Practices

Craig Warkol is Chair of the Litigation & Investigations Group. Craig has extensive experience assisting clients with SEC examinations and representing them at all stages of investigations and enforcement cases brought by the SEC, DOJ, FINRA, CFTC, and other self-regulatory organizations and state regulators. He also advises clients on issues related to insider trading, market manipulation, and regulatory risks associated with new products and emerging technology, such as digital assets, artificial intelligence, the use of alternative data, prediction markets and electronic communications. Craig frequently conducts client training sessions and presents at leading industry events.

Prior to private practice, Craig served both as an enforcement attorney with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and as a Special Assistant in the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Eastern District of New York where prosecuted numerous complex and high-profile securities fraud, accounting fraud, and insider trading cases.

Craig is recognized as a leading litigation lawyer in Benchmark Litigation, The Legal 500 US, and New York Super Lawyers. He received his J.D. from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law and his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan.

Representative Experience
  • Advises numerous financial services firms concerning issues arising under the federal securities and commodities laws.
  • Represented the co-founder of a multi-billion-dollar asset manager in parallel SEC and DOJ insider trading investigations, both of which were dismissed with no charges.
  • Represented an investment adviser and principals in an SEC market manipulation investigation related to GameStop—no fraud charges brought.
  • Represented a broker-dealer in connection with parallel SEC and DOJ investigations regarding disclosures and valuation issues.
  • Represented a former Equifax CIO in a high-profile insider trading case brought by the DOJ and SEC.
  • Defended a multinational financial services company in parallel investigations by the DOJ and SEC regarding trading practices and disclosure issues, resulted in a corporate criminal plea and SEC settlement.
  • Represented the chief financial officer of a public company under investigation for accounting fraud and manipulation of financial statements and SEC filings.
  • Represented several hedge fund managers in connection with criminal and SEC insider-trading investigations.
  • Conducted an independent internal investigation at a billion-dollar public company into allegations of corporate malfeasance by the chief executive officer and global head of procurement.
  • Represented a major energy company in New York State Attorney General’s investigation of public disclosures regarding climate change.
  • Represented a significant hedge fund in connection with the New York State Attorney General’s “pay-to-play” investigations and prosecutions.
  • Represented the chief financial officer of a Fortune 500 company under investigation for backdating stock options.
  • Represented an attorney under investigation by the DOJ for engaging in securities fraud.
  • Represented an individual under investigation by the SEC concerning penny stock transactions and corporate identity theft.
  • Represented a principal investor in connection with criminal inquiry for orchestrating a fraudulent initial public offering.