Robert Seiden

Last updated
Robert Seiden
Education New York University
Benjamin Cardozo School of Law (JD)
OccupationLitigation lawyer
Organization Seiden Law

Robert W. Seiden is an American former prosecutor, lawyer, global investigator, court-appointed receiver, integrity monitor and founder of Seiden Law LLP, a litigation and sanctions-focused law firm. Seiden also serves on the board of advisors of a private clean energy company, GreenMet after stepping down as chairman. [1]

He has been dubbed a "Wall Street Bounty Hunter" [2] by The New York Times and profiled by The Wall Street Journal [3] and Institutional Investor for his prosecution on behalf of investors against Chinese companies that went dark taking hundreds of millions of dollars from US and foreign investors, including China Sun Group High Tech, China Valves Technology, Sino Clean Energy [4] and Shengtai Pharmaceutical Inc. [5]

Seiden Law LLP, in partnership with the Perles Law Firm, filed the first lawsuit ever against Binance, a cryptocurrency exchange, for aiding terrorism in a landmark case in Manhattan federal court that accuses Binance, its CEO Changpeng Zhao, as well as Iran and Syria on behalf of US victims and their families of the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. [6] [7] [8]

Career

Raised in Brooklyn, New York, Seiden attended New York City public schools and received his bachelor's degree from New York University in 1985 and his J.D. from Benjamin Cardozo School of Law in 1988. Until 1999, Seiden worked as a prosecutorial trial lawyer alongside fellow prosecutors including overlapping with John F. Kennedy Jr. and under the leadership of legendary prosecutor Robert Morgenthau at the Manhattan District Attorney's Office in New York City. [9] He represents the Sherman family in the investigation into the double murder case of Canadian billionaires Barry and Honey Sherman in Toronto [10] and previously served as the initial prosecutor in People v. Edmund Ko involving the murder of a Columbia University law student by her ex-boyfriend, who was convicted using an "ear witness" and the results of mitochondrial DNA typing. [11]

In 2008, after working at a private investigations company as CEO for eight years, Seiden founded Confidential Global Investigations, an investigations firm that investigated Sino Clean Energy, fraudulent behavior against their investors in China. [12] In 2009, Seiden founded Seiden Law, an international law firm based in Manhattan specializing in complex commercial and business litigation and arbitration, OFAC and sanctions cases, anti-terrorism litigation, receiverships, and cross-border transactions.

Since 2008, Seiden has represented a variety of industries and industry leaders, including David Baazov, CEO of Amaya Inc.; Teddy Sagi, the founder of software gaming company Playtech; Libra Group; [13] shipping magnate Nobu Su; crypto billionaire Harry Yeh, [14] and hedge fund managers Gentry Beach and Robert Vollero. [15] [16] Seiden has also worked on behalf of Tyson and Tommy Fury, and has represented software development company Security Matters (NASDAQ: SMX). [17]

Seiden specializes in sanctions litigation matters. He has represented IDF General Israel Ziv with successful removal [18] [19] from the US economic sanctions list. Seiden represents global mining company Solway Investment Group in the US Global Magnitsky sanctions case involving its Guatemalan subsidiaries CGN and Pronico for alleged ties to Russia and corruption and led the effort to disprove these facts and secured removal from the sanctions list on January 17, 2024. [20] [21] [22]

Seiden's international work has included legal work with African nations, such as Egypt, and government officials such as the Attorney General of Malawi, Thabo Chakaka Nyirenda. Seiden Law has also worked on behalf of the Israeli Court against Michael David Greenfield [23] [24] and led the legal team that sued Omar Khan for the theft of millions from wealthy Americans such as Renaissance Technologies alumni Kresimir Penavic in a wine Ponzi scheme. [25] Seiden and his team represent Tokyo Marine and Air Castle insurance carriers in litigation in New York related to claims deriving from the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Seiden represents Yelcho International in a $320m judgment enforcement case against Saudi Prince Saud Bin Sultan Bin Abdulazziz Al-Saud. [26]

He has been appointed court receiver more than 30 times for companies such as Link Motion, [27] China Sun Group, [28] Sino Clean Energy, [4] Shengtai Pharmaceutical Inc, [5] and Southern China Livestock. Seiden has been the only American allowed to list companies on China's CBEX.

