This guide compares 10 law firms that defend white collar and fraud cases across New York City’s five boroughs, in both New York State courts and the federal courts of the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York. Firms were evaluated on four points: their record with fraud-specific charges (wire, bank, securities, health care, insurance, mortgage and tax fraud, plus embezzlement and money laundering), whether their attorneys previously served as prosecutors or federal defenders, how much of their practice is devoted to white collar defense rather than general criminal work, and whether they handle both the state-level charges brought by the borough District Attorneys and the federal cases brought by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices.
When comparing options, ask three questions. Does the attorney regularly handle cases in the court your matter is likely to land in, whether that is Manhattan or Queens Supreme Court or the federal courthouses in Manhattan and Brooklyn? Can the firm work with forensic accountants and financial records rather than relying only on witness testimony? And will they step in before charges are filed, while a target letter, subpoena or agent interview is still on the table? This list is not ranked and is not sponsored. Firm details come from each firm’s own website, attorney directories (Martindale-Hubbell, Super Lawyers, Avvo, Justia), legal rankings from Chambers USA and Best Lawyers where cited, and Google Business listings.
1. Law Offices of Robert Tsigler, PLLC
- Attorney/Key Figure: Robert Tsigler, Founder
- Headquarters: 299 Broadway, Suite 1400, New York, NY 10007 (additional offices in Brooklyn, Forest Hills in Queens, and Garden City on Long Island)
- Phone: (718) 878-3781 (available 24/7)
- Website: tsiglerlaw.com
- Practice Areas: White collar crimes; fraud defense (health care, securities, insurance, wire, bank, mortgage, computer and internet, CARES Act PPP and Medicaid fraud); money laundering; embezzlement; tax evasion; identity theft; antitrust violations; federal criminal defense (RICO, Hobbs Act, asset forfeiture, obstruction of justice, false statements, perjury); state criminal defense; immigration; family law
- Firm Size: Mid-size criminal defense firm with 11 attorneys across four New York offices
- Ratings: Avvo 10.0 “Superb”; Martindale-Hubbell peer review rating of 5.0 out of 5.0; Super Lawyers Rising Stars selection; 4.7 stars on Google across nearly 500 reviews
- Practice Area Page: NYC White Collar Crimes Lawyer
- Social Profiles: X, Avvo, Martindale, Super Lawyers
Robert Tsigler founded the Law Offices of Robert Tsigler after earning his J.D. from New York Law School, and he has been admitted in New York and New Jersey since 2010. His firm has built a dedicated fraud practice that spans both systems: state-level cases such as grand larceny, scheme to defraud and falsifying business records, and federal cases such as wire fraud, bank fraud, securities fraud and health care fraud. With offices in Lower Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and Nassau County, the team is regularly in the courthouses where New York fraud cases are actually heard, from Queens County Supreme Court to the federal district courts.
What sets the firm apart on fraud cases is how it builds a defense around the paper trail. Rather than responding only to the prosecution’s narrative, the team reviews the government’s evidence for due process violations, brings in outside experts such as forensic accountants to reconstruct transactions, and challenges flaws in the government’s own forensic accounting. Its published defense strategies also include attacking the credibility of cooperating witnesses, showing a lack of criminal intent, and filing targeted pretrial motions, which matters because so many white collar cases turn on what a defendant knew and meant rather than whether money moved.
The firm’s reported results show that approach at work. In a Queens County Supreme Court case involving felony falsifying business records and a restitution demand of over $1,000,000, the firm worked through pretrial motions, grand jury materials, restitution logistics and asset liquidation over roughly three and a half years; after full restitution, the client received a two-year conditional discharge with no incarceration. In another matter involving grand larceny accusations of $700,000, no charges were filed. The firm also reports a non-jail disposition in a wire fraud case with alleged losses over $1 million, and a dismissed wire fraud case that would have carried a potential 20-year sentence.
Tsigler’s firm is also built for the early stages of an investigation, when good counsel can change the outcome most. It advises clients not to speak with federal agents without an attorney, explains how federal grand juries operate, and handles matters investigated by agencies including the SEC. Phones are answered 24/7, and the firm’s four offices make it practical for clients in any borough or on Long Island to meet in person.
