Chris Nasson is a litigation partner and member of the firm’s Investigations, Enforcement, and White Collar practice group. His practice focuses on regulatory enforcement, white collar criminal defense, internal investigations, and related business and securities litigation.
Chris represents corporations and individuals in criminal and civil matters brought by the Department of Justice, Securities and Exchange Commission, Internal Revenue Service, and other federal, state, and foreign enforcement agencies. An experienced trial and appellate attorney, Chris has had considerable success dissuading governmental agencies from pursuing any enforcement or criminal action against his clients. He also counsels clients on risk mitigation strategies with respect to anti-corruption, sanctions, cybersecurity, and anti-money laundering issues.
Chris is consistently recognized as a leading practitioner in the area of white collar criminal defense. Chambers USA has hailed the “expertise” he offers “to individual and corporate clients involved in high-stakes criminal investigations and related proceedings” and noted “Chris’s knowledge, guidance, and professionalism have instilled confidence” in his clients facing their most sensitive matters. His cases, commentary, and scholarship have been featured in numerous major news publications including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Boston Globe, Reuters, Bloomberg, and National Law Review. In 2017, Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly recognized Chris as “Lawyer of the Year” for his pro bono work securing the release of Fred Weichel, who was wrongfully imprisoned for more than 36 years for a crime he did not commit.
Prior to joining the firm, Chris served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of New York and Eastern District of Kentucky, where he specialized in investigating and prosecuting financial and corporate crime. As a federal prosecutor, Chris led investigations involving securities fraud, health care fraud, cybercrime, corporate and bank fraud, money laundering, tax evasion, and espionage, as well as violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, Export Administration Regulations, and International Traffic in Arms Regulations. Chris worked closely with various federal agencies including the Securities and Exchange Commission, Internal Revenue Service, and Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, and led a multi-district, multi-agency investigation of a global insider trading ring, the first criminal prosecution in the U.S. involving trading on inside information obtained through hacking. He tried numerous cases to verdict — all resulting in convictions — in addition to successfully arguing appeals before the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Second and Sixth Circuits.
Before his service with the Department of Justice, Chris was a litigation attorney at a prominent Boston law firm, where he worked on matters involving healthcare fraud, public corruption, and corporate embezzlement, as well as complex commercial litigation and arbitration.
- Chambers USA: Litigation, White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations
- Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly, Lawyer of the Year
- Department of Justice Special Act Award in connection with the successful prosecution of corporate and individual tax evasion
- American Bar Association, Criminal Justice Section - Securities Fraud, Healthcare Fraud, and Corporate Criminal Liability Subcommittees
- Boston Bar Association, Criminal Law Section
- Boston Bar Foundation, Adams Benefit Pro Bono Steering Committee
- University of Virginia School of Law, Public Service Mentor
- Eastern District Association
- Christopher Nasson, David Rybicki, David Peet, Rebecca Schaefer, Emerging National Security Considerations for AMCs and Research Universities: Foreign Influence Oversight and Enforcement Trends (March 16, 2021).
- Christopher Nasson, David Rybicki, Neil Smith, Hayley Trahan-Liptak, Phase 2 of the U.S. Government’s Response to the Paycheck Protection Program, Voluntary Disclosure Podcast (March 8, 2021).
- Christopher Nasson, David Rybicki, Neil Smith, Hayley Trahan-Liptak, Phase 1 of the U.S. Government’s Response to the Paycheck Protection Program, Voluntary Disclosure Podcast (February 23, 2021).
- Christopher Nasson, David Peet, Deep Dive - The DOJ on Campus, Voluntary Disclosure Podcast (September 9, 2020).
- Christopher Nasson, David Peet, Christopher Warner, When DOJ’s China Initiative Entangles US Research Orgs, Law360: Expert Analysis (March 11, 2020).
- Christopher Nasson et al., SEC Examinations, Enforcement Actions, and Litigation Developments, 2019 Boston Investment Management Conference, Boston, MA, November 2019.
