Lee Vartan is a litigation attorney in Holland & Knight's New York office. He practices in the area of white collar defense and investigations, and handles all aspects of complex civil litigation in federal and state courts.
Prior to joining Holland & Knight, Mr. Vartan had a distinguished, seven-year career in federal and state government service. From 2007 through 2011, Mr. Vartan served as a federal prosecutor in New Jersey where he prosecuted various white collar and cyber offenses, including money laundering crimes, securities fraud, racketeering, computer intrusion and mail, wire and bank fraud. He successfully tried seven federal jury trials.
In 2011, Mr. Vartan joined the administration of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and served in the governor's counsel's office, advising the governor and senior administration officials on policy and legislation. He was then elevated to chief of staff to the New Jersey attorney general, and later served as the executive assistant attorney general – the state's second highest-ranking prosecutor.
As the executive assistant attorney general, Mr. Vartan managed the day-to-day activities of the 8,100-person Department of Law and Public Safety, where his responsibilities included supervision of the New Jersey State Police, Division of Criminal Justice, Division of Gaming Enforcement and Division of Consumer Affairs. On the criminal front, Mr. Vartan oversaw hundreds of investigations and prosecutions involving healthcare fraud, financial fraud, securities fraud and public corruption. On the gaming front, he managed the implementation of New Jersey's Internet gaming law and the licensing of both Internet gaming providers and “brick-and-mortar” casinos. Mr. Vartan also served as New Jersey's liaison to the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG), where he was responsible for determining New Jersey's participation in multi-state, attorney general-led enforcement actions in the areas of data privacy, consumer finance and off-label prescription drug marketing.
Because of his government experience, Mr. Vartan is frequently called upon by clients who are the targets of federal and state prosecutors. Likewise, Mr. Vartan regularly represents companies and individuals targeted by federal and state civil regulators, including the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), state attorneys general, state securities commissions and state licensing boards.
In addition to his legal practice, Mr. Vartan is a frequent commentator in the media, providing regular perspective and comment to The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, the New York Daily News, The (Newark) Star-Ledger, The Philadelphia Inquirer and other publications on significant federal and state criminal cases. Mr. Vartan is also a regular speaker before companies, conferences and the New Jersey State Bar Association, where he lectures on multi-state, attorney general-led enforcement actions, cybersecurity, data privacy and healthcare fraud, among other topics. In addition, Mr. Vartan served for several years as an adjunct professor at Seton Hall Law School in Newark, N.J., where he taught a course on the investigation and prosecution of federal cybercrimes.