2. Law Office of Jonathan Savella
- Attorney/Key Figure: Jonathan Savella, Founder
- Headquarters: 100 Pearl Street, Suite 1801, New York, NY 10004
- Phone: (646) 801-2184
- Website: jonathansavella.com
- Practice Areas: Financial crime; securities fraud; investment fraud (Ponzi and pyramid schemes); bank, mortgage, wire, mail and health care fraud; federal tax fraud; money laundering; embezzlement; identity theft; commercial bribery; RICO; grand jury subpoenas; federal criminal appeals; cyber crime; extradition
- Firm Size: Boutique federal criminal defense practice led by its founder
- Practice Area Page: NYC Financial Crime Lawyer
- Social Profiles: LinkedIn, Facebook
Jonathan Savella has practiced criminal defense for more than 15 years, primarily in New York’s federal and state courts. Before opening his own Financial District practice in 2015, he clerked for U.S. District Judge Michael A. Shipp and worked in the office of a prominent New York City appellate lawyer. He has been admitted to the Southern, Eastern and Northern Districts of New York and the District of New Jersey since 2011, as well as the Second Circuit, and recently added the District of Columbia.
His white collar work centers on professionals and executives. The firm describes representing a former CEO of a major New York City credit union charged with embezzlement and a Long Island doctor accused of conspiring to submit millions of dollars in fraudulent insurance claims. In securities and investment fraud cases, the firm digs into trading records, communications and bank records, challenges the government’s reading of complex financial regulations, and pushes for non-prosecution or deferred prosecution agreements where the facts support them. His appellate background is a practical asset when a fraud case turns on a legal question that may need to be preserved for the Second Circuit.
3. LGR Law, LLC
- Attorney/Key Figure: Lorraine Gauli-Rufo, Founder
- Headquarters: 347 Fifth Avenue, Suite 1402, New York, NY 10016 (main office in Cedar Grove, New Jersey)
- Phone: (973) 239-4300
- Website: lgaulirufo.com
- Practice Areas: Federal white collar crimes; federal fraud (bank, wire, mail, securities, health care, mortgage, tax, credit card and cryptocurrency fraud); money laundering; RICO; bribery and extortion; Hobbs Act; grand jury investigations; computer crimes; federal sentencing, appeals and post-conviction matters
- Firm Size: Boutique federal criminal defense firm; founder has 30+ years of criminal defense experience and more than 1,000 matters handled
- Ratings: Super Lawyers selection every year from 2017 through 2026
- Practice Area Page: Federal Criminal Fraud Lawyer
- Social Profiles: Facebook, X, Super Lawyers
Lorraine Gauli-Rufo spent nearly two decades as an Assistant Federal Public Defender for the District of New Jersey before founding LGR Law in 2013, after beginning her career at LeBoeuf, Lamb, Greene & MacRae. She is a Certified Criminal Trial Attorney certified by the Supreme Court of New Jersey and earned her law degree summa cum laude from Seton Hall University School of Law.
That federal defender background gives her an unusually deep working knowledge of how federal fraud cases are charged, negotiated and sentenced, from grand jury investigations through jury trials, sentencing and post-conviction work. The firm’s Fifth Avenue office in Midtown serves clients facing cases in Manhattan’s federal courthouse, and its fraud practice reaches newer areas such as cryptocurrency fraud alongside long-standing charges like bank, mortgage and health care fraud.
4. Greco Neyland, P.C.
- Attorney/Key Figure: Jeffery Greco, Founding Partner
- Headquarters: 1140 Avenue of the Americas, Suite 1035, New York, NY 10036 (additional offices in White Plains and Syosset)
- Phone: (212) 951-1300
- Website: newyorkcriminallawyer.com
- Practice Areas: Federal white collar crimes; federal investigations; mail and wire fraud; securities fraud; money laundering; public corruption; bank, insurance, mortgage, account and immigration fraud; RICO; plus broad state and federal criminal defense
- Firm Size: Boutique criminal defense firm with three named attorneys and offices in Manhattan, Westchester and Long Island
- Ratings: Jeffery Greco selected to Super Lawyers (2020 through 2023)
- Practice Area Page: NYC Federal Investigations Lawyer
- Social Profiles: Facebook, X, Instagram, LinkedIn, Yelp
Every named attorney at Greco Neyland is a former prosecutor. Founding partner Jeffery Greco served as an assistant district attorney, Dustan O. Neyland handled juvenile, misdemeanor and felony prosecutions, and Eli Crozier was a felony Assistant District Attorney in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. That combined prosecutorial experience is useful in white collar matters, where knowing how a case gets assembled on the government side helps anticipate what investigators will look for.
