Victoria A. Degtyareva is a seasoned trial lawyer and former federal prosecutor who focuses on high-stakes litigation and investigations, with an emphasis on internet and technology companies and white-collar criminal cases.
Ms. Degtyareva has extensive experience litigating complex cases, including matters involving online platform liability and mass torts. She has served as lead trial counsel in multiple multi-week federal trials, and she has appellate experience before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court. As a former federal prosecutor, she also represents clients in government investigations and white-collar criminal cases.
Ms. Degtyareva returned to the firm after a six-year tenure as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Central District of California, where she was a member of the Cyber and Intellectual Property Crimes Section and the International Narcotics, Money Laundering and Racketeering Section.
In these roles, Ms. Degtyareva handled numerous investigations and litigation involving cyberfraud, intellectual property violations, financial crimes and money laundering. These included prosecuting global malware attacks, an extensive, international conspiracy involving the attempted theft of millions of dollars through business email compromise schemes, romance scams and elder fraud, an intrusion into the internal network of a multinational e-commerce company, resulting in the theft of hundreds of millions of customer records, and importers and distributors of hundreds of thousands of counterfeit cell phone parts, laptop batteries and other electronics. Ms. Degtyareva also prosecuted violent crime cases, including gang, cartel, kidnapping and murder cases, many of which involved international coordination.
In 2020, she was a recipient of the Prosecutor of the Year Award from the Criminal Justice Section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association.
Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Ms. Degtyareva was a litigation associate at the firm, where she represented clients in a wide variety of civil and criminal matters in state and federal courts.
Earlier in her career, Ms. Degtyareva clerked for the Honorable Rosemary Barkett of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit and the Honorable Michael A. Ponsor of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. Ms. Degtyareva earned her J.D. from Yale Law School, and her B.A. in French Literature and M.A. in Philosophy from Stanford University.
Experience
Technology Litigation
Ms. Degtyareva has represented internet and technology companies in a variety of matters, including counseling and litigation related to Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, products liability, and generative AI. Her representations include:
- Snap in hundreds of consolidated products liability cases alleging social media “addiction.”
- Character.AI in high-profile products liability and wrongful death cases involving a generative AI chatbot.
- Advising multiple technology companies on novel legal issues related to the development and launch of generative AI services.
Government and Internal Investigations
Ms. Degtyareva counsels clients in government and internal investigations, and represents companies and individuals charged with white-collar crimes. Her representations include:
- MGM Resorts International in a criminal investigation and prosecution involving allegations of money laundering and Bank Secrecy Act violations.
- Higher education institutions in investigations related to allegations of misconduct and disparate treatment.
- Major defense contractor in a criminal and civil investigation involving the False Claims Act.
- Former bank executive in a criminal investigation alleging failure to maintain an effective anti-money laundering
Assistant United States Attorney, Central District of California
Ms. Degtyareva was an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Central District of California from 2016-2022. Her prosecutions include:
- Following a three-year investigation, an indictment charging 50 members and affiliates of the Mexican Mafia with murder, money laundering and racketeering. Three RICO trials, each three to four weeks long, resulted in across-the-board convictions.
- An indictment charging dozens of members of an international money laundering conspiracy involving $6 million in fraudulently obtained funds and the attempted theft of an additional $40 million. A two-week trial of two defendants led to convictions on all counts, including money laundering, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft.
- An indictment charging members of a violent kidnapping organization that held hostage two dozen Mexican nationals while attempting to extort money from their relatives in the United States. A trial of one of the defendants led to a conviction on federal conspiracy charges.
Education
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Yale Law School (J.D., 2011)
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Stanford University (M.A., 2008)
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Stanford University (B.A., 2008)
Clerkships
- Judge Rosemary Barkett, U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit, 2012-2013
- Judge Michael A. Ponsor, U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, 2011-2012
Bar Admissions
- California
Experience
Technology Litigation
Ms. Degtyareva has represented internet and technology companies in a variety of matters, including counseling and litigation related to Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, products liability, and generative AI. Her representations include:
- Snap in hundreds of consolidated products liability cases alleging social media “addiction.”
- Character.AI in high-profile products liability and wrongful death cases involving a generative AI chatbot.
- Advising multiple technology companies on novel legal issues related to the development and launch of generative AI services.
Government and Internal Investigations
Ms. Degtyareva counsels clients in government and internal investigations, and represents companies and individuals charged with white-collar crimes. Her representations include:
- MGM Resorts International in a criminal investigation and prosecution involving allegations of money laundering and Bank Secrecy Act violations.
- Higher education institutions in investigations related to allegations of misconduct and disparate treatment.
- Major defense contractor in a criminal and civil investigation involving the False Claims Act.
- Former bank executive in a criminal investigation alleging failure to maintain an effective anti-money laundering
Assistant United States Attorney, Central District of California
Ms. Degtyareva was an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Central District of California from 2016-2022. Her prosecutions include:
- Following a three-year investigation, an indictment charging 50 members and affiliates of the Mexican Mafia with murder, money laundering and racketeering. Three RICO trials, each three to four weeks long, resulted in across-the-board convictions.
- An indictment charging dozens of members of an international money laundering conspiracy involving $6 million in fraudulently obtained funds and the attempted theft of an additional $40 million. A two-week trial of two defendants led to convictions on all counts, including money laundering, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft.
- An indictment charging members of a violent kidnapping organization that held hostage two dozen Mexican nationals while attempting to extort money from their relatives in the United States. A trial of one of the defendants led to a conviction on federal conspiracy charges.
News
Practice Areas
Education
-
Yale Law School (J.D., 2011)
-
Stanford University (M.A., 2008)
-
Stanford University (B.A., 2008)
Clerkships
- Judge Rosemary Barkett, U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit, 2012-2013
- Judge Michael A. Ponsor, U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, 2011-2012
Bar Admissions
- California