- Christopher Nasson, Steven Wright, Gregory Wright, Insurance Coverage for Government Proceedings, Investigations, and Subpoenas, Continuing Legal Education Program, Boston, MA, November 2019.
- Christopher Nasson, A Practical Guide to Conducting Witness Interviews in Government Investigations, Continuing Legal Education Program, Boston, MA, March 2019.
- Christopher Nasson and Neil Smith, Global Corruption and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, ESADE Global Governance and Law Program, the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, Boston, MA, June 2018.
- Christopher Nasson and Neil Smith, Developments in SEC Enforcement and Examinations, 2017 Boston Investment Management Conference, Boston, MA, November 2017.
- Christopher Nasson et al., Legal in Transformation: How Legal Functions Are Adapting to People, Process, and Technology Changes, Thompson Reuters, Boston, MA, September 2017.
- Christopher Nasson et al., Best Practices in Parallel Criminal and Civil Investigations and Proceedings, U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission, New York, NY, July 2016.
- Quoted, 'Varsity Blues' Mastermind Not Expected To Testify At Trial, Law360, 10 September 2021
- Quoted, Shaky Credibility May Bench 'Varsity Blues' Star Witness, Law360, 20 August 2021
- Quoted, COVID Rules Unlikely To Win Ex-Mayor New Corruption Trial, Law360, 28 May 2021
- Quoted, Boston Bar Welcomes Shift In Focus Under Biden US Atty, Law360, 8 November 2020
- Quoted, Loughlin's 'Sweetheart Deal' May Spark 'Varsity Blues' Pleas, Law360, 21 May 2020
- Quoted, Rare 'Varsity Blues' Video Sentence Carries Risks For Defense, Law360, 27 March 2020
- Quoted, ‘If a Charge Can't Stick on These Guys, No Charges Can Stick on Anyone,' Institutional Investor, 18 February 2020
- Quoted, Ex-DOJ Atty Alleges Rights Violations In Cross-Border Cases, Law360, 6 February 2020
- Quoted, Frustrated Feds Maneuver For Sterner 'Varsity Blues' Penalties, Law360, 25 October 2019
- Quoted, Platinum Prosecutors To Appeal Acquittal, New Trial Orders, Law360, 4 October 2019
- Quoted, Platinum Execs' Fate Lies With Judge After Mixed Verdict, Law360, 10 July 2019
- Quoted, 'Varsity Blues' Case Strong Enough To Humble BigLaw Boss, Law360, 5 April 2019
- Quoted, What's Next In The 'Varsity Blues' Admissions Fraud Case, Law360, 14 March 2019
- Quoted, Sprawling $1B Platinum Case Finally Going To Trial, Law360, 15 February 2019
- Quoted, US Won't Bring FCPA Case Against British Co. Amid UK Probe, Law360, 22 August 2018
- Quoted, Prosecutors won’t retry man who served 36 years in prison for 1980 murder, Boston Globe, 7 August 2017
- Quoted, Norfolk DA's office declines to retry Fred Weichel for 1980 murder, WCVB.com, 7 August 2021
- Quoted, Fred Weichel released after 36 years behind bars for fatal shooting, The Patriot Ledger, 28 April 2017
- Quoted, Former Brooklyn Federal Prosecutor Joins K&L Gates, Law360, 28 September 2016
- Quoted, 4th Trader Admits Guilt In $30M Newswire Hacking Scheme, Law360, 2 August 2016
- Quoted, Broker Pleads Guilty To Role In $131M Investment Scheme, Law360, 27 July 2016
- Quoted, New Charges Eyed In Press-Release Hack, Insider Trading Plot, Law360, 8 January 2016
- Quoted, Ga. Man Cops To Press-Release Hacking, Insider Trading Plot, Law360, 21 December 2015
- Quoted, Poppi Metaxas, former bank CEO, sentenced to 18 months in bank fraud, Newsday, 2 December 2015
- Quoted, Feds Say Accused Press Release Hackers Are Flight Risk, Law360, 13 August 2015
- Quoted, Ex-Bank Exec Pleads Guilty To Conspiracy In $1.8M Fraud, Law360, 1 May 2015