The firm’s Midtown office handles federal investigations as a distinct practice area, alongside charges such as securities fraud, mail and wire fraud, public corruption and bank fraud. It advertises 24-hour availability and free consultations, and its three-office footprint covers clients across the five boroughs as well as Westchester, Rockland and Long Island.
5. The Vitaliano Law Firm, PLLC
- Attorney/Key Figure: Michael Vitaliano, Founder
- Headquarters: 1492 Victory Boulevard, Staten Island, NY 10301
- Phone: (718) 273-7800
- Website: vitalianolaw.com
- Practice Areas: White collar crimes; health care fraud (Medicare and Medicaid); tax fraud; securities, investment and insider trading cases; mail and wire fraud; mortgage, real estate, check and credit card fraud; welfare fraud; embezzlement; money laundering; identity theft; racketeering (RICO); bribery and extortion; plus general criminal defense
- Firm Size: Boutique criminal defense firm led by its founder
- Practice Area Page: Staten Island Health Care Fraud Lawyer
- Social Profiles: Facebook, LinkedIn, X
Michael Vitaliano is a former New York assistant district attorney who worked at the Richmond County District Attorney’s Office from 2015 to 2019, where he handled fraud cases among other complex matters, before founding his own firm. He earned his law degree at Brooklyn Law School and has been admitted in New York since 2016.
The firm’s fraud practice is notably wide, running from Medicare and Medicaid billing cases to tax fraud, real estate fraud and welfare fraud across all five boroughs. In health care fraud matters, the firm starts with an immediate audit of billing records and a review of all evidence to establish who was actually responsible for the claims and what they intended, which is often the deciding issue when a practice owner, a biller and a provider are all under scrutiny.
6. Morvillo Abramowitz Grand Iason & Anello P.C.
- Attorney/Key Figure: Robert J. Anello, Elkan Abramowitz and partners
- Headquarters: 565 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10017
- Phone: (212) 856-9600
- Website: maglaw.com
- Practice Areas: White collar criminal defense; government investigations (DOJ, SEC, FCPA); securities and regulatory enforcement (SEC, CFTC, FINRA, Federal Reserve); internal investigations; appellate practice; civil and commercial litigation
- Firm Size: White collar boutique with 18 partners and 39 lawyers; in practice since 1973
- Ratings: Chambers USA 2026 Tier 1 for Litigation: Specialist Firms in White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations (New York)
Morvillo Abramowitz has been one of Manhattan’s best-known white collar firms since 1973, and Chambers USA ranks it in the top tier of New York’s specialist white collar firms. More than a quarter of its partners are Fellows of the American College of Trial Lawyers, and the firm is known for trial work in securities enforcement, FCPA and DOJ matters, along with internal investigations that often span multiple countries.
Its lawyers have also served as court-appointed monitors and independent examiners, which gives the firm a view of how the government evaluates corporate compliance. The trade-off is fit: the practice is built around financial institutions, companies and senior executives, so an individual facing a smaller state-level fraud charge in borough court may find a borough-based defense firm a more practical match.
7. Kostelanetz LLP
- Attorney/Key Figure: Bryan C. Skarlatos, Sharon L. McCarthy and Caroline D. Ciraolo, Partners
- Headquarters: 7 World Trade Center, 250 Greenwich Street, 34th Floor, New York, NY 10007 (additional offices in Washington, D.C. and Atlanta)
- Phone: (212) 808-8100
- Website: kostelanetz.com
- Practice Areas: Criminal tax fraud; white collar criminal defense and government investigations; Bank Secrecy Act and structuring cases; securities, bank, mail and wire fraud; CARES Act fraud; money laundering; embezzlement; customs and art fraud; civil tax controversy; IRS voluntary disclosures
- Firm Size: Boutique with 12 partners and 37 lawyers; in practice for more than 75 years
- Ratings: Chambers USA 2026 rankings in Tax: Fraud, Tax: Controversy and Litigation: Specialist Firms in White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations (New York)
- Practice Area Page: White-Collar Criminal Defense & Government Investigations
- Social Profiles: LinkedIn
Kostelanetz is built for fraud investigations with a tax dimension. Several of its attorneys are former federal prosecutors from the Southern District of New York and the Department of Justice Tax Division, others are former state prosecutors and former SEC trial counsel, and two former Chiefs of IRS Criminal Investigation work with the firm as special investigators.
