Jessica Ann Masella

Jessica A. Masella Ann Masella

Partner
About

Jessica Masella represents international and domestic corporations and individuals in criminal and regulatory proceedings, government investigations, and civil litigation. She regularly leads investigations for corporate clients involving a variety of issues including bribery and corruption (including FCPA), financial fraud, operations, and employee misconduct. Prior to joining the firm, Jessica served for twelve years as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Criminal Division of  the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, where she was a member of the Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force. She also served as the Chief of the Narcotics Unit and, in that role, she supervised approximately 20 Assistant United States Attorneys in all aspects of their investigations and prosecutions. During her tenure as a prosecutor, Jessica tried eleven felony jury trials and handled the briefing and oral argument for a dozen appeals in the Second Circuit.

Jessica prosecuted a wide variety of crimes, including securities and commodities fraud, money laundering, wire and mail fraud, computer fraud, racketeering, narcotics, Hobbs Act robberies, murders and firearms crimes. Jessica conducted numerous extensive investigations and worked with multiple federal law enforcement and regulatory agencies, including the SEC, the CFTC, the IRS, and the PCAOB. Jessica has been honored multiple times by the Department of Justice and other law enforcement organizations for her trial skills and contributions as a prosecutor, including with the Department's prestigious Director's Award for her work in connection with a massive identity theft fraud case.

Bar admissionsNew York

EXPERIENCE

RECENT REPRESENTATIONS INCLUDE:
  • An independent committee of an international oil and gas company in an investigation into allegations of bribery and corruption in connection with licenses for oil drilling in Africa
  • An international technology outsourcing company in connection with criminal and civil FCPA investigations and a related internal investigation
  • A large commodities trading firm in an internal investigation into a rogue trader who concealed losses of nearly US $250 million by manipulating the firm’s internal controls
  • A large audit firm in a securities fraud investigation conducted by the DOJ and SEC
  • An individual charged in the Southern District of New York with bribery and public corruption offenses
  • An individual in an investigation conducted by the DOJ and OFAC
  • An individual in an investigation conducted by the IRS into undeclared offshore bank accounts
  • An individual in connection with a Southern District of New York Grand Jury investigations into undeclared offshore bank accounts
  • A public charter school in connection with a New York Attorney General investigation
  • A pool of senior executives of a major automobile manufacturer in a DOJ investigation into alleged manipulation of emission control devices and related civil litigation
  • The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey in conducting an internal investigation into airport operations at JFK International Airport
     
Education
  • J.D., Columbia University School of Law 2000
    Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar
  • B.A., Dartmouth College

Awards

  • Chambers USA
    • Band 5, New York Litigation: White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations (2022-2023)
  • The Legal 500 United States
    • Recommended, Corporate Investigations and White-Collar Criminal Defense: Advice to Individuals (2019-2023) 
    • Recommended, Securities Litigation – Defense (2018)

Bylines

  • " 'Spoofing' Prosecutions: The DOJ's Approach," New York Law Journal, April 2, 2021
  • "New FCPA Enforcement Policy presumes declination for companies that voluntarily disclose, cooperate and remediate," DLA Client Alert, November 30, 2017
  • "Managing a Global Regulatory Investigation – Unique Challenges in Cross-Border Investigations," The Review of Securities & Commodities Regulation, May 2017
  • "What is a personal benefit? US Supreme Court issues major insider trading decision - key takeaways," White Collar Alert, December 7, 2016
  • "Seven Principles For Conducting a Digital Forensic Review," New York Law Journal, November 21, 2016
  • "Representing a Subpoenaed Entity with Documents Stored Overseas," New York Law Journal, May 4, 2018
 

Connect