Sullivan & Cromwell LLP Logo
  • Home
  • Lawyers
  • Practices
  • Insights
  • About
  • Careers
  • Alumni
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  •  icon
  • Podcasts icon
© 2025 Sullivan & Cromwell LLP
    • Home
    • Lawyers
    • Practices
    • Insights
    • About
    • Careers
    • Alumni
    Home /  Lawyers /  Anthony J. Lewis

    Anthony J. Lewis

    Partner

    Anthony J. Lewis Headshot Photo Portrait backdrop

    Los Angeles

    +1-310-712-6615

    |

    lewisan@sullcrom.com

    Email vCard

    Anthony Lewis is Co-Head of Sullivan & Cromwell’s National Security Practice, a member of the Firm’s Criminal Defense and Investigations Group, and Co-Head of the Firm’s Cybersecurity Practice. His practice focuses on international and government investigations and on cybersecurity incident response and advice.

    A former supervisor in the National Security Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, Mr. Lewis has particular expertise with matters involving economic and financial crime, sanctions, technology transfer and export controls, cryptocurrencies, cybercrime, counterintelligence and other areas that implicate national security concerns for corporate clients and financial institutions. Mr. Lewis has represented clients in internal investigations and regulatory enforcement proceedings, including with the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), and with financial regulators. He has advised clients in a wide range of industries, including aerospace and defense, technology, industrials, financial services and consumer goods.

    Widely recognized for his work in counterintelligence, cybersecurity, and defense, Mr. Lewis received the Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service twice as well as recognition from the U.S. Intelligence Community. He was also named to Cybersecurity Docket’s “Incident Response 50” for a third consecutive year, a list which honors the 50 “best data breach response lawyers in the country” and has been recognized by Lawdragon as one of the “500 Leading Litigators in America” and one of the “500 Leading Global Cyber Lawyers.”

    Mr. Lewis previously served on Law360’s Aerospace & Defense Editorial Advisory Board. Since 2021, he has been a member of the Criminal Justice Act Panel for the Central District of California.

    Government Service

    Mr. Lewis joined the Firm in 2019 from the United States Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, where he was Deputy Chief of the Terrorism and Export Crimes Section. During more than 10 years of service, he prosecuted violations of U.S. sanctions and export controls, espionage and economic espionage, sophisticated cybercrimes, and financial frauds and criminal tax cases. Mr. Lewis practiced, supervised, and trained other prosecutors regarding the Classified Information Procedures Act, and he litigated classified issues involving the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act in the district court and the Ninth Circuit. He has conducted and supervised investigations and prosecutions involving OFAC-administered sanctions, the BIS-administered Export Administration Regulations, and the International Traffic in Arms Regulations. He also led the U.S. Attorney’s Office Export and Anti-proliferation Global Law Enforcement Task Force that coordinated the efforts of multiple government agencies in investigating and prosecuting export and sanctions offenses.

    Mr. Lewis’ experience includes charging a North Korean state-sponsored conspiracy responsible for the largest-ever cyber heist at Bangladesh’s central bank, the cyber-attack on Sony Pictures Entertainment, and the WannaCry ransomware. He also investigated and charged an employee of a defense contractor with economic espionage and violations of the Arms Export Control Act for stealing and selling export-controlled and trade-secret satellite technology, and worked closely with defense contractors in counterintelligence matters. Additionally, Mr. Lewis was part of the litigating team seeking to compel Apple to decrypt an iPhone used by a terrorist in the San Bernardino attack.

    Read More

    Spotlight

    A Spotlight on S&C’s Rising Litigators

    Read More
    litigatorsbrochure_spotlight

    Melissa Sawyer and Tony Lewis Participate in 30th Annual Stanford Directors’ College

    Read More

    Six S&C Partners Named to Lawdragon’s ‘500 Leading Global Cyber Lawyers’ List for 2025

    Read More

    Nicky Friedlander and Tony Lewis Again Named to Cybersecurity Docket’s ‘Incident Response 50’

    Read More

    S&C Sidebar – A Conversation with Jay Clayton and Tony Lewis

    Read More
    sc_sidebar_clayton_lewis_368x159
    • Experience
    • Rankings and Recognitions
    • News
    • Publications, Videos and Podcasts
    • Credentials
    • Related Practices
    Experience

    Experience

    White Collar Investigations and Litigation

    • Represented GrubMarket, a multi-billion dollar private food-distribution company, in the successful resolution of an SEC investigation relating to accounting and disclosure issues.
    • Represented Tenaris in resolving multi-year FCPA investigations by the Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission, which concluded in June 2022 when the DOJ closed its investigation without taking any action and the company resolved the matter with the SEC without admitting or denying wrongdoing.
    • Represented the Audit Committee of Cronos Group Inc., a global cannabis company, in a multi-year investigation involving two restatements of its financial statements. Subsequently represented Cronos in resolving the investigation by the SEC that resulted in a rare settlement involving securities fraud with a zero financial penalty in which the SEC credited the company’s extensive cooperation.
    • Representing FTX and affiliated entities as Debtors’ counsel in their pending Chapter 11 proceedings.