That bench handles everything from criminal tax prosecutions and Bank Secrecy Act structuring cases to securities, bank and wire fraud, and the firm has negotiated hundreds of voluntary disclosures with the IRS. The trade-off is that its center of gravity is tax and regulatory work; someone facing a non-financial state charge alongside a fraud count may want a firm with broader general criminal experience.
8. Brafman & Associates, P.C.
- Attorney/Key Figure: Benjamin Brafman, Principal
- Headquarters: 256 Fifth Avenue, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10001
- Phone: (212) 750-7800
- Website: braflaw.com
- Practice Areas: White collar criminal defense; federal and state criminal defense; trials and appeals
- Firm Size: Boutique criminal defense firm founded in 1980
- Ratings: Best Lawyers “Best Law Firms” Tier 1 in Criminal Defense: White-Collar (New York City)
Benjamin Brafman began his career at a criminal defense firm and then served as an Assistant District Attorney in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office before founding his own firm in 1980. He is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and has received the New York Council of Defense Lawyers’ Norman Ostrow Award for White Collar Criminal Defense, along with the New York State Bar Association’s Outstanding Private Criminal Defense Practitioner Award.
The firm’s practice emphasizes white collar defense in serious federal and state cases, and it has represented a long list of public figures, executives and elected officials. The trade-off is demand: a practice built around a single nationally known trial lawyer tends to command premium fees and to be selective about which matters it takes.
9. Walden Haran Williams LLP
- Attorney/Key Figure: Jim Walden, Managing Partner
- Headquarters: 250 Vesey Street, 27th Floor, New York, NY 10281 (additional office in Philadelphia)
- Phone: (212) 335-2030
- Website: whwllp.com
- Practice Areas: White collar defense (securities fraud, asset misappropriation, money laundering, economic sanctions, foreign bribery, antitrust, cybercrime and tax offenses); internal investigations; corporate monitorships; complex commercial litigation; employment litigation; civil rights matters
- Firm Size: Litigation boutique with 18 partners and 46 lawyers; founded in 2015
- Ratings: Chambers USA 2026 ranking for Litigation: Specialist Firms in White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations (New York)
Jim Walden spent nearly a decade as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of New York, from 1993 to 2002, then practiced as a partner at O’Melveny & Myers and at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher before founding the firm in 2015 with fellow former prosecutors. Its white collar practice is led by former federal prosecutors, and Chambers ranks Walden, Sean Haran, Ronald G. White and Jeffrey A. Udell individually for white collar work in New York.
On the defense side, Walden’s reported matters include an AIG executive investigation that ended without DOJ or SEC charges and a post-conviction representation in which the DOJ dismissed all charges with prejudice. The trade-off is breadth: the firm also runs substantial commercial, employment and civil rights litigation, so white collar defense is one of several major practice lines rather than its sole focus.
10. Sher Tremonte LLP
- Attorney/Key Figure: Justin Sher and Michael Tremonte, Co-Founders
- Headquarters: 90 Broad Street, 23rd Floor, New York, NY 10004 (additional office in Washington, D.C.)
- Phone: (212) 202-2600
- Website: shertremonte.com
- Practice Areas: White collar defense (securities fraud, insider trading, market manipulation, accounting and insurance fraud, tax fraud, money laundering, sanctions, antitrust, public corruption); regulatory enforcement and investigations; civil and criminal RICO; complex commercial disputes
- Firm Size: Litigation boutique founded in 2011
- Ratings: Chambers USA 2026 ranking for Litigation: Specialist Firms in White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations (New York); Legal 500 recommendations in white-collar crime
Sher Tremonte was founded in 2011 by Justin Sher and Michael Tremonte. Tremonte previously served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Criminal Division of the Eastern District of New York, clerked for EDNY Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis, and was a partner at Cohen & Gresser. His white collar work covers securities, insurance and accounting fraud, market manipulation, tax fraud and money laundering, and he defended one of the high-profile subjects of the Special Counsel investigation into the 2016 election, a matter resolved without charges.
