Hiral D. Mehta

Hiral D. Mehta is a nationally recognized trial lawyer and former federal prosecutor with more than a decade of government experience, including serving as Chief of the Business & Securities Fraud Section in the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York. He advises clients in high-stakes criminal and regulatory matters, internal investigations, and complex commercial and securities litigation, bringing a deep understanding of government enforcement and crisis management.

As a former prosecutor, Hiral has significant courtroom experience, having tried 13 federal jury trials—several involving sophisticated white-collar offenses—and having led or supervised hundreds of investigations involving securities and commodities fraud, insider trading, market manipulation, investment adviser fraud, health care fraud, sanctions and export-control violations, tax offenses, bribery, and digital-asset fraud. He also has extensive FCPA experience, having overseen three of the four largest corporate FCPA resolutions in the past five years.

He co-founded the District’s Bank Integrity Task Force, which investigates individuals and companies for laundering funds through the US financial system and enforces anti-money laundering controls under the Bank Secrecy Act. In his government role, he worked closely with senior leadership at the SEC, CFTC, Federal Reserve Board, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, and Office of Foreign Assets Control.

In private practice, Hiral represents clients in commercial and securities litigation matters, focusing on trials, hearings, and arbitrations, conducts internal investigations, represents companies and executives in regulatory inquiries, and assists clients dealing with subpoenas and enforcement actions from state and federal authorities. Hiral also advises clients on due diligence and risk assessments for investments, mergers, and acquisitions, with a focus on anti-corruption, anti-money laundering, and regulatory compliance.

Before entering public service, Hiral practiced for several years at a leading international law firm in New York, representing multinational banks, private equity firms, asset managers, and broker-dealers in commercial and securities litigation and advising on complex transactions. He began his career as a law clerk to the Honorable Jennifer Walker Elrod, Chief Judge of the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

United States Department of Justice

• Led the prosecution in the month-long trial of the former finance minister of Mozambique, securing a conviction on wire fraud and money laundering charges in connection with a fraud scheme involving $2 billion in bonds sold to international investors.
• A member of the team that investigated and convicted Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman Loera, one of the world’s largest drug kingpins, after a three-month long trial; briefed the appeal and conducted oral argument before the Second Circuit, which affirmed the defendant’s conviction.
• Led the investigation of a multinational financial services corporation in connection with a tax avoidance scheme, securing a $230 million corporate resolution for wire fraud conspiracy.
• Co-led the investigation and prosecution of a major defense contractor for FCPA and export control violations in connection with payments to foreign officials; securing a deferred prosecution agreement in a $1 billion coordinated resolution with monitorship.
• Led the investigation into a fraud scheme involving $1 billion in loans issued by a multinational bank, secured a guilty plea by the bank’s subsidiary to wire fraud, and obtained a deferred prosecution agreement in a $747 million global resolution in parallel with UK and other European authorities, securing the convictions of three bankers on wire fraud and money laundering charges.
• Led the investigation and prosecution of one of the world’s largest distributors of adult content on money laundering charges, resulting in a corporate resolution and the appointment of a court-ordered monitor.
• Oversaw the FCPA prosecution of a multinational commodities trading firm in connection with a scheme to bribe foreign officials of an Ecuadorian state-owned oil company in exchange for contracts, resulting in a guilty plea and an approximately $660 million penalty and fine.

Private Practice

Hiral has represented:

• An environmental remediation contractor in complex environmental litigation trial defending allegations of falsification of data at a Superfund site.
• A private equity firm in complex commercial litigation trial defending allegations of fraud, contractual and fiduciary duty violations.
• A global financial institution in a US Department of Justice investigation regarding allegations of Bank Secrecy Act, money laundering and securities fraud violations.
• An executive in a US Department of Justice investigation regarding allegations of bribery of US government officials to procure international infrastructure contracts.
• A broker-dealer of global financial institution in a FINRA investigation regarding allegations of anti-money laundering and securities fraud violations.
• A manufacturing company in an SEC investigation regarding allegations of accounting fraud violations.
• A European financial institution in FCPA-related litigation and investigations regarding allegations of bribery and money laundering.
• A global asset management firm in several-week-long FINRA arbitration regarding suitability and fraud claims.
• A global financial institution in securities fraud litigation in the Southern District of New York and the Second Circuit regarding the investment of preferred government notes. *
• A global financial institution in Lanham Act litigation in the Southern District of New York related to the sales of notes to retail investors. *
• A global financial institution in an ERISA breach of fiduciary duty lawsuit in the Southern District of New York, the Second Circuit, and the US Supreme Court. *
• A board of directors of global investment bank in an ERISA breach of fiduciary duty lawsuit in the Southern District of New York and the Second Circuit. *
• A foreign financial institution in the United States Bankruptcy Court of the Southern District of New York regarding Chapter 15 stay of arbitration. *

* Experience gained prior to joining Mayer Brown.

• Attorney General’s David Margolis Award for Exceptional Service, the highest award conferred by the Department of Justice
• Assistant Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service
• Federal Law Enforcement Foundation’s True American Hero Award
• Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force’s National Award
• Burton Award of Legal Achievement for Excellence in Legal Writing
• A “Rising Star of the Courtroom: 15 Great Litigators of the Future” – Business Insider

• Cornell Law School, JD, cum laude
  Senior Editor, Cornell Law Review; Moot Court Board; Phillip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Winner, Northeast; Dean’s List
• Northwestern University, BS
  Associated Student Government, Judicial Board; Deswarte Foundation Scholar

• Nueva York

• Eastern District Association, Board Member
• Brooklyn Law School, Brooklyn, New York, Adjunct Professor of Law, 2022 to 2024, Courses taught: Trial Advocacy & Criminal Prosecution Clinic
• Federal Bar Council, Member, Federal Criminal Practice Committee
• South Asian Bar Association of New York, Member
• Northwestern Alumni Association, Member