Preet Bharara

Preet Bharara is an American attorney and partner at the international firm WilmerHale (Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP), working at the intersection of government, technology and business in the U.S. and Europe.

He is former federal prosecutor who served as the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, a leading prosecutorial office in the United States. Bharara led the office through a period of significant activity, overseeing more than 200 Assistant U.S. Attorneys handling cases involving terrorism, financial fraud, public corruption, organized crime, and civil rights.

He is a graduate of Harvard College and Columbia Law School, where he served on the Columbia Law Review. Bharara's legal career includes experience in private practice and federal law enforcement.

Before leading the Southern District of New York, Bharara served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney, prosecuting cases related to organized crime, racketeering, securities fraud, and narcotics trafficking. He later worked in Washington, D.C., as Chief Counsel to Senator Chuck Schumer and Staff Director of the Senate Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Administrative Oversight and the Courts, where he contributed to the investigation into the dismissal of U.S. Attorneys. Bharara was nominated by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the U.S. Senate to head the Southern District of New York.

During his tenure, Bharara's office prosecuted nearly 100 Wall Street executives for insider trading and securities fraud, secured convictions of figures such as Galleon hedge fund founder Raj Rajaratnam and Goldman Sachs board member Rajat Gupta, and reached settlements with the four largest banks in the country. The office also convicted members of the Italian mafia's Five Families and brought public corruption cases against politicians from both major parties, including the Speaker of the New York State Assembly and the Senate Majority Leader. Bharara established the Terrorism and International Narcotics Unit, which prosecuted individuals including Sulaiman Abu Ghayth, Abu Hamza, and Faisal Shahzad. His pursuit of a Russian money laundering investigation resulted in a permanent ban from entering Russia. TIME Magazine featured Bharara on its cover and included him in its list of the "100 Most Influential People in the World."

After his dismissal from the Southern District of New York, Bharara joined New York University School of Law as a Distinguished Scholar-in-Residence and launched the podcast "Stay Tuned with Preet," which features interviews on justice, power, and policy. He also co-hosts the "Café Insider" podcast, providing legal commentary on current events. Bharara's work at the Southern District of New York inspired the Showtime television series "Billions." He is the author of the New York Times bestseller "Doing Justice: A Prosecutor's Thoughts on Crime, Punishment, and the Rule of Law" and "Justice Is... A Guide for Young Truth Seekers." As a partner at WilmerHale, Bharara continues to speak publicly and provide insight on ethics, compliance, the rule of law, and the American justice system.