Nicole M.
Argentieri

Ms. Argentieri’s representative matters include:

• Representing a global financial services company in a regulatory inquiry by the Federal Reserve and the OCC into the adequacy of the company’s compliance program and potential trade-based money laundering activity;
• Representing a multinational financial services corporation in connection with an internal investigation into whistleblower allegations about potential money laundering;
• Representing the former general counsel of a public company in connection with a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) inquiry and related internal investigation into the adequacy of the company’s financial statement disclosures and related matters; and
• Representing an American security company in connection with a DOJ investigation into potential violations of the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act.

In her capacity as the Criminal Division’s Acting Assistant Attorney General and prior to that as Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Ms. Argentieri supervised over 1,400 prosecutors and staff members with respect to high‑profile investigations and enforcement matters involving transnational and organized crime, cybersecurity, public corruption, money laundering, securities and healthcare fraud, violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and the Bank Secrecy Act, sanctions, intellectual property theft and other international affairs.

As one of the most senior leaders at the DOJ, Ms. Argentieri represented the United States in numerous meetings with foreign ministers of justice and attorneys general domestically and abroad, on topics including white collar crime, violent crime, human smuggling and narcotics trafficking. She has worked closely with foreign regulators to coordinate cross‑border investigations and prosecutions, including with the Serious Fraud Office, the Financial Conduct Authority and the Parquet national financier.

Ms. Argentieri additionally coordinated the Criminal Division’s work across the DOJ with U.S. Attorney’s offices, the National Security Division, the Civil Division and other critical enforcement partners, such as the SEC, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and the Department of Treasury, specifically the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network and the Office of Foreign Assets Control. She set the Criminal Division’s priorities related to white collar crime, and developed and implemented its policies directed at strengthening corporate compliance culture, including programs related to whistleblowers, compensation clawbacks and self‑disclosure.

Ms. Argentieri has deep practical knowledge of corporate best practices on anti‑bribery and corruption and anti‑money laundering programs, including emerging risks and opportunities presented by artificial intelligence, ephemeral messaging and other technology. She oversaw numerous high‑profile corporate resolutions and represented the DOJ before Congress in both open and closed sessions. She also testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee about the DOJ’s white collar criminal enforcement.

Prior to serving in the DOJ, Ms. Argentieri was a partner at a large international law firm, where she focused on corporate investigations involving fraud, bribery, kickbacks, accounting irregularities, whistleblower complaints, and culture, misconduct and bullying, including related to university sports programs.

Ms. Argentieri previously served for over a decade as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, where she led and supervised complex investigations and tried several jury trials to verdict, and was most recently the Chief of the Public Integrity Section, among other leadership divisions. As Public Integrity Chief, Ms. Argentieri was the Eastern District’s primary liaison with its anti‑corruption law enforcement partners, including the DOJ, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the New York City Department of Investigation and the New York State Attorney General. For her service, Ms. Argentieri received the New York City Bar Association’s Henry L. Stimson Award for outstanding prosecution.

Ms. Argentieri was born in Staten Island, New York. She received a B.A. in 1999 from Columbia University and a J.D. cum laude in 2002 from the University of Pennsylvania Law School.