Elizabeth Martin

Elizabeth Martin focuses on white collar defense and the representation of corporations and individuals in connection with government enforcement initiatives. She has represented Fortune 500 companies, large financial institutions, and individual executives in front of government agencies, including the Department of Justice (DOJ), Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), state Attorneys General Offices, and congressional committees in connection with investigations into allegations of securities fraud, criminal antitrust, accounting fraud, criminal tax, false claims act, and other criminal and civil violations. Liz spent over a decade in the white collar practice groups at two large, international law firms.

Representative Engagements

• Representation of Silvergate Bank in connection with investigations by the Department of Justice, Securities and Exchange Commission, numerous state and federal regulators, and Congress in the wake of the collapse of FTX, and Silvergate’s decision to voluntarily liquidate and wind-down.
• Representation of an attorney for a former President of the United States in connection with a federal grand jury investigation relating to communications between the conduct of the attorney and his client.
• Representation of a global financial institution in well-publicized, industry-wide investigations by multiple U.S. and foreign regulators (including the CFTC and DOJ) and in class action litigation in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York concerning allegations of LIBOR manipulation.
• Representation of former Barclays traders in connection with market manipulation charges filed by FERC in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California.
• Representation of an executive of a foreign air cargo company in connection with a DOJ criminal antitrust investigation of the air cargo industry.
• Representation of dozens of Fannie Mae executives in connection with SEC, FCIC, and DOJ investigations concerning Fannie Mae’s subprime and Alt-A disclosures, including representation of Thomas Lund, the former Executive Vice President and head of Fannie Mae’s Single Family business, against securities fraud charges filed in the Southern District of New York by the SEC at the culmination of its investigation. Achieved a successful resolution after extensive motions practice and three years of litigation when the SEC discontinued its case against Mr. Lund and formally conceded that it did not prevail.
• Representation of Lehman Brothers in a year-long investigation, culminating in a public hearing and detailed report by the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of the United States Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs into allegedly abusive equity derivative and stock lending transactions with offshore counterparties designed to avoid U.S. dividend withholding taxes. Lehman’s role in the development, marketing and execution of these transactions was the focus of several front-page articles in the Wall Street Journal.
• Representation of a senior executive of a large telecommunications company in connection with a DOJ e-Rate fraud investigation.

Professional and Community Involvement

• Admitted to practice in the District of Columbia and New York