The firm is well suited to cases with parallel civil and criminal exposure, such as an SEC action running alongside a criminal investigation. The trade-off is that it is a litigation boutique serving companies and executives as much as individuals, so it is a less natural fit for routine state-level fraud charges.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who prosecutes white collar crimes in New York City?
It depends on the scope of the alleged conduct. State charges such as grand larceny, scheme to defraud and falsifying business records are typically brought by the District Attorney’s Office in the borough where the conduct occurred (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx or Staten Island) and heard in that county’s Supreme Court. Cases with interstate or international elements, such as mail fraud, wire fraud and offenses involving federally insured banks, are generally brought by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York (Manhattan and the Bronx) or the Eastern District of New York (Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island). Firms such as the Law Offices of Robert Tsigler and Greco Neyland handle both tracks, which matters when a case could be charged either way.
How does New York grade grand larceny in fraud cases?
New York grades grand larceny by the value of the property involved. Fourth-degree grand larceny covers more than $1,000 and up to $3,000, with a maximum of four years in prison. Third degree covers more than $3,000 and up to $50,000, with up to seven years. Second degree covers more than $50,000 and up to $1 million, with up to fifteen years. First degree covers anything over $1 million, with up to twenty-five years. Because the loss amount drives the degree, challenging how the prosecution calculated it is often one of the most important parts of a state fraud defense.
What penalties does federal wire fraud carry?
Under 18 U.S.C. ยง 1343, wire fraud carries up to 20 years in federal prison. If the scheme affects a financial institution or involves benefits connected to a declared disaster or emergency, the maximum rises to 30 years and a fine of up to $1,000,000. Federal sentences in practice are driven heavily by the alleged loss amount under the Sentencing Guidelines, which is why firms like LGR Law, whose founder spent nearly two decades as a federal defender, focus closely on sentencing exposure from the start.
What should I do if federal agents contact me or I receive a grand jury subpoena?
Do not give an interview before speaking with a defense attorney. Statements made to agents can become evidence, and a false statement can become a separate federal charge. A federal grand jury hears the prosecution’s case in secret, without a judge or defense lawyer present, and prosecutors are not required to present evidence favorable to the person under investigation. Counsel retained at this stage can sometimes shape whether, and how, charges are filed. Several firms on this list, including Tsigler, Savella and Greco Neyland, handle pre-charge investigations and grand jury subpoenas directly.
Can paying restitution change the outcome of a fraud case?
It can. In New York State cases especially, repaying the alleged loss is often a central part of negotiating a non-jail resolution. One example: in a Queens County felony falsifying business records case with a restitution demand above $1,000,000, the Law Offices of Robert Tsigler secured a two-year conditional discharge with no incarceration after full restitution was made. Restitution does not erase a federal case, but it can affect plea negotiations and sentencing.
Should I hire a large white collar boutique or a criminal defense firm with a fraud practice?
It depends on who is under investigation and where the case is likely to be heard. Corporate investigations, SEC enforcement and FCPA matters are the core business of firms like Morvillo Abramowitz and Sher Tremonte, and tax-driven cases are Kostelanetz’s specialty. Individuals facing borough-level fraud charges, or a mix of state and federal exposure, are often better served by criminal defense firms with dedicated fraud practices and offices in the boroughs, such as the Law Offices of Robert Tsigler or The Vitaliano Law Firm on Staten Island.
This article summarizes how white collar and fraud charges are prosecuted in New York City’s five boroughs and in the federal courts of the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York, including New York grand larceny thresholds, federal wire fraud penalties, grand jury procedure and the role of restitution. These summaries are general and do not describe the full law that applies to any single case. Outcomes depend heavily on the alleged loss amount, the documents and communications that bear on intent, whether state or federal prosecutors bring the case, and any prior record or cooperation. This article is not a substitute for advice from a licensed New York attorney about your own situation.