Further, Seiden has had various published articles in Law 360 and the New York Law Journal including “Private Investigator: Application of the Attorney-Client Privilege,” [29] “How Lawyers and Investigators work Together Post-Enron,” [30] and “Tips for Obtaining Removal from OFAC’s Sanctions List”. [31]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Office of Foreign Assets Control</span> Agency of the United States Department of the Treasury

The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is a financial intelligence and enforcement agency of the United States Treasury Department. It administers and enforces economic and trade sanctions in support of U.S. national security and foreign policy objectives. Under presidential national emergency powers, OFAC carries out its activities against foreign governments, organizations, and individuals deemed a threat to U.S. national security.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">King & Spalding</span> American law firm

King & Spalding LLP is an American multinational corporate law firm that is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, with offices located in North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. It has over 1,300 lawyers in 23 offices globally. It is Am Law 100, Global 30, and white-shoe firm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Emergency Economic Powers Act</span> United States federal law

The International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), Title II of Pub. L. 95–223, 91 Stat. 1626, enacted October 28, 1977, is a United States federal law authorizing the president to regulate international commerce after declaring a national emergency in response to any unusual and extraordinary threat to the United States which has its source in whole or substantial part outside the United States. The act was signed by President Jimmy Carter on December 28, 1977.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yury Chaika</span> Russian jurist and politician

Yury Yakovlevich Chaika is a Russian lawyer and statesman who currently serves as the Presidential Envoy to the North Caucasian Federal District since 2020. He previously served as Prosecutor-General of Russia from 2006 to 2020 and Minister of Justice from 1999 to 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Arab Emirates–United States relations</span> Bilateral relations

The United Arab Emirates has quite a close and friendly relationship with the US, being described as the United States' best counter-terrorism ally in the Gulf by Richard A. Clarke, the U.S. national security advisor and counter-terrorism expert. In terms of defense, the United Arab Emirates Armed Forces has been nicknamed "Little Sparta" by United States Armed Forces generals and former U.S. Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis for its active role against extremists in the Middle East. The United Arab Emirates also hosts the only United States border preclearance in the Middle East. Both countries are members of the I2U2 Group, which was established in 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yassin Kadi</span> Saudi Arabian businessman (born 1955)

Yassin Abdullah Kadi is a Saudi Arabian businessman. A multi-millionaire from Jeddah, Kadi trained as an architect in Chicago, Illinois. He is the son-in-law of Sheikh Ahmed Salah Jamjoom, a former Saudi Arabian government minister with close ties to the Saudi royal family.

Scott W. Rothstein is an American disbarred lawyer, convicted felon, and the former managing shareholder, chairman, and chief executive officer of the now-defunct Rothstein Rosenfeldt Adler law firm. He funded an extravagant lifestyle with a $1.2 billion Ponzi scheme, one of the largest such in history.

<i>United States v. Banki</i> American legal case

In United States v. Banki, 685 F.3d 99 the Second Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the conviction of Mahmoud Reza Banki. Banki had been convicted of multiple crimes related to allegedly conspiring to violate United States sanctions against Iran by transferring large amounts of money — totaling some $3.4 million — from Iran to the United States.

International Investment Group (IIG) is an American financial institution that specializes in short-term trade finance and commercial finance with a focus on emerging markets. Through its affiliate IIG Capital it provides financing to small and medium-sized merchants, traders and processors with a need for supply chain financing.

Andrew J. Levander is an American lawyer and Chairman of the law firm Dechert, who advises on securities fraud, commercial litigation and white-collar criminal defense matters. A former federal prosecutor, he is known for representing numerous prominent Wall Street companies and executives, as well as global businesses facing litigation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List</span> US sanctions list

The Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List, also known as the SDN List, is a United States government sanctions/embargo measure targeting U.S.-designated terrorists, officials and beneficiaries of certain authoritarian regimes, and international criminals. The list is managed by the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). When individuals are added to the list of Specially Designated Nationals (SDN), their U.S. assets are blocked. Moreover, their names are added to automated screening systems used by banks in the United States and many foreign countries, making it difficult for them to open or hold accounts, transfer money, or transact properties internationally. Any individual or entity that provides support related to terrorism, drug trafficking or unauthorized military use to any person or entity appearing on the SDN list risks being penalized under the USA PATRIOT Act.

