Carlton Fields Bolsters Securities Litigation & Enforcement Practice With Addition of Former FINRA Director and DOJ Assistant Chief Tino M. Lisella
Miami, Fla. – Carlton Fields is pleased to announce the addition of former FINRA attorney and federal tax prosecutor Tino M. Lisella to its Miami office. Lisella joins Carlton Fields’ national Securities Litigation and Enforcement Practice, which provides counsel to the securities industry and public companies across a range of investigation, enforcement, and litigation matters.
Lisella joins Carlton Fields after more than five years at FINRA and nearly a decade at the U.S. Department of Justice, Tax Division. He served as a director and principal counsel in FINRA’s enforcement department, responsible for supervising investigations involving sales practice violations of complex products, including syndicated conservation easements, variable annuities, and leveraged and inverse exchange-traded funds, and large-scale investigations involving anti-money laundering violations. He also served as a trial attorney and then assistant chief of the DOJ’s criminal tax division, where he led high-profile investigations and federal criminal tax prosecutions, including the prosecution of California businessman Masud Sarshar, who concealed more than $23.5 million in undeclared Israeli bank accounts.
Earlier in his career, Lisella was a certified public accountant and tax consultant with a Big Four accounting firm.
“Tino’s unique perspective from his time at FINRA and at DOJ tax, and in the private sector before that, adds a great resource for our industry clients,” said Jack Clabby, chair of the firm’s Securities Litigation and Enforcement Practice. “His insights complement our existing strengths and enhance the level of service we provide to clients who are dealing with complex securities litigation and enforcement matters. I have known and worked with Tino for more than a dozen years, and I am excited to work again with a friend.”
Lisella said, “Carlton Fields was a natural choice. I’m excited for the opportunity to work with some of the best lawyers in our field, especially my colleagues — Jack Clabby and Gene Rossi — two notable attorneys for securities litigation and government enforcement. There is great internal support and industry expertise that will be of benefit to my clients.”
Steven J. Brodie, Carlton Fields’ Miami office co-managing shareholder added, “It’s certainly an exciting time for our Miami office. Tino is an example of the high-caliber talent we are recruiting as we continue to expand. We appreciate seeing lawyers of this quality choosing to grow their practices by joining our firm and making an impact locally and nationally.”
Lisella’s practice focuses on securities enforcement, civil and criminal tax controversy, and white-collar litigation. He represents individuals and entities in complex securities matters and government investigations, as well as regulatory investigations and enforcement. From his government service and most recent FINRA role, Lisella has firsthand knowledge of the boots-on-the-ground strategies and priorities prosecutors and FINRA enforcement attorneys use to build their cases and the most effective strategies to defend against them.
Lisella earned his J.D., magna cum laude, from Stetson University College of Law and his MAcc and B.S., magna cum laude, from Florida State University.
