Biography: Business Crime Defence

Betty Santangelo is a partner of Schulte Roth & Zabel where the focus of her practice is white-collar criminal defence and securities enforcement. A former assistant US attorney for the Southern District of New York, where she specialised in securities and commodities fraud prosecutions, her practice includes representing financial institutions, corporate entities and individuals in matters brought by the US attorney's offices, by various regulatory agencies, including the SEC, the CFTC, FINRA and SIGTARP, and by state and local prosecutors, as well as conducting internal investigations for these entities. She has also served as an independent consultant in SEC enforcement matters.

Nationally recognised for her expertise in corporate compliance issues, including anti-money laundering, OFAC and FCPA, Ms Santangelo represents a wide range of financial institutions in white-collar and regulatory matters, frequently drawing on these areas of expertise.

Prior to joining Schulte Roth & Zabel, Ms Santangelo served as first vice president and assistant general counsel for Merrill Lynch, representing the firm and its employees in enforcement proceedings before federal and state regulatory agencies, and in criminal matters before the US attorney's offices and state prosecutors, as well as in foreign jurisdictions. Among her many professional activities, she has served as the Securities and Futures Industry's representative on the Bank Secrecy Act Advisory Group of the US Department of the Treasury, and is currently counsel to the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association's anti-money laundering and financial crimes committee. She has served as division director of the ABA litigation committee, and as chair of its securities litigation and broker-dealer subcommittees. In 2009, the New York chapter of the National Organization for Women presented her with its annual Women of Power and Influence Award. She was recognised by the Emerald Literati Network for articles she wrote on money-laundering enforcement actions and on beneficial ownership information and USA Patriot Act obligations. In 2008, she also won a Burton Award, which recognises exceptional legal writing, for an article she wrote on the FCPA.