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Ray defends clients in matters involving bet-the-company civil litigation, criminal white-collar defense and corporate internal investigations relating to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the False Claims Act, the Lacey Act, U.S. Food and Drug Administration violations, export control violations and U.S. trade sanctions, among others. Based on his lead trial experience in complex litigation and disputes, Ray has first chaired the successful defense of clients in matters involving data breaches, fraud and breach of fiduciary duty, violations of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, the California Automatic Renewal Law and California Consumer Legal Remedies Act, federal securities fraud, violations of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, Electronic Communications Privacy Act and theft of trade secrets. Further, Ray also advocated before senior officials at the White House. One of Ray's data privacy battles with the Justice Department was featured in hundreds of news outlets, including the editorial section of the New York Times.

This combined experience and know-how earned him the prestigious CLAY Award from the&nbsp;Daily Journal&nbsp;and “Cybersecurity &amp; Data Privacy Trailblazer” recognition from the&nbsp;National Law Journal.&nbsp;Ray was named one of the “Most Influential Minority Lawyers” and one of the “Most Influential Lawyers in White Collar &amp; Cyber Crimes Law” by the&nbsp;Los Angeles Business Journal, has been recognized by The Best Lawyers in America® and Southern California Super Lawyers for defending clients in white-collar matters, and was prominently ranked by The Legal 500 in the area of trade secrets.

Ray previously spent seven years as a federal prosecutor with the Cyber and Intellectual Property Crimes Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, where he helped prosecute numerous white-collar criminal offenses, including cyber intrusions, Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks, bribery, copyright and patent infringement, healthcare fraud, mortgage/bank fraud, tax evasion, money laundering and mail/wire fraud. During his tenure, he was nominated for the prestigious Attorney General’s Award, the highest award in the Department of Justice; received special recognition by FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III; and received awards from federal law enforcement agencies like the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and Department of Labor.

Ray has participated in numerous panels and seminars over the years, has been quoted in such publications as the Wall Street Journal,&nbsp;USA Today&nbsp;and Los Angeles Times and was the subject of a 2019 Law360 article titled <a href="https://www.law360.com/articles/1121046/why-i-became-a-lawyer-a-refugee-s-journey-of-firsts">“Why I Became a Lawyer: A Refugee's Journey of Firsts.”</a>

core/freeform

J.D., University of California, Hastings College of the Law, 2001, 

B.A., University of California, Santa Barbara, 1997

<ul>
<li>The Best Lawyers in America® (2023 to 2025)
<ul>
<li>California: Criminal Defense: White-Collar</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Southern California &#8220;Super Lawyer&#8221; (2014 to 2022)</li>
<li>The Legal 500 United States
<ul>
<li>Recommended in Trade Secrets</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Daily Journal: CLAY Award (2019)</li>
<li>National Law Journal: Cybersecurity &amp; Data Privacy Trailblazer (2016)</li>
<li>Los Angeles Business Journal
<ul>
<li>Most Influential Minority Attorneys (2016)</li>
<li>Most Influential Lawyers in White Collar &amp; Cyber Crimes Law (2015)</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Accolades during his career as a federal prosecutor:
<ul>
<li>Special Recognition by FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III</li>
<li>U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director&#8217;s Award for Excellence</li>
<li>U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Inspector General&#8217;s Award for Excellence</li>
<li>ICE Assistant Director&#8217;s Award for Excellence</li>
<li>FBI Los Angeles Special Agent in Charge Award for Outstanding Service</li>
<li>IRS-Criminal Investigations Los Angeles Special Agent in Charge Award for Outstanding Service</li>
<li>Department of Labor Los Angeles Special Agent in Charge Award for Outstanding Service</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>

Los Angeles

Washington, D.C.

Former Federal Prosecutor Joins BakerHostetler’s Powerhouse Privacy and Cybersecurity Litigation Team in Los Angeles

