David Stier joins DLA Piper as partner in litigation group

David Stier joins DLA Piper as partner in litigation group

DLA Piper continues to bolster its litigation practice with the appointment of David Stier as a partner in its Washington, DC office.

Stier, a seasoned litigator and trial attorney, brings extensive experience in the financial services sector, particularly in the areas of fintech, cryptocurrency and digital assets, anti-money laundering investigations, and white-collar crimes.

Over the past 12 years, he has held various positions in government, including the Bank Integrity Unit at the Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section of the US Department of Justice (DOJ), the Market Integrity and Major Frauds Unit of the DOJ Criminal Fraud Section, the Office of the Special Inspector General for the Trouble Asset Relief Program (SIGTARP) at the US Department of the Treasury, and the Treasury's Office of Financial Stability, where he focused on programmes related to the financial crisis of TARP.

While working at MLARS Bank Integrity Unit, Stier was responsible for conducting thorough investigations and bringing about prosecutions related to various financial crimes such as the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA), sanctions, bribery, money laundering, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and fraud in the cryptocurrency industry, fintech firms, financial institutions, and broker-dealers.

In addition, as a representative of the DOJ to an inter-agency law enforcement group, Stier offered guidance to the Treasury Department and the Financial Action Task Force on issues and regulations surrounding the Bank Secrecy Act and anti-money laundering, including those relating to high-value art, non-fungible tokens, and the rule of beneficial ownership.

While at the DOJ's Fraud Section, Stier served as a lead trial attorney on complex securities and corporate fraud cases involving public companies and financial services firms and their executives and liaised with the Securities and Exchange Commission on parallel investigations.

Among his roles at the Treasury Department, Stier served as SIGTARP's Assistant Chief Investigative Counsel where he helped develop and execute the agency's strategy for combatting TARP fraud and liaised with law enforcement and financial regulators nationwide, including the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Federal Reserve, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and Federal Trade Commission. Additionally, at the Treasury's Office of Financial Stability, Stier helped build and improve TARP anti-fraud and compliance initiatives and created a cutting-edge online brand protection program to safeguard Treasury's homeowner assistance programs.

"David's move to the firm will add depth to our financial services and regulatory enforcement practice. With the recent signaling by regulators, we anticipate that the legal and enforcement landscape for financial services companies will become more complex. His years of government service, especially around digital assets and advisory work, will be incredibly beneficial for our clients," said Ilana Eisenstein, US chair of the firm's Litigation practice.

"David will be a valuable addition to the robust Litigation practice in our DC office, and his extensive experience at DOJ and Treasury will complement our team and offer valuable insights and counsel to our clients," said William Minor, managing partner of the firm's Washington, DC office.