    • Representing an Australian multinational contractor in connection with a DOJ investigation regarding potential FCPA issues in other foreign countries.
    • Represented a technology company in connection with an investigation by OFAC regarding potential violations of Russian sanctions and U.S. export controls.
    • Represented the former CEO of a computer chip manufacturer in national security issues that arose in litigation related to its acquisition.
    • Represented BitMEX, one of the world’s largest digital currency derivatives trading platforms, in the resolution of a CFTC investigation into alleged registration and KYC/AML violations.
    • Represented Goldman Sachs in an arbitration recovering full amount of equity compensation sought, which had been granted to an executive who later admitted to criminal conduct in connection with the 1MDB bribery scandal.
    • Representing a trading firm in connection with a CFTC investigation relating to its trading activity.
    • Serving as outside counsel for an association of financial institutions registered with FinCEN under Section 314(b) of the USA Patriot Act who are engaged in information sharing to provide enhanced suspicious activity reporting and improved AML compliance.
    • Stifel and its subsidiaries in connection with the well-publicized investigations by the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission into off-channel communications involving an alleged failure to retain required text and other electronic communications.
    • Multiple foreign public companies in investigations into potential violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
    • A foreign bank in connection with its sanctions, anti-money laundering, and counter terrorist financing policies and procedures.
    • Conducted internal investigations for multiple financial institutions regarding potential regulatory issues.

    Cybersecurity

    • Represented a technology company in responding to the cyber theft of its source code, including notification to millions of customers, coordination with law enforcement, and conducting an internal investigation.
    • Advised acquirer in an M&A transaction in which a significant data breach was discovered at the target just before closing. The deal was successfully completed.
    • Advised a major financial institution regarding breaches that occurred at its vendors related to the widely publicized MOVEit security flaw.
    • Advised and assisted public companies in responding to SEC requests concerning the SolarWinds breach and other compromises.
    • Advising a retailer in connection with a cybersecurity breach at its third-party e-commerce platform.

    Speaking Engagements

    • Panelist, “Navigating Cross-Border Issues: Spotlight on China,” ABA Southern California White Collar Subcommittee (March 2024)
    • Anti-Money Laundering: Opportunities for Improvement, roundtable discussion hosted by Wharton Initiative on Financial Policy & Regulation (October 2023)
    • Moderator, “Enforcement: Year in Review,” Cambridge Forum on Sanctions and AML Compliance (June 2023)
    • Incident Response: Responding to Cyber-Attacks at Cryptocurrency, NFT, DeFi and other Digital Asset Trading Platforms, panel discussion at Cybersecurity Docket’s Incident Response Forum Masterclass (April 2023)
    • Best Practices for Successful Prosecutions from Case Initiation to Trial webinar, Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists (March 2023)
    • Guest Lecturer on Cybersecurity Law, USC Gould School of Law and Pepperdine Caruso School of Law (2019-2025)
    • Digital Assets, Money Laundering, and Illicit Financing, panel discussion at Harvard Law School National Security Journal’s Digital Currencies and National Security symposium (October 2022)
    • Incident Response: National Security Issues, panel discussion at Cybersecurity Docket’s Incident Response Forum Masterclass (April 2022)
    • Supply Chain Attacks: Views from the Government and Industry Experts, panel discussion at Sandpiper Partners LLC’s Cybersecurity and Privacy East Coast Conference (July 2021)
    • BBC Podcast – The Lazarus Heist (“2. Disaster Movie” 4/25/21); (“4. Billion Dollar Hack” 5/9/21; “10. Killswitch” 6/2/21)
    • Excellence in Compliance and U.S. Law: Cybersecurity and Privacy, ZHAW School of Management and Law and NYSBA Event (May 2021)
    • Legal Perspectives on Fintech and BSA/AML, panel discussion hosted by International Bankers Association of California (December 2019)
    • Critical Risks and Government Perspectives, panel discussion at Sandpiper Partners LLC’s Cybersecurity and Privacy Conference (November 2019)
    • Cybercrime: Case by Case, discussions on attribution in cyber prosecutions, hosted by Center for American Studies and U.S. Embassy to Italy, Rome (2018)
    • International Association of Financial Crimes Investigators, Economic and Cyber Crime Symposium (2013)
    • Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists, Federal Law Enforcement Panel (2010)

