Federal crypto defense is no longer a generalist practice.
The defendants, executives, and companies who face federal scrutiny in this space need counsel who understand both the federal criminal enforcement machine — from the inside — and the technical and regulatory complexity of modern digital asset operations.
Zerillo Law Firm, LLC
Federal Crypto and White Collar Defense.
We represent principals, executives, and companies facing federal investigation, indictment, and enforcement in cryptocurrency and digital asset matters. Our practice is led by attorneys with nearly fifty years of combined federal criminal experience — including a quarter-century of senior federal prosecution and one of the first successful federal prosecutions of an unlicensed Bitcoin money services business.
What the Practice Covers
Federal exposure, mapped and met.
Zerillo Law Firm, LLC has built its federal crypto defense practice around a rare combination — a former federal prosecutor and a career criminal defense attorney guiding clients through this complicated and dangerous space.
Federal Defense
Pre-indictment through trial.
Representation of principals, executives, and entities in federal cryptocurrency and white collar matters at every stage — target letter response, grand jury practice, plea negotiation, trial, sentencing, and post-conviction.
Readiness Review
Know your federal exposure before a target letter.
A privileged, fixed-fee assessment mapping a crypto company’s activities against money transmission, BSA, sanctions, securities, wire fraud, money laundering, and tax-reporting risk.
Consulting Services
Former federal prosecutor on the defense team.
Available to defense counsel as consulting expert — charging strategy, plea posture, trial preparation, and the institutional dynamics inside the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Frequently Asked
First steps when the federal government calls.
The decisions made in the first hours after a target letter, a subpoena, or a knock at the door often shape the trajectory of an entire case. A short answer to three of the questions we hear most.
A target letter means the U.S. Attorney’s Office has identified you as a putative defendant. The most important thing is what you do not do. Do not call the prosecutor or the agent named in the letter. Do not respond to the letter directly. Do not delete documents. Do not discuss the matter with anyone other than counsel. Engage experienced federal defense counsel immediately — the decisions made in the days and weeks after a target letter often shape the entire trajectory of the case.
No. The FBI and other federal criminal investigative agencies — DEA, HSI, IRS-CID, U.S. Secret Service — cannot compel employees or officers to speak when they appear without a warrant. Cooperate with any physical search if a warrant is present, document what is taken, and engage counsel immediately — but do not consent to interviews or extended discussions in the moment. Materially false statements made to federal agents are themselves a federal crime under 18 U.S.C. § 1001.
Not without counsel. Voluntary disclosure can be the right move in some circumstances, but it can also lock the company into admissions that significantly worsen its position. The decision depends on what the company knows, what the regulator likely knows, what statute is implicated, and what the company’s defensive posture would be if the regulator surfaces the issue independently. That analysis must be done by counsel before any contact.
Federal Enforcement Intelligence
A working source on federal crypto enforcement.
The firm publishes federal crypto enforcement analysis at CryptoDefenseWatch — a working source for in-house counsel, compliance officers, defense lawyers, and journalists tracking the federal enforcement posture toward cryptocurrency.
Coverage spans DOJ, SEC, CFTC, FinCEN, OFAC, and IRS — with analysis from the perspective of a former federal prosecutor.