Mark (Meir) Nordlicht is the founder and former chief investment officer of Platinum Partners, a U.S. based hedge fund, which came to be known for its investment strategies becoming the subject of a series of controversial and legal actions. In a high-profile case, government prosecutors leaked that Nordlicht ran a “Ponzi scheme”, only to be convicted of a lesser charge and sentenced to home confinement.

Binance Holdings Ltd., branded Binance, is a global company that operates the largest cryptocurrency exchange in terms of daily trading volume of cryptocurrencies. Binance was founded in 2017 by Changpeng Zhao, a developer who had previously created high-frequency trading software. Binance was initially based in China, then moved to Japan shortly before the Chinese government restricted cryptocurrency companies. Binance subsequently left Japan for Malta and currently has no official company headquarters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saud al-Qahtani</span> Saudi Arabian consultant and former royal court advisor

Saud bin Abdullah al-Qahtani is a Saudi Arabian consultant and former royal court advisor. Prior to his dismissal in late 2018, he worked as an advisor to King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia and crown prince Mohammed bin Salman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud</span> Saudi foreign minister

Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah bin Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud is a Saudi Arabian diplomat, politician and a member of the House of Saud. Prince Faisal has also served as the Saudi ambassador to Germany from 27 March 2019 until his appointment as the foreign minister of Saudi Arabia. He is serving as the foreign minister of Saudi Arabia since 23 October 2019, when he was appointed to that position by a royal decree issued by King Salman. Prince Faisal was born in Frankfurt, West Germany and spent a part of his childhood and young adulthood in that country, which is why he speaks fluent German according to German news media.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Criminal Court investigation in Palestine</span> International legal proceedings

The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Fatou Bensouda, on 20 December 2019 announced an investigation into war crimes allegedly committed in Palestine by members of the Israeli military or Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups since 13 June 2014.

The United States government applies economic sanctions against certain institutions and key members of the Chinese government and its ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP), certain companies linked to the People's Liberation Army (PLA), and other affiliates that the U.S. government has accused of aiding in human rights abuses. The U.S. maintained embargoes against China from the inception of the People's Republic of China in 1949 until 1972. An embargo was reimposed by the U.S. following the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre. From 2020 onward, the U.S. imposed sanctions and visa restrictions against several Chinese government officials and companies, in response to the persecution of Uyghurs in China, human rights abuses in Hong Kong and Tibet, military-civil fusion, support for the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and fentanyl production.

Seiden Law is an American law firm founded by Robert Seiden headquartered in Manhattan, New York. It specializes in high-stakes litigation, arbitration, judgment enforcement, cross-border disputes, and economic sanctions.

