Michael G. Freedman

Los Angeles

Michael G. Freedman, a principal and founder of The Freedman Firm, focuses on a broad spectrum of white-collar defense cases ranging from allegations of corruption, fraud, health care fraud, government contract fraud, securities fraud and financial institution fraud.

He served as trial counsel for Arthur Aslanian, a real estate developer charged with arson and murder for hire. USA v. Aslanian, 2:2022cr00445 (C.D. Cal., filed Sept. 29, 2022). Despite a guilty verdict, Freedman won a motion for a new trial on the primary murder-for-hire conspiracy count.

"In United States v. Aslanian ... despite the jury returning a guilty verdict, I was then able to win a rare new trial motion on the primary murder-for-hire conspiracy count based on a jury instruction issue we had been litigating throughout the case," Freedman said. "The government has now taken an interlocutory appeal, so we will be defending that win at the 9th Circuit in the coming year."

Another area where Freedman has made a significant impact is in cases involving honest services fraud, a complex area where the Supreme Court has recently narrowed its scope with its Percoco decision. He represents clients in United States v. Perez and United States v. Chan, both set for trial in 2024. These cases are particularly noteworthy as they will be among the first honest services fraud cases to go to trial following recent Supreme Court rulings.

Freedman identifies several trends in the field that need attention, such as an increasingly broad use of the RICO statute by both prosecutors and private litigants alike.

"You're seeing the statute being stretched in increasingly novel ways by prosecutors to cover alleged conduct typically not considered to fall within the RICO ambit, such as in nationwide political and high-profile prosecutions of politicians and celebrities," he said. "And you're also seeing private plaintiffs developing complex RICO allegations of their own in securities and health care fraud type cases. As with any novel use of a criminal statute, white-collar practitioners need to be prepared to push back and defend creatively both on the facts and also the creative legal theories underlying these cases."

Beyond his legal practice, Freedman is involved in the Los Angeles community and legal circles. He serves in various leadership roles, including as national co-chair of the ABA Criminal Justice Section's White Collar Crime Committee and chair of Bet Tzedek's New Leadership Council, showcasing his commitment to both professional excellence and community service.