Digital Assets and Data Management

Privacy and Digital Risk Class Action and Litigation

Digital Risk Advisory and Cybersecurity

White Collar, Investigations and Securities Enforcement and Litigation

Cybersecurity and Privacy
<ul>
<li>Defended a class action litigation in federal court involving allegations of improper use and downstream sale of consumer geolocation data, including challenges to terms of service.</li>
<li>Prosecuted an action against a Fortune 500 entity in federal court for breach of fiduciary duties, negligence and other related claims based on the defendant wiring millions of dollars to hackers without authorization or consent.</li>
<li>Defended multiple matters relating to the collection and use of consumer data through Meta Pixel involving allegations of privacy invasion, intrusion upon seclusion and violations of the Wiretap Act and CIPA.</li>
<li>Defended matters relating to the collection and use of consumer data through web beacons involving alleged violations of the California trap and trace device laws and CIPA.</li>
<li>Successfully recovered over $2 million in a complex spoofing scheme from the hackers’ bank account after the hackers transferred the funds from the client’s account.</li>
<li>Represented an electronic communications service provider in successful litigation against the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) in a highly publicized privacy battle, wherein the Court ultimately precluded the DOJ from obtaining information about individuals visiting and communicating with a political advocacy website in relation to the Inauguration Day protests.</li>
<li>Advised several electronic communication service providers on a host of privacy and ECPA/SCA-related issues to include the interplay of subscriber data with generative AI.</li>
<li>Defended a Department of Defense contractor in a post data breach matter involving access and acquisition of personally identifiable information and sensitive U.S. State Department data that led to the disclosure of the breach within the U.S. and other countries worldwide.</li>
<li>Counseled one of the world’s largest ride-sharing services on data collection and cybersecurity standards in relation to operation of vehicles in the U.S.</li>
<li>Assisted one of the nation&#8217;s largest property management companies in consulting and assessing its cybersecurity infrastructure.</li>
<li>Represented an AmLaw 100 law firm in a post data breach matter.</li>
<li>Represented a healthcare technology company in midst of an active request for ransom under a threat of repeated DDoS attacks.</li>
<li>Defended an avionics firm involving the unauthorized access of data and exfiltration of $70 million worth of trade secrets where the trade secrets were disclosed to competitors.</li>
<li>Represented a national retailer wherein the merchant bank and card brands identified the client as a common point of purchase in purported point of sale theft of credit card data requiring an audit and analysis of the client&#8217;s systems wherein the card brands and merchant bank reversed the CPP designation.</li>
<li>Defended an international organization of professionals in a post breach matter involving the potential acquisition and access of personally identifiable information for more than 350,000 members worldwide.</li>
<li>Defended a Department of Defense contractor involving the acquisition of sensitive military data by a nation state actor and limiting NCIS access and scope of review of the client&#8217;s database.</li>
<li>Assisted a national fast-food retailer involving the theft of credit card data.</li>
<li>Counseled a web and cloud hosting company in assessing and securing its computer networks.</li>
<li>Defended a national claims management company in threatened litigation involving multiple plaintiffs in a post data breach matter involving personal health information and successfully resolved the matter before the public filing of the complaint.</li>
</ul>
Government Enforcement and Corporate Investigations
<ul>
<li>Represented the payor of the largest purported bribe payment of $6.5 million in the Varsity Blues college admissions scandal.</li>
<li>Represented the CTO of one of the largest international cryptocurrency exchange platforms involving a multinational investigation relating to inaccessible or missing cryptocurrency of 115,000 customers.</li>
<li>Defended against a FINRA Department of Enforcement action of a broker wherein FINRA dismissed entirely the enforcement action without any penalties or disciplinary action.</li>
<li>Represented one of the national laboratories in an internal investigation relating to one of the greatest environmental disasters in U.S. history.</li>
<li>Counseled multinational companies on various sanctions-related issues and assisted a company with relocation of offices from Russia in light of OFAC sanctions.</li>
<li>Represented an international management and construction firm with more than $2 billion of annual revenues in relation to an investigation of pending corruption charges against local officials.</li>
<li>Represented the in-house counsel of a publicly held company in relation to the more than $10 billion acquisition of a foreign company pertaining to allegations of accounting improprieties and overt misrepresentations. No charges were filed against the client.</li>
<li>Obtained a deferred prosecution agreement for the president of a government contractor in relation to an alleged multimillion-dollar criminal False Claims Act and obstruction of justice violations after criminal charges were brought forth by the government.</li>
<li>Represented a Fortune 200 company in a government investigation involving allegations of export control violations.</li>
<li>Representation of a Native American tribe in relation to a government investigation relating to allegations of fraud, embezzlement, misuse of federal proceeds and accounting improprieties.</li>
<li>Obtained dismissal of criminal proceedings after uncovering evidence of public corruption in relation to the arrest and initiation of criminal charges brought against the client.</li>
<li>Represented a publicly traded aerospace company relating to an FBI international investigation involving alleged ITAR violations.</li>
<li>Represented a subject of a government investigation involving the $19 billion judgment against Chevron in the Lago Agrio litigation.</li>
<li>Represented the “tippee” of a publicized insider trading prosecution wherein the tippee traded on the insider information, but was ultimately not charged and testified as a witness at tipper’s trial.</li>
<li>Represented one of the largest aircraft ground handling companies in an internal investigation involving the arrest of employees in the dry-ice bombings in LAX.</li>
