Cohen & Gresser LLP

White Collar Defense & Regulation

Partner

Christian R. Everdell is a member of Cohen & Gresser’s White Collar Defense & Regulation and Litigation & Arbitration groups and leads the U.S. Privacy & Data Security group. Chris represents companies and individuals in criminal prosecutions, internal investigations, regulatory enforcement proceedings, and complex civil litigation. He regularly defends clients in matters involving the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), the New York Attorney General’s Office, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), and other government enforcement agencies. Chris has extensive experience in matters involving securities and commodities fraud, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), international money laundering and Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) violations, consumer fraud, and U.S. economic/OFAC sanctions and export regulations. Chris’s practice also focuses on regulatory issues concerning digital assets, blockchain technology, and privacy and cybersecurity.

Chris has represented clients in some of the most highly publicized trials in recent years, including serving as trial counsel for Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder and former CEO of the cryptocurrency exchange FTX, and Ghislaine Maxwell, the former associate of Jeffrey Epstein. Chris has also defended companies and individuals in numerous high-profile criminal, regulatory, and internal investigations.

Chris has been recognized by Chambers USA in its white collar crime and government investigations category since 2021, and has been described as having an “excellent knowledge of cybersecurity.” It has been further noted that Chris’s “insights and strategic vision, particularly when dealing with U.S. regulators, are outstanding” and that he is a “superb business litigation attorney.” He also has been recognized in The Legal 500‘s U.S. coverage for corporate investigations and white collar criminal defense. Super Lawyers has recognized Chris on its annual New York Metro Super Lawyers list for white collar criminal defense since 2019.

Prior to joining the firm, Chris served for nearly a decade as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, where he was a member of the Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit and the Terrorism and International Narcotics Unit. While in the office, Chris tried a number of federal criminal cases and also briefed and argued numerous appeals before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Chris and his colleagues in the Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit were awarded the 2016 Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Prosecuting Attorney’s Award for exceptional commitment to consumer protection. In 2014, the Federal Drug Agent Foundation awarded Chris and his team the True American Hero Award for their work in the investigation and apprehension of the former head of the Sinaloa drug cartel in Mexico (“Chapo Guzman”).

Chris was previously an associate at Debevoise & Plimpton, where he represented companies, audit committees, and executives in white collar criminal defense and regulatory matters and internal investigations involving allegations of improper accounting and revenue recognition, market manipulation, and channel stuffing. While at Debevoise, Chris conducted five felony trials while serving as a Special Assistant District Attorney in the Kings County District Attorney’s Office for a six-month pro bono term.

Prior to joining Debevoise, Chris served as a Law Clerk to the Honorable Raymond J. Dearie in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York.

Chris is a graduate of Harvard Law School and earned his undergraduate degree summa cum laude from Princeton University.

New York State

U.S. District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit

U.S. Supreme Court

Harvard Law School (J.D., 2001)

Princeton University (A.B., summa cum laude, 1996)