Criminal Defense
White Collar Criminal Defense
Civil Litigation
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Private: Sexual Harassment
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Chad Seigel is a founding partner of Tacopina Seigel & DeOreo and a trial and appellate attorney with three decades of experience handling high-stakes criminal cases, government investigations, and complex civil matters. His practice has included some of the country’s most closely watched criminal and civil cases.
He represents clients in federal and state courts across a broad range of matters, including white-collar investigations and prosecutions, securities, financial, and healthcare fraud, homicide, racketeering, official misconduct, sexual assault, narcotics conspiracies, and other serious criminal cases. He has also handled significant civil and commercial disputes and internal investigations involving executives, businesses, and other individuals.
His clients have included musical artists A$AP Rocky, Meek Mill, Rakim, Fat Joe, and Swizz Beatz; actor Lillo Brancato; President Donald J. Trump; Washington Commanders owner Daniel Snyder; and former New York State Senator Hiram Monserrate, among others. He has represented clients from the worlds of entertainment, sports, business, and government, as well as executives, professionals, law-enforcement officers, and individuals facing serious personal and professional consequences.
In the courtroom, Seigel has tried serious criminal cases in state and federal courts across the country, securing numerous acquittals over the course of his career. Most recently, he has won his last five criminal trials, with his clients acquitted of all charges in each. Those victories include the acquittal of Yonkers Detective Sergeant Hector Cartagena on felony assault charges arising from an alleged use of excessive force; the acquittal of A$AP Rocky on two felony assault charges following a highly publicized trial in Los Angeles; the acquittal of Paul Frischer in a New Jersey prosecution arising from an alleged fatal hit-and-run; the acquittal of Kevin Holloway in a shaken-baby prosecution in Westchester County; and the acquittal of U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officer Michael Papagni following a federal trial in New Jersey.
His earlier trial victories include the acquittal of an NYPD officer on rape charges following a highly publicized trial in Manhattan; the acquittal of a sitting New York State Senator on felony assault charges in Queens; an acquittal on manslaughter and related charges following a six-week trial arising from a fatal Jet Ski collision in Brooklyn; an acquittal following a trial arising from a fatal boating collision in New Jersey; and the acquittal of a Rikers Island Assistant Deputy Warden accused of masterminding the theft of an original Salvador Dalí drawing from the jail.
Other significant matters have included the defense of a prominent real estate professional in one of the largest public corruption cases ever prosecuted in the Western District of New York, involving allegations of fraud, money laundering, and bribery surrounding the tax assessment of Kodak properties; representation of a limousine company’s operator in the prosecution arising from the Schoharie limousine crash that killed 20 people; and the defense of Joran van der Sloot in connection with the disappearance of Natalee Holloway in Aruba.
He represents clients at every stage of a criminal matter—from investigations and grand jury proceedings through trial, sentencing, and appeal. Seigel is frequently retained before charges are filed, when early intervention and a carefully developed strategy can be critical to the outcome. That same strategic focus continues throughout the life of a case, as facts develop, evidence is tested, and decisions are made about how and when to challenge the government’s case.
30 years of courtroom experience have shaped Seigel’s judgment about how cases develop, which issues matter most, and how best to present them to a judge or jury. When a case proceeds to trial, he meticulously prepares every aspect of the defense, including the evidence, witnesses, cross-examination, and presentation of the case. Whether seeking to prevent charges, position a case for a favorable resolution, or take it through trial, Seigel brings that same preparation and judgment to every stage of the matter.
Since 2001, Seigel has worked alongside Joseph Tacopina, a professional partnership spanning 25 years. During that time, they have worked together on a wide range of complex criminal and civil matters throughout New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, as well as in jurisdictions across the country, including Florida, California, Texas, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Nevada, Arizona, South Dakota, and Washington, D.C.
Seigel graduated with honors from New York University’s Stern School of Business and received his J.D. from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in 1997.
He is admitted to practice in New York and New Jersey and before the United States District Courts for the Southern, Eastern, and Western Districts of New York, the District of New Jersey, and the District of Connecticut.
Seigel has been selected to New York Metro Super Lawyers every year since 2014. He has also appeared as a legal commentator and has lectured on criminal law, trial practice, and the criminal justice system.
