Aaron is an experienced trial attorney focused on white collar criminal defense, regulatory defense, and complex civil litigation. He recently led a trial team that held Elon Musk accountable after a two-week jury trial for misleading investors during Mr. Musk’s 2022 acquisition of Twitter. Aaron conducted jury selection, presented opening statement, and cross-examined Mr. Musk, his right-hand man, and his lead investment banker, among others.     

Aaron is also a former federal prosecutor in the Southern District of California, where he focused on the investigation and prosecution of complex financial fraud schemes, including insider trading, accounting fraud, market manipulation, offering frauds, and Ponzi schemes. He was the lead prosecutor in the criminal case against Gina Champion-Cain, who carried out the largest Ponzi scheme in the history of the District. Aaron has well-honed trial skills, having conducted jury trials on behalf of the United States in cases involving insider trading, pump-and-dump schemes, government procurement fraud, mortgage fraud, perjury, and drug smuggling. Aaron also served as the Office’s Chief of the Major Frauds and Public Corruption Section, where he oversaw over 100 white-collar investigations. In addition, Aaron served as the Office’s designated Financial Fraud Coordinator, responsible for providing input on all aspects of financial fraud-related investigations in the Office, and coordinating matters that intersected with other federal and state authorities.

Before he was a federal prosecutor, Aaron served as a Staff Attorney and Senior Trial Counsel with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission’s Division of Enforcement, having been posted in the SEC’s New York and San Francisco Regional Offices. While at the SEC, Aaron acted as the primary SEC enforcement attorney dedicated to the investigation of Bernard Madoff’s co-conspirators. He also litigated and investigated cases focused on high frequency trading, asset management, broker-dealer practices, accounting fraud, Ponzi schemes, and manipulative trading. Aaron began his legal career with Cooley LLP, where he represented corporate and individual clients in criminal and regulatory inquiries, internal investigations, and class action securities litigation. He second-chaired the successful defense of a “Big 6” audit engagement partner in successive federal criminal trials that cumulatively lasted more than five months. He also received the San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Program’s award for Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year.

In addition, Aaron has in-house business experience, having worked for a multi-national company as a Certified Public Accountant in financial reporting, internal audit, and financial analysis roles.

Aaron is a 2001 graduate, with honors, of the University of North Carolina School of Law, and a 1994 graduate of the University of Cincinnati, where he graduated summa cum laude with a degree in Business Administration. While at UNC, Aaron served as an Articles Editor for the Law Review. His articles include U.S. v. Dickerson: A Case Study in Executive Constitutional Interpretation, 78 N.C. L. REV. 1153 (2000). Aaron was certified as a public accountant by the Ohio Board of Accountancy (license currently inactive). He is admitted to the California State Bar, District of Columbia Bar, Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States District Courts for the Southern, Central, and Northern Districts of California.