Christoffer Lee

As deputy chief of the General Crimes section, Christoffer supervised, managed and trained a team of more than 20 federal prosecutors. He oversaw complex internal investigations and prosecutions involving regulatory violations, fraud, cybercrime, child exploitation, violent crime, and homicide, and advised on grand jury practice, charging decisions, plea negotiations, and trial strategy. He also helped develop and implement novel, data-driven strategies to address some of the District’s most complex cases and initiatives, earning the U.S. Attorney’s Award for Outstanding Case Outcome for “Operation All Hands on Deck” in October 2024.

Christoffer developed particular authority  in investigating and prosecuting investment schemes, healthcare, securities, tax and corporate fraud, money laundering, network intrustions, obstruction of justice, and crimes involving emerging technologies and cryptocurrency. Representative matters include:

• Development of significant expertise in the Electronic Communications Privacy Act and Stored Communications Act, including the use of subpoenas, court orders and search warrants to drive evidence collection and investigations.
• Investigation and prosecution of a 30-defendant Anti-Kickback Statute healthcare conspiracy—investigated by HHS-OIG and the FBI—involving a large Bay Area home healthcare agency’s payment of kickbacks for Medicare patient referrals, resulting in convictions of the owner and physicians, as well as resolutions for other healthcare professionals.
• Investigation and prosecution of complex investment fraud schemes, including multimillion-dollar Ponzi schemes, securities fraud and corporate charity fraud.

A nationally recognized thought leader on law and technology, Christoffer frequently speaks on panels addressing AI-related enforcement and litigation risk, as well as financial crime risks amplified by emerging technologies.

Christoffer also brings state prosecution experience in the Bay Area, having served as a Deputy District Attorney in the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office. In that role, he prosecuted fraud cases and complex conspiracies, conducted hundreds of substantive court appearances—including preliminary hearings, suppression motions and evidentiary hearings—and managed a large and diverse caseload involving charges such as manslaughter, narcotics offenses, conspiracy, fraud, elder abuse and violent crimes. He also gained substantial first-chair jury trial experience.

Earlier in his career, Christoffer practiced in San Francisco, where he defended complex civil fraud cases and represented individuals in criminal antitrust enforcement matters. In Washington, DC, he gained cross-border investigation experience in matters involving the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, appearing before the Department of Justice and the SEC. He has also maintained a robust pro bono practice, including helping clients expunge criminal convictions, seek appellate relief from federal criminal convictions and successfully defended a client in a first-degree murder trial in Maryland state court.

Christoffer served as a law clerk to the Honorable Thelton E. Henderson (ret.), Senior United States District Judge for the Northern District of California. He also served as a judicial extern to the Honorable Jeffrey S. White and the Honorable Jeremy Fogel (ret.), United States District Judges for the Northern District of California.

He has taught as guest faculty at Stanford Law School’s Trial Advocacy Workshop and previously taught legal writing and advocacy at UC Law San Francisco (formerly UC Hastings).

• Counseled a client in a federal civil lawsuit alleging fraud and misrepresentation.
• Represented a client in a state criminal matter, including successfully quashing criminal discovery subpoenas directed to a third-party entity in Santa Clara County Superior Court.

• “Cyber Threat Landscape and Breach Prevention Guidance” California Department of Financial Protection & Innovation (Sept. 5, 2024)
• “The Hero or the Villain? Technology’s Role in Financial Crime” ACAMS (June 17, 2024)
• “The Impact of AI on Securities Enforcement, Regulation, Compliance, and Practice” Securities Enforcement Forum West (May 23, 2024)