Michael P. Robotti, Esq.
Michael P. Robotti is a partner in Ballard Spahr’s New York office and a member of its White Collar & Internal Investigations, Securities Enforcement & Corporate Governance, Anti-Money Laundering and Cannabis Groups. A former Assistant United States Attorney, Mike Robotti uses his strong prosecutorial background to handle internal and government investigations, white collar defense and complex litigation.
Mike counsels corporations and individuals across a range of industries against allegations of misconduct, including money laundering, securities fraud, public corruption, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) violations, Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) violations and other financial crimes.
Mike also advises financial institutions and businesses on their anti-money laundering obligations under the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA), as well as other compliance requirements, with a particular focus on issues involving cannabis, cryptocurrency and anti-corruption. Additionally, Mike assists businesses presently seeking to enter New York’s cannabis market with preparing their compliance plans and licensing applications. Mike has authored several recent articles on this topic.
As a member of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York for nearly eight years, Mike served as deputy chief of the International Narcotics & Money Laundering section and as senior trial counsel for the Business and Securities Fraud section. Mike was a member of the trial team that prosecuted Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán Loera—the leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, the world’s largest drug cartel. For his work on that case, in 2019, he received the Attorney General’s David Margolis Award for Exceptional Service, the Department of Justice’s highest honor. He also led the investigation and prosecution of Genaro García Luna, a former Mexican cabinet official, who allegedly protected the Sinaloa Cartel in exchange for bribes.
In addition, while a federal prosecutor, Mike investigated and prosecuted complex and high-profile cases in a wide variety of subject matters. His cases included, among others, matters related to foreign public corruption and bribery, money laundering, corporate misconduct, securities fraud, BSA and OFAC violations, mail and wire fraud, tax fraud, pharmaceutical regulatory compliance and international drug trafficking. Mike has tried multiple federal cases to verdict, and he has argued numerous times before the federal district court and court of appeals.