References

  1. ↑ "GreenMet Growth Includes New Leadership on its Board of Directors". GreenMet. Retrieved 2023-07-12.
  2. ↑ Stevenson, Alexandra; Goldstein, Matthew (2016-03-16). "Bounty Hunter Tracks Chinese Companies That Dupe Investors". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2024-02-28.
  3. ↑ Rapoport, Michael. "Court Appointee Chases (and Finds) Investor Cash That Vanished in China". WSJ. Retrieved 2024-02-28.
  4. 1 2 "Bounty Hunter Tracks Chinese Companies That Dupe Investors". New York Times. March 15, 2016. Retrieved 2022-11-10.
  5. 1 2 "'They'd Find Fraud, Fraud, Fraud.'". Institutional Investor. 22 July 2020. Retrieved 2022-11-10.
  6. ↑ "Crypto exchange Binance sued by Hamas hostages, Oct. 7 victims' families for allegedly 'facilitating terrorism'". ABC News. Retrieved 2024-02-15.
  7. ↑ "Binance Sued by Hamas Hostage, Families of Victims in Attack". Bloomberg.com. 2024-01-31. Retrieved 2024-03-08.
  8. ↑ "October 7 Victims, in a Blockbuster Suit, Take on Iran, Syria, and a Cryptocurrency Exchange". The New York Sun. 2024-02-02. Retrieved 2024-02-03.
  9. ↑ Rapoport, Michael (21 June 2015). "Court Appointee Chases (and Finds) Investor Cash That Vanished in China". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2022-11-10.
  10. ↑ Star, Kevin Donovan Toronto (11 January 2021). "Barry Sherman's son says his father asked him to repay tens of millions of dollars, two weeks before murders, but Barry was 'all in' with son's business". Toronto.com. Retrieved 2023-03-30.
  11. ↑ "METRO NEWS BRIEFS: NEW YORK; Murder Suspect Casts Suspicion on Girlfriend". New York Times. March 28, 1998. Retrieved 2022-11-10.
  12. ↑ Yue, Jillian (2016-03-02). "US Court Orders China Businessman Jailed In Legal Battle". China Money Network. Retrieved 2023-07-12.
  13. ↑ Libra Group Names Manos Kouligkas CEO; George Logothetis Executive Chairman" Kokkinidis, Tasos, Greek Reporter. July 21, 2022. Accessed April 13, 2023.
  14. ↑ "Securities commission moves against Vancouver crypto exchange company amid money-laundering concerns". Vancouver Is Awesome. 2019-11-05. Retrieved 2023-07-12.
  15. ↑ "After Decade-Long Legal Fight, Hedge Fund Managers Win $46 Million; Now Comes the Appeal". New York Law Journal. Retrieved 2023-07-12.
  16. ↑ Chung, Juliet (2020-01-14). "New York Court Vacates $91 Million Payout to Former Hedge Fund Employees". Wall Street Journal. ISSN   0099-9660 . Retrieved 2023-07-12.
  17. ↑ SMX. "SMX preparing Legal Investigatory Capabilities Against Possible Illegal Shorts and Spoofing by Empowering Seiden Law LLP, its New Illegal Shorts and Spoofing Legal Counsel to Work with Mr. Joshua Skule former FBI Executive Assistant Director". www.prnewswire.com (Press release). Retrieved 2024-02-15.
  18. ↑ "US Treasury Department lifts sanctions against former IDF general". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. 2020-02-27. Retrieved 2024-02-15.
  19. ↑ "U.S. Lifts Sanctions on Retired Israeli Major General Accused of Weapons Deals in South Sudan | Kharon". brief.kharon.com. Retrieved 2024-02-15.
  20. ↑ "Global Magnitsky Designation and Designations Removals; Issuance of Counter Terrorism General Licenses | Office of Foreign Assets Control". ofac.treasury.gov. Retrieved 2024-01-17.
  21. ↑ Solano, Luis (May 29, 2023). "La geopolítica del níquel y las tierras raras en Guatemala" (PDF).
  22. ↑ "Solway Investment Group Guatemalan subsidiaries granted license to resume operations". Yahoo Finance. 2023-10-03. Retrieved 2023-10-03.
  23. ↑ Staff, ToI. "'Israeli Madoff' convicted over $150 million Ponzi scheme". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 2023-03-31.
  24. ↑ "Seiden Law Group brings Largest Ponzi Scheme in Israeli History to US Court, Enabling Broad Discovery to Help Recover Swindled funds on behalf of Victims". markets.businessinsider.com. Retrieved 2023-07-12.
  25. ↑ "Wine consultant accused of cheating Wall Streeters hit by more claims". 2019-10-23. Retrieved 2023-09-29.
  26. ↑ "Dockets related to "Prince Saud Bin Sultan Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud"". Trellis. Retrieved 2024-02-13.
  27. ↑ Rapoport, Michael (2015-06-21). "Court Appointee Chases (and Finds) Investor Cash That Vanished in China". Wall Street Journal. ISSN   0099-9660 . Retrieved 2023-07-12.
  28. ↑ "Order for default and appointment: State of Delaware: China Sun Group" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-04-10. Retrieved 2023-07-12.
  29. ↑ "Private Investigator: Application of the Attorney-Client". New York Law Journal. Retrieved 2023-07-12.
  30. ↑ "How Lawyers and Investigators Work Together Post-Enron". New York Law Journal. Retrieved 2023-07-12.
  31. ↑ "Tips For Obtaining Removal From OFAC's Sanctions List - Law360". www.law360.com. Retrieved 2023-07-12.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.