Sharon Cohen Levin

Experience

1. Partner at Sullivan & Cromwell Llp

   Sullivan & Cromwell LLP

   Sep 2019 — Present · New York, NY, US

   Sharon Cohen Levin is a partner in Sullivan & Cromwell’s Litigation Group and a member of the Firm’s Criminal Defense and Investigations Group. Her practice focuses on money laundering and asset forfeiture advice for a diverse group of corporate clients.Ms. Levin began her career working for the Department of Justice’s civil division in Washington, D.C. She moved to the Southern District of New York’s forfeiture unit in 1991, and took over the unit in 1996. For nearly two decades, Ms. Levin led the Money Laundering and Asset Forfeiture Unit in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. Under her leadership, the SDNY was responsible for nearly 60% of all forfeitures in the United States, with most of the proceeds remitted to victims of crimes. Her track record of success inspired Forbes to call her “The Babe Ruth of Forfeiture.”She also led multiple significant prosecutions, working hand in hand with federal banking regulators, the Office of Foreign Asset Control, and other regulatory authorities. Ms. Levin was the lead prosecutor responsible for securing a settlement in the historic “Portrait of Wally” forfeiture case, which centered on an oil painting stolen by Nazis from a Jewish woman in 1939—a story that was later made into a documentary. As a former colleague told the New York Times of Ms. Levin, “It’s hard to think of another person who has had such an important impact over so many years in so many S.D.N.Y. cases.” Ms. Levin is an internationally renowned leader in her field. She has served on multiple occasions as a keynote speaker, panelist or lecturer at events related to money laundering and asset forfeiture, as well as events on AML compliance, terrorist financing, and other related topics.

Education

• Tulane University

  Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)

  1982

• University of San Diego School of Law

  Doctor of Law (J.D.)

  1985

Skills

• Commercial Litigation
• Criminal Justice
• Legal Research
• Cybercrime
• Investigation
• Fraud Investigations
• Criminal Investigations
• Fraud
• Trials
• Criminal Law
• Appeals
• Legal Writing
• Litigation
• Private Investigations
• Law Enforcement
• Torts
• Courts
• Asset Forfeiture
• Evidence
• Internal Investigations
• Civil Litigation
• Enforcement