Alina Veneziano

Ms. Veneziano advises clients in the areas of SEC compliance, SEC and FINRA enforcement defense, IRS audits and investigations, as well as new technologies with a special emphasis on blockchain, mining, tokenization, and cryptocurrencies.

Federal Tax Investigations. Ms. Veneziano represents both individuals and companies before the IRS, including investigations initiated by the IRS and the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS CI) as well as investigations by the FBI and DOJ working alongside the IRS. She defends her clients against allegations of tax evasion, tax fraud, falsified tax documents and falsified tax returns, and other white-collar crimes and conspiracy. Ms. Veneziano is experienced in guiding her clients through IDRs, individual tax audits, and business field audits. She works to prepare her clients for interviews before the IRS and document compilation for the IRS in response to IDRs or summons. In addition to tax defense services, Ms. Veneziano also assists her clients in developing tax compliance strategies, tax best practices for personal and business purposes, and evaluating potential liability exposure for proposed business transactions or ventures.

SEC Matters. Ms. Veneziano is an accomplished author and respected attorney in SEC and FINRA investigations, insider trading, securities fraud, and SEC corporate compliance. She has defended—with resounding success—corporate and executive clients under civil or criminal investigation against SEC subpoenas, enforcement actions, and parallel U.S. Department of Justice fraud proceedings. Among those clients are CEOs, CFOs, corporate founders, executives and board members, and multi-million and billion dollar traded companies. She defends her clients against federal allegations under the Securities Act of 1933, the Exchange Act of 1934, and the Investment Advisers Act of 1940.

Blockchain Technologies. Ms. Veneziano co-authors one of the preeminent books on blockchain, tokenization, and cryptocurrencies. She helps corporate clients, executives, programmers and developers, and individual issuers navigate this novel area of law by providing advice on applicable federal regulations and reporting obligations. Among her areas of focus in blockchain technology include structuring coin/token offerings for issuers, and analyzing whether certain digital assets are investment contracts, or “securities,” under the Howey Test, as some examples.

Tax Advice. Ms. Veneziano often uses her tax and accounting background to provide advice on tax implications for mining operations, crypto investments and subsequent dispositions, and other crypto transactions. She helps her clients determine the appropriate tax treatment of crypto-related transactions such as mining new coins, ICO income, and crypto-to-crypto or crypto-to-fiat conversions.

Compliance Review & Design. Ms. Veneziano is experienced in corporate compliance reviews, analysis, and drafting. She regularly conducts compliance and AML reviews of established companies seeking to expand their business operations as well as drafts and implements comprehensive compliance programs for executives and corporate clients.

Publications and Speaking Engagements. Ms. Veneziano’s SEC academic research appears in leading law journals including those of Harvard, Berkeley, NYU, and Georgetown. She is a regular author and contributor to legal treatises, specialized trade journals, and newsletters on securities regulation. One of her key areas of interest and publication includes the extraterritorial application of the federal securities laws and other federal provisions. She is also a lecturer on a course in U.S. securities regulation, mainly taught to compliance officers of investment advisory firms in foreign jurisdictions.

Education. Ms. Veneziano graduated from Georgetown University Law Center in Washington D.C. (Juris Doctor) and from NYU School of Law (LL.M.). At NYU, Ms. Veneziano focused on securities law and served as the Graduate Editor on NYU’s Journal of International Law and Politics. Further, Ms. Veneziano holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and an MBA from Western Governors University. She also passed the examinations as a Certified Public Accountant. She is currently a Ph.D. candidate at King’s College London with a focus on U.S. securities markets. Her thesis examines bond trading activity within nascent securities markets and their effect upon early corporate formation and capital growth.

Admission. Ms. Veneziano is licensed to practice law in New York.