Nimi Aviad

Overview

Nimi Aviad is a partner in Crowell & Moring’s Los Angeles office, where he is a member of the White Collar Crime and Regulatory Enforcement Group and of the firm's Investigations Group.

Nimi's practice focuses on representing and counseling corporate and individual clients in white collar criminal defense, regulatory enforcement actions, grand jury investigations, internal corporate investigations, and in related complex civil litigation matters.

Nimi has represented individuals and corporations in the course of investigations and enforcement actions by the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the California Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC), state attorneys' general, and local California district attorneys, among other domestic and international enforcement bodies and regulators.

Nimi has represented clients in high-profile, high-stakes matters involving a wide range of business offenses, including public corruption and Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) violations, market manipulation and other securities fraud, accounting fraud, procurement fraud, insider trading, and fraud relating to residential mortgage-backed securities. Nimi’s internal investigation work emphasizes FCPA and Anti-Money Laundering issues; he has tried cases in Federal and state courts, and investigated alleged misconduct throughout the United States, Latin America, Asia, and the Middle East. Nimi also has experience in handling federal and state government regulatory inquiries and enforcement actions targeting entities and individuals that invest in and incorporate blockchain technology, cryptocurrency, and other digital assets into their businesses.

Over the past ten years, Nimi has developed experience in matters associated with the “digital Fourth Amendment,” including the Stored Communications Act and the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. Nimi routinely writes and speaks about these issues, as well as briefs them to courts around the country, including the California Supreme Court.

Prior to joining Crowell & Moring, Nimi served as a law clerk to the Honorable Justice Ayala Procaccia of the Supreme Court of Israel. While in law school, he was student editor-in-chief of the Tel Aviv University Journal of Law, Society and Culture and the Tel Aviv University delegate to the International Criminal Court moot court competition.

Nimi has represented individuals and corporations in the course of investigations and enforcement actions by the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the California Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC), state attorneys' general, and local California district attorneys, among other domestic and international enforcement bodies and regulators.

Nimi has represented clients in high-profile, high-stakes matters involving a wide range of business offenses, including public corruption and Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) violations, market manipulation and other securities fraud, accounting fraud, procurement fraud, insider trading, and fraud relating to residential mortgage-backed securities. Nimi’s internal investigation work emphasizes FCPA and Anti-Money Laundering issues; he has tried cases in Federal and state courts, and investigated alleged misconduct throughout the United States, Latin America, Asia, and the Middle East. Nimi also has experience in handling federal and state government regulatory inquiries and enforcement actions targeting entities and individuals that invest in and incorporate blockchain technology, cryptocurrency, and other digital assets into their businesses.

Over the past ten years, Nimi has developed experience in matters associated with the “digital Fourth Amendment,” including the Stored Communications Act and the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. Nimi routinely writes and speaks about these issues, as well as briefs them to courts around the country, including the California Supreme Court.

Prior to joining Crowell & Moring, Nimi served as a law clerk to the Honorable Justice Ayala Procaccia of the Supreme Court of Israel. While in law school, he was student editor-in-chief of the Tel Aviv University Journal of Law, Society and Culture and the Tel Aviv University delegate to the International Criminal Court moot court competition.

Career & Education

University of California, Berkeley School of Law, LL.M., 2005
Tel Aviv University, LL.B., magna cum laude, 2004
- University of California, Berkeley School of Law, LL.M., 2005
- Tel Aviv University, LL.B., magna cum laude, 2004
California
Israel
- California
- Israel
French
Hebrew
- French
- Hebrew

Nimi's Insights

Speaking Engagement | 05.22.25

"Navigating Agency and Congressional Investigations for Federal Funding Recipients," Crowell & Moring Webinar.

Webinar | 05.22.25
Navigating Agency and Congressional Investigations for Federal Funding Recipients Webinar
Speaking Engagement | 05.14.25
"Shield or Sword: Privilege, Waiver, and Third Parties," 2025 Government Contracts Investigations Seminar, Tysons Corner, VA
Client Alert | 5 min read | 05.13.25
DOJ Reprioritizes Corporate Enforcement with Key Policy Revisions

View All Insights

Representative Matters

Representative Criminal Defense and Civil Enforcement Matters

Defended the founder and executive director of a high-performing charter school against charges of misappropriation of public funds, embezzlement, tax fraud, and conflict of interest.
Defended an investor against criminal insider trading charges and parallel enforcement action by the SEC.
Defended a United States naturalized citizen in denaturalization proceedings based on alleged criminal conduct.
Defended an investment bank managing director in an enforcement action brought by the Federal Reserve alleging corruption-based violations of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act.
Defended a multinational geothermal energy company against allegations of False Claims Act violations.
Represented shipping company and executives in connection with a criminal antitrust investigation of price-fixing in the Container shipping industry.
Represented a pool of former bank employees in connection with multiple enforcement and related civil matters concerning the sale of Residential Mortgage-Backed Securities.
Represented a Mexican-based logistics company in connection with a cross-border smuggling investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
Represented bank executive in connection with an SEC investigation of market manipulation related to convertible bonds issuances.
Represented cryptocurrency exchange executive in connection with parallel DOJ, CFTC, and New York Attorney General investigations of market manipulation and misrepresentations.
Represented executive director of a charter school in connection with a California FPPC investigation of conflict of interest violations.
Represented leading decentralized finance (DeFi) company in various civil and regulatory matters.
Represented a real estate company utilizing artificial intelligence and blockchain technology as part of its business model in connection with an investigation by the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation.
Represented leading cryptocurrency exchange in connection with an OFAC investigation of alleged US sanctions violations.

Representative Investigation Matters

Internal investigation in Mexico on behalf of a Mexican subsidiary of a U.S. logistics company in connection with allegations of FCPA violations.
Internal investigation in Argentina and related self-reporting to the SEC and DOJ on behalf of a global technology company in a matter involving allegations of FCPA violations.
Internal Investigation in Japan on behalf of global technology company in connection with allegations of accounting fraud.
Internal investigation in the middle east on behalf of a multinational conglomerate company in connection with allegations of US sanctions violations.
Internal investigation in the United States on behalf of a prominent DeFi company in connection with allegations of misrepresentation and fraud.