Eric M. Creizman

Prior to joining Morrison Cohen

• Represented CEO of highly successful reputation management company who was target of grand jury investigation in the Southern District of New York for fraudulently filing defamation lawsuits and procuring judgments ordering removal of online consumer complaints. After several presentations to the government, the investigation was closed.

• Represented the lead defendant on appeal in the largest health care/no-fault automobile insurance fraud scheme prosecuted in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

• Represented a lead defendant at sentencing and on appeal in the largest Ponzi scheme prosecuted on Long Island.

• Secured acquittal on all counts after seven-week trial of Medicare fraud and money laundering charges in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York.

• Negotiated deferred prosecution agreement for client charged with operating illegal money transmitting business.

• Represented hedge fund portfolio manager in two-week criminal trial in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York on securities fraud charges, alleging that client mismarked the securities of a multibillion-dollar hedge fund.

• Represented the principal defendant for sentencing and appeal in allegedly the largest Ponzi scheme ever prosecuted in U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.

• Represented information technology engineer in bitcoin exchange fraud and bank bribery trial in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

• Successfully negotiated settlement of $59 million government restitution and forfeiture judgment for $7 million in Lacey Act case in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

• Represented owner of independent medical diagnostic testing facility in parallel federal criminal and civil investigations.

• Represented purchasing manager of public utility in connection with a criminal investigation by the DOJ Antitrust Division.

• Represented executive in prosecution for scheme to defraud HUD

• Represented principal of public works construction company in federal fraud prosecution. Secured a non-incarceratory sentence.

• Represented Chinese national in criminal prosecution in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on charges of violating the U.S. Iran sanctions program. Obtained a six-month sentence of time served – one of the most lenient sentences ever imposed in such a prosecution.

• Represented former New York City mayor in connection with an investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.

• Represented former Defense Minister of Central American country in dispute with political magazine over defamatory article. Succeeded in persuading the publication to edit the article to remove the defamatory material.

• Represented physician at trial charged in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York with unlawful distribution of oxycodone and fentanyl.

• Represented Chief Financial Officer of public company in corporate internal investigation and parallel SEC and DOJ investigations relating to accounting fraud.

• Represented General Manager of Major League Baseball team in prosecution by the New York County District Attorney’s Office against individual who allegedly extorted and stalked him.

• Represented client acquitted of money laundering charges in civil action and appeal in lawsuit against financial institution for identity theft. In a case of first impression, persuaded U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit that the New York State Identity Theft Statute applied to the client’s allegations and was not preempted by the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

• Represented securities trader of Bermuda subsidiary of global financial institution in parallel DOJ and SEC investigations of securities fraud relating to disclosure of commissions. Client never charged with any crimes or securities law violations.

• Represented attorney on charges of extortion and conspiracy to obstruct lawful government functions. Client received a non-custodial, probationary sentence.

• Represented CEO of leading online clothing retailer in a two-week jury trial in US. District Court for the Eastern District of New York on charges of wire fraud, money laundering, and aggravated identity theft. Although convicted at trial, client obtained a sentence half of that advocated by the government and three years less than offered by the government in its proposed plea agreement.

• Represented quantitative trading analyst at major financial institution in parallel SEC and DOJ investigations

• Represented former General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer of failed hedge fund in private securities litigation in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

• Represented fixed income trader at investment bank investigated by FINRA for trading on confidential information allegedly obtained from customer-facing trading desk.

• Represented public company in SEC investigation of possible accounting fraud.

• Successfully defended public company accountant in Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) administrative trial regarding alleged violations of PCAOB rules in conducting audit.

• Represented sales trader at broker-dealer in connection with a FINRA investigation concerning the broker-dealer’s advertising of inflated trade volume over Bloomberg and Thomson Reuters.

• Represented Russian airplane wholesaler in litigation against the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) for blocking funds in connection with a transaction allegedly in violation of OFAC sanctions programs.

• Represented a cosmetics company in an internal investigation concerning sales of products in the grey market.

• Represented law firm in internal investigation concerning possible fraudulent billing in Bankruptcy Court.

• Represented public medical device company in cross-border internal investigation regarding the sale of medical equipment to Iran in violation of U.S. sanctions programs.

• Represented subprime securities trader in SEC investigation regarding the valuation of collateralized debt obligations.

• Represented investment bank in parallel SEC and New York State Attorney General investigations regarding possible manipulation of the market for credit default swaps.

• Represented private equity fund and asset manager in SEC investigation concerning the marketing of pre-IPO shares in private technology companies.

• Represented Russian airplane manufacturer and wholesaler in litigation against the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) in litigation in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York challenging OFAC’s decision to freeze funds in connection with a transaction to purchase used airplanes from an Asian airline.

• Represented Belizean airplane maintenance and repair company in breach of contract dispute against a Saudi Arabian airplane wholesaler.

• Represented major financial institution defendants in several federal and state class action securities litigations relating to the institutions’ underwriting and marketing of residential mortgage-backed securities.

• Represented officer defendant in securities class action litigation brought by investors in the Southern District of New York alleging that a trading platform misrepresented its financial condition.

• Represented a biopharmaceutical company in M&A litigation in the Southern District of New York.

• Represented former chief financial officer of a financial services company in brokerage customer securities litigation in the Southern District of New York.

• Represent the seller of a technology company in M&A dispute over representations and warranties in closing documents concerning the seller’s possession of adequate technology licenses.

• Represented Miami-based online invention marketing company and its CEO in parallel investigations by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and class action litigation brought in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

• Represented national retail chain in internal investigation concerning the trampling death of a sales associate during Black Friday sale.

• Member, New York Council of Defense Lawyers, SDNY Liaison Committee
• Member, Federal Bar Council, Committee on Sentencing and Alternatives to Incarceration
• Member, American Bar Association, White Collar Crime Committee
• Member, New York City Bar Association, Criminal Law Committee (2000-2002)

• The American Lawyer, Northeast Trailblazer (2021)
• Benchmark Litigation, Local Litigation Star, White Collar Crime (2021-present)

Columbia Law School

• James Kent Scholar
• Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar

Contributor, Defending Federal Criminal Cases: Attacking the Government’s Proof, co-author of chapter on discovery, Law Journal Press, 2008-present (updated twice a year)