DLA Piper LLP (US)

Litigation, Arbitration and Investigations; State Attorneys General

Partner

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.

J.D., Columbia University School of Law; B.A., Dartmouth College