Eric Rosen

Partner, Boston
+1 617-977-4163 erosen@rochefreedman.com

Eric Rosen is a nationally recognized former federal and state prosecutor whose nationwide practice focuses on white-collar criminal defense, corporate investigations, and complex civil litigation, with a focus on novel and cutting-edge issues involving money laundering, securities fraud, crypto and health care fraud. Eric was the lead prosecutor in “Operation Varsity Blues,” the seminal case widely known as the college admissions scandal, one of the largest white-collar crime prosecutions in United States history.

For more than eight years, Eric served as an Assistant United States Attorney in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Boston, Massachusetts.  As a federal prosecutor, Eric prosecuted more than 250 defendants for a wide variety of federal crimes, including: wire and mail fraud, securities fraud, investor fraud, bribery, health care fraud, drug misbranding, money laundering, drug trafficking, racketeering, smuggling, and firearms offenses.   Eric has developed significant expertise in securities fraud cases (including parallel investigations with the SEC), money laundering cases, bribery charges, and cases with international components. A seasoned courtroom advocate, Eric also tried, as lead and co-counsel, numerous criminal cases before federal juries, both in Pittsburgh and Boston, in addition to conducting countless evidentiary hearings, sentencings, and other proceedings.

In March 2018, Eric, while leading an unrelated securities fraud investigation, began “Operation Varsity Blues,” the investigation that led, a year later, to charges against more than 50 individuals for fraud, bribery, racketeering and money laundering offenses related to the college admissions process. Eric’s work in the landmark prosecution, which generated significant worldwide media attention, was widely profiled by national and international publications and media outlets, including the Boston Globe, the New York Times, CNN, the Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, and Netflix. In addition, Eric’s role as the lead prosecutor was chronicled in the July 2020 book “Unacceptable,” written by two Wall Street Journal reporters, Melissa Korn and Jennifer Levitz, and the July 2022 book “Bad City,” by Los Angeles Times reporter Paul Pringle.

Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eric was a litigation associate at Richards, Kibbe and Orbe LLP, a New York-based boutique law firm.  While at that law firm, Eric represented clients in complex commercial litigation matters and in investigations conducted by FINRA, the SEC, and the Department of Justice.  Eric also conducted multiple internal investigations on behalf of corporate clients.

Eric began his legal career by serving for three years as an Assistant District Attorney in Manhattan. Eric is currently based in Boston but serves clients in federal and state courts nationwide.

Since leaving government service, Eric has been sought-after to represent clients nationwide in high-stakes criminal and civil litigation, internal investigations, and other disputes, including:

  • Defending doctor in health care fraud investigation by the FBI and Department of Justice in the District of Massachusetts;

  • Defending individual in first-of-its kind parallel investigation and charges brought by the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Department of Justice (Southern District of New York) alleging “scalping” as part of a “pump and dump” securities fraud scheme orchestrated over Twitter;

  • Defending multiple individuals in international money laundering investigations brought by Money Laundering and Asset Recovery section and Foreign Corrupt Practices Act section of the Department of Justice;

  • Defending individual in parallel Department of Justice and Securities and Exchange Commission insider-trading charges in the District of Massachusetts;

  • Defending individual in federal civil asset forfeiture proceedings and parallel criminal computer fraud and abuse act investigation in the District of Colorado;

  • Defending individual in novel crypto-asset criminal case currently being litigated in Colorado state court;

  • Representing and advising individuals under investigation by the Massachusetts state police;

  • Representing foreign crypto-asset management company in asset recovery investigation and litigation;

  • Representing senior banker in Securities and Exchange Commission inquiry;

  • Representing crypto-asset investors in internal investigation;

  • Representing tech executive in third-party deposition;

  • Representing non-fungible token (NFT) company in responding to online attacks;

  • Representing plaintiffs in multiple securities fraud class-actions;

  • Representing foreign defendant in a class-action concerning an initial coin offering that is currently being litigated in federal court in the Western District of Pennsylvania;

  • Representing individual in state court action in Texas in responding to claims of fraud;

  • Representing individual in dispute with employee concerning the ownership percentage of a company as the company prepares for sale;

  • Representing individual accused of fraud in a civil suit filed in federal court in the District of Massachusetts;

  • Representing individual in crypto-currency escrow account dispute; and,

  • Representing crypto-mining company executive in “Founder’s dispute.”

