Overview
- Federal prosecutors, who unsealed cases Wednesday, charged 30 people and arrested 19 in coordinated actions in Los Angeles, Fort Lauderdale, and New York.
- Authorities say corporate attorneys, including Nicolo Nourafchan and Robert Yadgarov, pulled confidential deal files from law‑firm computer systems and fed the tips to traders for kickbacks.
- Investigators describe burner phones, encrypted apps, coded terms, device‑free meetups, shell companies, and foreign conduits in places like Panama and Switzerland to move cash and hide trades.
- The indictments allege conspiracy to commit securities fraud, securities fraud, and money‑laundering conspiracy, with added counts such as obstruction of justice and false statements for several defendants.
- Court records list nearly 30 targeted mergers, including Amazon’s 2022 bid for iRobot, and point to a Massachusetts firm tied to affected deals, highlighting risks for law‑firm data security and ongoing multi‑district prosecutions.