Aaron P. Arnzen is an experienced litigator and trial attorney who specializes in representing shareholders in class action and derivative litigation.
Prior to joining Bottini & Bottini, Mr. Arnzen was an Assistant United States Attorney in the Southern District of California. At the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Mr. Arnzen primarily focused on the investigation and prosecution of complex securities fraud schemes, including insider trading, accounting fraud, market manipulation, offering frauds, and Ponzi schemes. He was the lead prosecutor in the criminal case against Gina Champion-Cain, who carried out the largest Ponzi scheme in the history of the District. Mr. Arnzen has well-honed trial skills, having conducted jury trials on behalf of the United States in cases involving insider trading, pump-and-dump schemes, government procurement fraud, mortgage fraud, perjury, and drug smuggling. Mr. Arnzen was also named Chief of the Major Frauds and Public Corruption Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, where he oversaw hundreds of white-collar investigations. In addition, Mr. Arnzen served as the Office’s designated Financial Fraud Coordinator, responsible for providing input on all aspects of financial- and securities fraud-related investigations in the Office, and coordinating matters that intersected with other federal and state authorities.
Before he was a federal prosecutor, Mr. Arnzen served as a Staff Attorney and Senior Trial Counsel with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission’s Division of Enforcement, having been posted in the SEC’s New York and San Francisco Regional Offices. While at the SEC, Mr. Arnzen acted as the primary SEC enforcement attorney dedicated to the investigation of Bernard Madoff and his co-conspirators. He also litigated and investigated cases focused on high frequency trading, asset management, broker-dealer practices, accounting fraud, Ponzi schemes, and manipulative trading.
Mr. Arnzen began his legal career with Cooley LLP, where he represented corporate and individual clients in criminal and regulatory inquiries, internal investigations, and class action securities litigation. He second-chaired the successful defense of a “Big 5” audit engagement partner in successive federal criminal trials that cumulatively lasted more than five months. He also co-chaired the firm-wide Associates Committee, and received the San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Program’s award for Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year.
In addition, Mr. Arnzen has in-house business experience, having worked for a multi-national company as a Certified Public Accountant in financial reporting, internal auditing, and financial analysis roles.
Mr. Arnzen is a 2001 graduate, with honors, of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, School of Law, and a 1994 graduate of the University of Cincinnati, where he graduated summa cum laude with a degree in Business Administration. While at UNC, Mr. Arnzen served as an Articles Editor for the Law Review. His articles include U.S. v. Dickerson: A Case Study in Executive Constitutional Interpretation, 78 N.C. L. REV. 1153 (2000). Mr. Arnzen was certified as a public accountant by the Ohio Board of Accountancy (license currently inactive). He is admitted to California State Bar; District of Columbia Bar; Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals; and the United States District Courts for the Southern, Central, and Northern Districts of California.