In addition to his work leading the Varsity Blues case, Eric also prosecuted and investigated numerous other high-profile white-collar cases, including the:

  • Prosecution of individuals associated with an Internet-based “pharmacy” located in India for drug misbranding, smuggling, money laundering, obstruction of justice, and other crimes.

  • Prosecution of individuals associated with the Switzerland-based “Silverton” asset management company. This prosecution, conducted in parallel with the Securities and Exchange Commission, was one of the largest microcap securities fraud “pump and dump” and money laundering cases ever prosecuted by the Department of Justice, and it resulted in the conviction of numerous individuals in the United States and abroad.

  • Prosecution of individual for manipulative trading – match and wash trading – as part of pump and dump scheme investigation.

  • Prosecution of individuals who embezzled millions of dollars from a Massachusetts-based facilities services company.

  • Prosecution of a New Jersey investment advisor for operating a securities fraud “cherry picking” scheme.

  • Prosecution of individual on health care fraud charges related to drug diversion during the opiod crisis.

  • Prosecution of multiple individuals for a bribery scheme related to proxy voting by institutional shareholders.

  • Investigation of numerous individuals for insider trading and Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”) violations.

  • Columbia Law School, J.D.

  • School of Oriental and African Studies, LLM

  • Harvard College, B.A. cum laude in Government

  • Assistant United States Attorney, United States Attorney’s Office, District of Massachusetts

  • Assistant United States Attorney, United States Attorney’s Office, Western District of Pennsylvania

  • Assistant District Attorney, New York County District Attorney’s Office (New York, New York)

  • Profiled in Wall Street Journal, July 22, 2022, “Crime Fighters Get Absurd When Naming Their Investigations, From ‘Circling Vultures’ to ‘Angry Birds.”

  • Quoted in Law360, July 13, 2022, “Life After ‘Varsity Blues’: What’s Next For The Boston Feds.

  • “Panelist, “Parallel Presentations – DOJ and SEC,” Boston Bar Association, June 8, 2022

  • Organizer and Panelist, “Everything you need to know about crypto (enforcement) but were afraid to ask,” Boston Bar Association, June 15, 2022

  • Panelist, “Cryptocurrency and Money Laundering,” Boston Bar Association White-Collar Conference, May 5, 2022.

  • Presenter, “Ongoing Multi-Billion Dollar Crypto Schemes: Tether & Nexo,” Offshore Alert Conference, April 26, 2022.

  • Quoted, “The Real Scandal of Varsity Blues,” Sports Illustrated, January 20, 2022.

  • Quoted, “Yale, Georgetown, Other Top Schools Illegally Collude to Limit Student Financial Aid, Lawsuit Alleges,” Wall Street Journal, January 10, 2022.

  • Guest speaker, National Association of Independent Schools Annual Conference, Baltimore, Maryland, Spring 2022.

  • Profiled and Commentary, Varsity Blues Investigation, CBS Evening News (National Edition), Oct. 8, 2021.

  • Quoted, “Mass. Pot Bribe Case Shows No-Jail Plea Deals Are No Lock,” Law360, Jun. 15, 2021.

  • Guest Lecturer, Boston University School of Law, Spring 2021.

  • Profiled, “Varsity Blues Prosecutor Surprised by Public Outrage at College Admissions Scandal,” WGBH 89.7 FM, Mar. 29, 2021.

  • Quoted, “Crime and Hollywood: In Cherry, the Bank Robber Is the Victim. What about the Teller He Held Up?,” The Intercept, Mar. 13, 2021.

  • Presenter, “A Look Inside the Varsity Blues College Admissions Cheating Scandal,” Daniels Fund at Univ. of Colorado, Mar. 10, 2021.

  • Keynote Presentation, “The Rise of Decentralized Finance,” Harvard Law School Blockchain & Fintech Initiative, Mar. 4, 2021.

  • Profiled, “Varsity Blues” college scam prosecutor joins litigation boutique,” Reuters Legal, Jan. 14, 2021.

  • Profiled, “Varsity Blues attorney turns to Private Practice & An A-Rod Suit,” Law360, Jan. 14, 2021.

  • Quoted, “Boston Bar Welcomes Shift in Focus Under Biden US Attorney,” Law360, Nov. 8, 2020.

  • Massachusetts

  • New York

  • U.S. District Court: Southern and Eastern Districts of New York

  • U.S. District Court: District of Massachusetts

  • U.S. District Court: Western District of Pennsylvania

  • U.S. District Court: Colorado

  • Honorable Robert P. Patterson, Jr., Southern District of New York