<li>Obtained dismissal of all criminal proceedings against a corporate officer involving allegations of embezzlement and accounting fraud amounting to approximately $800,000 after the arrest and execution of a search warrant.</li>
<li>Represented an international insurance company with more than 1,800 employees and more than 1,000 independent brokers in an internal investigation involving fraud and breach of contract by vendors.</li>
<li>Represented a defendant post-conviction in a federal jury trial and obtained a sentence of only three months incarceration after defendant was convicted on multiple counts of obstruction of justice and where co-defendant was sentenced to 24 months on the same counts of conviction. Thereafter, obtained a stay of the sentence pending conclusion of appeal.</li>
<li>Obtained a sentence of home detention in representing a manufacturer of health food, nutritional supplements and cosmetic products against allegations for violations of the Lacey Act, false labeling, money laundering and U.S. Customs violations.</li>
<li>Represented a city council member in an FBI public corruption investigation (no charges filed).</li>
<li>Represented a former corporate officer in relation to violations of the FCPA.</li>
<li>Represented the prime target in the highly publicized Moreno Valley City Council federal corruption investigation and convinced the government to not pursue charges against the client.</li>
<li>Defended a principal of a medical provider in relation to allegations of Medicare fraud and kickbacks involving the highest amount of false Medicare billings in a single healthcare fraud takedown in United States strike force history.</li>
<li>Represented a former Los Angeles County public official in relation to potential charges of corruption and conflicts of interest violations (no charges filed).</li>
<li>Represented a medical doctor involving allegations of obtaining misbranded and adulterated drugs in violation of FDA regulations.</li>
<li>Represented a multinational entity in relation to an investigation by the FAA for violations in transporting hazardous material.</li>
</ul>
Complex Civil Litigation and Disputes
<ul>
<li>Convinced the trial court to reverse two tentative rulings on a motion for demurrer on fraud and breach of fiduciary duty and obtained dismissal without leave to amend on both counts in a complex multiparty fraud-related litigation.</li>
<li>Represented a Fortune 10 telecommunications company in prosecuting multiple lawsuits filed in federal courts across the country against various unauthorized dealers relating to unauthorized access and unlocking of cell phones, fraud and trademark infringement.</li>
<li>Represented the assignee in an ABC litigation relating to the assignment of the infamous $165 million vertically integrated cannabis operation, the Genius Fund, upon the death of the owner.</li>
<li>Defended a class action litigation in federal court involving alleged violations of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act and the California Consumer Legal Remedies Act.</li>
<li>Defended a prestigious tennis club in relation to allegations of harassment based on purported exposure to prostitution and successfully resolved the matter after uncovering violations of the wire act and computer fraud and abuse act by claimants. Overturned a default judgment six years after entry and successfully resolved the litigation involving allegations of fraud, breach of fiduciary duties and self-dealing relating to investment funds, corporate share and company control.</li>
<li>Defended a contractor in relation to a groundwater remediation subcontract involving a public facility.</li>
<li>Defended one of the most prolific NFL players in a litigation involving allegations of fraud, breach of fiduciary duty and money laundering relating to a cannabis startup.</li>
<li>Represented the purchasers of securities in obtaining an $8 million federal securities fraud judgment involving violations of Rule 10b-5.</li>
<li>Represented investors in a federal securities fraud lawsuit involving a $7 million media investment contract.</li>
<li>Defended a property management company in a lawsuit, both as defendant and cross complainant, involving allegations of fraud and theft of trade secrets.</li>
<li>Represented a director and shareholder of a government contractor in a $32 million lawsuit by the former CEO and chairman of the company.</li>
<li>Defended a professional fiduciary services provider in a lawsuit involving allegations of fraud and foreclosing media coverage of the alleged conduct.</li>
<li>Represented a property management company in a lawsuit involving a breach of a lease agreement by a law firm.</li>
<li>Represented a cable television network in a lawsuit involving breach of contract and injunctive relief against one of the largest cable operators in the U.S.</li>
</ul>
Government Experience
<ul>
<li>Led the highly publicized multiagency public corruption prosecution of an assistant chief counsel at ICE on charges of bribery, obstruction of justice and tax evasion. As a result of securing a guilty verdict on every count at trial, obtained one of the longest federal corruption sentences of a public official in U.S. history.</li>
<li>Led the prosecution of co-conspirators involved in one of the largest Medicare fraud schemes ever perpetrated by a single criminal enterprise amounting to approximately $160 million of Medicare fraud proceeds.</li>
<li>Led the prosecution of a multimillion-dollar and multiagency international cybercrime scheme perpetrated by an international criminal enterprise resulting in the first-ever arrest and prosecution of a defendant designated as a “Top International Criminal Organization Target.”</li>
<li>Led the prosecution of cyberattacks launched against a celebrity rock and roll legend by members of an international cyber hacking group.</li>
<li>Led the prosecution of a corporate CEO/accountant for filing false corporate tax returns resulting in a $700,000 tax loss to the U.S.</li>
<li>Prosecuted a $29 million multiagency mortgage fraud and bank fraud conspiracy orchestrated by a 100-employee brokerage firm.</li>
<li>Prosecution of the importation and attempted sale of counterfeit designer apparel and jewelry from China exceeding a retail value of $20 million.</li>
<li>Led the prosecution of a defendant for making death threats against a federal judge.</li>
<li>Appointed commissioner pursuant to Mutual Legal Assistance Treaties and assisted foreign law enforcement officials in international corruption prosecutions in the U.S.</li>
</ul>

Raymond O. Aghaian

Raymond O. Aghaian

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