Aaron Arnzen represents individuals and entities in white collar criminal matters, regulatory investigations, and financially complex civil disputes. He is a former federal prosecutor, SEC trial attorney, and CPA.
Unmatched experience in sophisticated financial disputes
Aaron has an exceptionally broad range of experience in complex financial disputes. He was a white collar federal prosecutor and Chief of the Major Frauds and Public Corruption Section at the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California. Before that, Aaron served as trial counsel in the SEC’s New York and San Francisco offices. He also practiced at Cooley LLP defending individuals and entities under scrutiny from criminal prosecutors and federal regulators, and has represented shareholders at a boutique litigation firm in Southern California. He is also a former CPA with industry experience and a deep understanding of how accountants and auditors work. Aaron brings the full range of this legal and business experience to bear for clients in a wide variety of cases and financial disputes.
Addressing the media about the prosecution of Gina Champion-Cain, mastermind of San Diego’s largest Ponzi scheme.
Decades of success in high-impact cases
Addressing the media after Gina Champion-Cain’s guilty plea.
Aaron has led or played a central role in high-impact financial cases over the course of his entire legal career. He led the SEC’s investigation of Bernie Madoff’s co-conspirators in New York. He prosecuted Gina Champion-Cain for orchestrating the Southern District of California’s largest Ponzi scheme. He helped mount the successful trial defense of a former Big 6 audit partner criminally charged with financial reporting fraud. Recently, he led the trial team that obtained a securities fraud jury verdict estimated to exceed $2 billion in a civil case against Elon Musk. Aaron has decades of jury trial experience in complex financial cases. Given these successes, Aaron is undaunted by tough cases and opponents with enormous resources.
Trial-ready
Questioning Elon Musk before the jury in the Northern District of California
Most cases are dismissed or settled well before they get to trial, which means many litigators have never tried a case to verdict. So why do attorneys with deep trial experience tout it? Because settlements are built around what the parties believe would happen at an eventual trial. And lawyers with legitimate trial skills can send strong signals of likely trial success throughout the entire litigation process. They are adept at choosing viable legal theories, seeking or opposing pre-trial dismissal, developing compelling evidence, and undermining their opponent’s positions. Aaron habitually thinks about trial because that perspective helps clients pursue more favorable resolutions and, failing that, prepares them to prevail at trial.
The client’s case, the client’s goals
Not all clients are the same. Some seek certainty, while others have high risk tolerance. Some clients are confronted with disputes that may affect the rest of their lives, while others simply hope to deal with a legal distraction so they can focus on their business or family. Aaron collaborates closely with his clients and keeps their goals and unique situations in sharp focus while vigorously advocating for them.