    Publications

    • President Biden Issues Executive Order Granting Authorities to Regulate the Transfer of Sensitive U.S. Data to Countries of National Security Concern, NYU Law Program on Corporate Compliance and Enforcement (March 2024)
    • Money Laundering through Digital Assets, Global Investigations Review (September 2023)
    • DOJ, BIS and OFAC Release Guidance on Voluntary Self-Disclosures, NYU Law Program on Corporate Compliance and Enforcement (August 2023)
    • Developing a Robust Compliance Programme in Latin America, LACCA The Guide to Corporate Compliance (Chapter 4), (4th Ed – July 2023, 3rd Ed. – August 2022, 2nd Ed. – August 2021, 1st Ed. – April 2020)
    • Sullivan & Cromwell Discusses Delaware Decision on Caremark Liability for Cybersecurity Failure, The CLS Blue Sky Blog, Columbia Law School’s Blog on Corporations and The Capital Markets (September 2022)
    • Treasury Study on Illicit Finance in the High-Value Art Market, NYU Law Program on Corporate Compliance and Enforcement (March 2022)
    • SEC Charges Issuer for Inadequate Cybersecurity Disclosure Controls, NYU Law Program on Corporate Compliance and Enforcement (June 2021)
    • Employee Communications Practices and Investigations, Bloomberg Law (March 2021)
    • Botnet Disruptions: Legal Authorities and Technical Vectors, Doj J. of Fed. L. and Prac. (Cybercrime and Cyber Threats) (February 2019)
    Read More
    Rankings and Recognitions

    Rankings and Recognitions

    • Named to Cybersecurity Docket’s “Incident Response 50” (2023–2025)
    • Recognized by Lawdragon as one of the “500 Leading Litigators in America” (2023–2025) and one of the “500 Leading Global Cyber Lawyers” (2024, 2025)
    • Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service (2009; 2019)
    • FBI Director’s Award, Outstanding Cyber Investigation (2015)
    • DHS/HSI Executive Associate Director’s Award, Counter-Proliferation (2010)
    • Director of National Intelligence, Meritorious Unit Citation (2012; 2016)
    • National Counterintelligence and Security Center, Countering Cyber and Technical Threats (2016; 2019)
    • ODNI, Deputy Director for Intelligence Integration:  National Intelligence Analysis Award (2015)
    Read More
    News

    News

    • Melissa Sawyer and Tony Lewis Participate in 30th Annual Stanford Directors’ College

      June 23 to 25, 2025
    • Tony Lewis Discusses S&C’s National Security Practice with The National Law Journal

      May 28, 2024
    • Law360 Publishes Article on S&C’s New National Security Practice

      May 9, 2024
    • S&C Advises Cronos in SEC Settlement

      November 2, 2022
    • S&C Advises Tenaris on SEC Settlement

      June 8, 2022
    • Nicky Friedlander and Tony Lewis Speak at Cybersecurity Conference

      July 21, 2021
    Read More
    Read More
    Publications, Videos and Podcasts

    Publications, Videos and Podcasts

    • S&C Sidebar – A Conversation with Jay Clayton and Tony Lewis

      Podcasts November 8, 2024
    • Key Takeaways for U.S. Companies Considering Cross-Border Investments

      Podcasts September 18, 2024
    • S&C Partners Author Law360 Article on SEC Cybersecurity Breach Authority

      Articles August 6, 2024
    • Brendan Cullen and Tony Lewis Collaborate with Latin Lawyer on The Guide to Corporate Compliance, Fifth Edition

      Books July 10, 2024
    • Major Developments in National Security Enforcement, Part Two

      Podcasts March 28, 2024
    • S&C Lawyers Discuss Major Developments in National Security Enforcement

      Podcasts March 25, 2024
    Read More
    Read More
    Credentials

    Credentials

    Education

    • Stanford Law School, J.D., 2003
    • Yale University, B.S., 2000

    Bar Admissions

    • California

    Clerkships

    • The Honorable Pamela Rymer, United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit, 2003-2004
    Read More
    Related Practices

    Related Practices

    • Litigation
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Criminal Defense & Investigations
    • Cybersecurity
    • Digital Assets
    • Economic Sanctions and Financial Crime
    • FCPA & Anti-Corruption
    • National Security
    • Privacy
    Sullivan & Cromwell LLP Logo

    Sending an e-mail through this web site does not create an attorney-client relationship. You should not send us any information through this web site that you would want treated confidentially.

    Accept
    Sullivan & Cromwell LLP Logo
    • Twitter icon
    • LinkedIn icon
    • RSS Feed icon
    • Podcasts icon
    • Home
    • Contact Us
    • Information Policy Relating to Cookies
    • Privacy Policy
    • California Privacy Policy
    • Website Notice
    • Attorney Advertising Notice
    © 2025 Sullivan & Cromwell LLP