About me

Address: New York: One Bryant Park, Bank of America Tower, New York, NY 10036-6745

Areas of Focus: White Collar Defense & Government Investigations; Disputes & Investigations; Securities Enforcement & Litigation; State Attorneys General; Investment Funds Litigation; Cartel Investigations & Criminal Antitrust Prosecutions; Sustainability; Inspector General Investigations; National Security & Global Investigations; Public Company Advisory

Biography:
Mike Asaro is a trusted advocate for companies and individuals facing their highest-stakes legal challenges—from federal criminal investigations and SEC enforcement actions to complex commercial disputes. A former federal prosecutor and SEC enforcement attorney, Mike brings a deep understanding of both criminal and civil government investigations to every engagement.
Mike is a leader of Akin’s white collar defense and global investigations practice, where he draws on decades of experience to deliver practical, results-driven counsel. His practice encompasses white collar criminal defense, SEC and Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) enforcement matters, corporate internal investigations and complex commercial litigation. Mike also regularly advises investment firms on compliance with the federal securities and commodities laws, helping clients stay ahead of regulatory risk before it becomes a crisis.
Before entering private practice, Mike served as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of New York, rising to deputy chief of the Business and Securities Fraud Section. In that role, he oversaw the prosecution of numerous complex, high-profile securities fraud, wire fraud, bribery and money laundering cases.
Mike began his government career in the SEC’s New York office, where he served as a branch chief, supervising staff attorneys conducting regulatory investigations and enforcement actions. During that time, he was also appointed as a special assistant U.S. attorney in the Southern District of New York.
Chambers USA has praised Mike’s “ability to understand complex technical issues and sophisticated processes” as “second to none,” calling him a “great lawyer” who is “solution-oriented” and “really delivers.” He regularly counsels companies and individuals in matters involving:
- Insider trading
- Market manipulation and disruptive trading
- Accounting irregularities and public company disclosure issues
- Investment adviser and broker/dealer regulation
- Conflicts of interest and breaches of fiduciary duty
- Anti-bribery and Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA)
- Complex commercial litigation.

Representative Work:
- Conducted an internal investigation on behalf of the Special Committee of the Board of Directors of Eastman Kodak Company into issues related to trading and options grants in advance of a public news announcement. Also represented Eastman Kodak in connection with related SEC and New York Attorney General investigations.
- Conducted an internal investigation on behalf of the Audit Committees of two public companies into allegations of accounting improprieties at a joint venture co-owned by both companies.
- Represented hedge funds and their employees in connection with dozens of insider trading and market manipulation investigations by the SEC, DOJ and CFTC.
- Represented a high-frequency trading firm in connection with an investigation by the DOJ into potential violations of the Commodity Exchange Act related to the firm's cryptocurrency trading business.
- Represented a private credit fund manager in an SEC investigation into potential conflicts of interest and the valuation of illiquid investments.
- Conducted an internal investigation on behalf of a quantitative trading firm into a complex scheme by a rogue employee who tampered with trading algorithms to secure an inflated bonus. Also represented the firm in parallel SEC and DOJ investigations into the employee’s misconduct and the firm’s supervisory systems and internal controls.
- Defended an executive of an international investment bank who was the target of a criminal investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts into allegedly fraudulent subprime mortgage securitizations. Persuaded the U.S. Attorney’s Office to resolve the matter without any charges against the client.

Credentials:
Education: J.D., Brooklyn Law School, 1998 (magna cum laude); B.S., Boston University, 1995
Bar Admissions: New York, 1999
Court Admissions: U.S.C.A., 2nd Circuit, 2003; U.S.D.C., Eastern District of New York, 1998; U.S.D.C., Southern District of New York, 1998; New York Supreme Court, 1998

Recognitions:
- Securities Docket , Enforcement Elite, 2024-2025.
- Chambers USA , Litigation: White Collar Crime and Government Investigations, 2013-2026.
- The Legal 500 US , Corporate Investigations, White Collar Criminal Defense, 2019-2024.
- Who's Who Legal : Investigations, multiple years, including 2022-2023.

Affiliations:
- Appointed Director, Board of Directors, Managed Funds Association (MFA).
- Assistant U.S. Attorney, Deputy Chief of Business and Securities Fraud Section, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, 2002 to 2007.
- Branch Chief, New York, Enforcement Division, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, 1998 to 2002.
- Special Assistant U.S. Attorney, U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of New York, 2001 to 2002.

Insights:
- SEC Proposes Regulation Crypto Assets: A Tailored Offering Framework for Crypto Investment Contracts (August 19, 2026): https://www.akingump.com/en/insights/alerts/sec-proposes-regulation-crypto-assets-a-tailored-offering-framework-for-crypto-investment-contracts
- Akin Attorneys Author Reuters Article on MNPI and Prediction Markets (August 17, 2026): https://www.akingump.com/en/insights/media-mentions/akin-attorneys-author-reuters-article-on-mnpi-and-prediction-markets
- CFTC Targets George Santos for Manipulative Trading in State of the Union Event Contract  (August 10, 2026): https://www.akingump.com/en/insights/alerts/cftc-targets-george-santos-for-manipulative-trading-in-state-of-the-union-event-contract
- Wave of Recent “Vishing” Attacks Target Hedge Funds and Other Financial Services Firms (August 6, 2026): https://www.akingump.com/en/insights/alerts/wave-of-recent-vishing-attacks-target-hedge-funds-and-other-financial-services-firms
- Both Sides Receive Skepticism from Ninth Circuit in SEC v. Panuwat Oral Argument  (June 17, 2026): https://www.akingump.com/en/insights/alerts/both-sides-receive-skepticism-from-ninth-circuit-in-sec-v-panuwat-oral-argument
- CFTC Proposes New Framework for Regulating Prediction Markets (June 15, 2026): https://www.akingump.com/en/insights/alerts/cftc-proposes-new-framework-for-regulating-prediction-markets
- Supreme Court Says SEC Need Not Show Investors Lost Money to Obtain Disgorgement (June 10, 2026): https://www.akingump.com/en/insights/alerts/supreme-court-says-sec-need-not-show-investors-lost-money-to-obtain-disgorgement
- CFTC Advances Framework for Perpetual Contracts and 24/7 Markets (June 9, 2026): https://www.akingump.com/en/insights/alerts/cftc-advances-framework-for-perpetual-contracts-and-247-markets
- Chambers USA 2026 Recognizes Akin Lawyers and Practices  (June 4, 2026): https://www.akingump.com/en/insights/awards-and-accolades/chambers-usa-2026-recognizes-akin-lawyers-and-practices
- DOJ and CFTC Bring New Insider Trading Cases in Prediction Markets (June 3, 2026): https://www.akingump.com/en/insights/alerts/doj-and-cftc-bring-new-insider-trading-cases-in-prediction-markets
- The CFTC Resets Its Cooperation Framework: New Advisory Creates Clear Path to Declination (May 26, 2026): https://www.akingump.com/en/insights/alerts/the-cftc-resets-its-cooperation-framework-new-advisory-creates-clear-path-to-declination
- CFTC Receives Extensive Feedback on Prediction Markets Rulemaking (May 15, 2026): https://www.akingump.com/en/insights/alerts/cftc-receives-extensive-feedback-on-prediction-markets-rulemaking