investigations by DOJ, the CFTC, the FSA and other regulators concerning the alleged manipulation of interbank lending rates (LIBOR).
- Represented companies and individuals in investigations by DOJ, the SEC, FINRA, and state securities regulators concerning their participation in purported market manipulations, investment schemes and trading inquiries, including the recent wave of “layering” investigations.
- Successful representation of several officers and directors of a publicly traded company being investigated by the SEC for allegations of impropriety in their alleged misuse of accounting reserves.
- Successful representation of the chief investment officer of a large financial institution in an SEC investigation and civil litigation concerning public disclosures of the firm’s investment portfolio.
- Successful representation of a private equity fund in civil litigation against its former CEO and numerous other individual and corporate defendants alleging fraud and misappropriation.
- Counsel to a large credit rating agency on matters relating to the Credit Rating Agency Reform Act of 2006 and other securities regulatory matters.
- Counsel to several global, private investment companies on securities regulatory and compliance matters.
During his tenure in the government, Craig was primarily responsible for several high-profile investigations, enforcement proceedings and trials, including:
- The successful prosecution of the chairman of Cendant for his participation in a securities fraud conspiracy that resulted in a $14 billion loss to shareholders (U.S. v. Walter Forbes).
- The investigation and successful prosecution of numerous insider trading cases, including the successful prosecution of a former Cirrus Logic director (U.S. v. Alfred Teo, Sr.) and a successful civil enforcement proceeding against a former director of Interstate Bakeries Corp. (SEC v. E. Garrett Bewkes, et al.).
- The investigation and successful prosecution of a brokerage firm, its CEO and several traders for violations of the SEC’s Short Sale Rules (In the Matter of Andover Brokerage, LLC, et al.).
- The investigation leading to a civil enforcement action against one of the big four global advertising companies for their participation in an accounting fraud resulting in restatements totaling over half of a billion dollars (SEC v. Interpublic Group of Companies, et al.).
- The investigation of stock option backdating practices of several companies, including a leading biotechnology company.
- The investigation and successful prosecution of several market manipulation, pump and dump, and Ponzi schemes, including U.S. v. Stewart Kaiser, et al. (successful prosecution of a pump and dump scheme touting an anti-terrorism device shortly after 9/11); U.S. v. Guy Urciuoli (successful prosecution of the V.P. of Finance of a technology company for $5 million fraud); and U.S. v. David Kaye (successful prosecution of a $13 million Ponzi scheme).
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Craig Carpenito was quoted in The American Lawyer's Litigation Daily in an article discussing the Netflix CEO’s use of social media and the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) investigation into whether a message posted on the CEO’s public Facebook page in July violated Regulation Fair Disclosure, a rule that requires all publically traded companies to disclose material information to all investors at the same time.
December 10, 2012
In the Press
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April 10, 2012
In the Press
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October 5, 2010
In the Press
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September 15, 2010
In the Press
Past Events
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January 28, 2013
Seminar
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March 30, 2012
Seminar
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May 24, 2011
Seminar
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September 16, 2009
Seminar
- Association of SEC Alumni