Michael J. Osnato, Jr., former Chief of the Complex Financial Instruments Unit of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Enforcement Division, is a Litigation Partner and member of the Firm’s Government and Internal Investigations Practice. Drawing on his deep breadth of experience at the SEC, Mike is also the Head of Simpson Thacher’s Funds Regulatory and Investigations group. He focuses on high-stakes regulatory and criminal matters, government investigations, sensitive whistleblower complaints and SEC examination and compliance counseling, including with respect to regulatory developments involving cryptocurrency and other digital assets. Mike is recognized by Chambers USA in Securities: Regulation: Enforcement, where clients and peers praise him as “thoughtful, smart and deeply knowledgeable of the SEC rules and regulations” and “respected by the government and an advocate for his clients,” and highlight his “very nice touch with regulators.” He is also recognized by Euromoney’s Benchmark Litigation as a National and New York “Litigation Star” in white collar and securities.
Mike’s representative matters include:
- Multiple leading private equity sponsors in SEC investigations focused on fee and
expense allocations, conflicts of interest and valuation
- JPMorgan in SEC investigation and US$125M settlement related to texting practices
- Leading global pharmaceutical manufacturer in global anti-corruption investigation
focused on alleged misconduct in multiple jurisdictions; matter ended with issuance
of termination letter
- Major market participants in SEC investigations concerning the issuance and trading
of digital assets
- A Fortune 50 insurance company in SEC investigation of various accounting practices;
matter ended with government issuance of termination letter
- Global bank in SEC investigation of the issuance and sale of structured products;
matter ended with government issuance of termination letter
At the SEC, Mike was a member of various national leadership Committees, including the Enforcement Division’s Cooperation Committee, which oversees the SEC’s Cooperation Program for entities and individuals subject to SEC investigation. During his tenure on the Cooperation Committee, Mike played a leadership role in developing innovative uses of the Enforcement Division’s Cooperation Program and formulating national policy relevant to the resolution of high-stakes matters. Mike has extensive experience in evaluating the strength of corporate compliance and controls programs, the adequacy and value of corporate and individual cooperation in SEC matters, and has played a lead role in several of the SEC’s most prominent settlements involving admissions of wrongdoing.
Throughout his tenure at the SEC, Mike worked in close partnership with multiple domestic and international law enforcement agencies, including the Department of Justice, FBI, CFTC, Federal Reserve, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, the New York Attorney General’s Office, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority.
Mike received his J.D. with Honors from Fordham Law School, where he was a member of the Law Review, and his B.A. with Honors from Williams College, where he was a Distinguished Scholar.
Updated Aug 2023
