SEC Crypto Litigation Unit Leader Leaves to Join White & Case

Ladan Stewart, a leader in the SEC crypto unit that has been enmeshed in high-profile court fights with the industry, has left the agency to join White & Case, the firm said Wednesday.

Stewart, an eight-year veteran of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s enforcement division, since September 2022 headed the SEC’s crypto and cyber litigation unit, the first ever specialized litigation department at the Wall Street regulator. In that role, she led actions such as last June’s lawsuit against Coinbase Global Inc., the nation’s largest crypto exchange, for allegedly operating as an unregistered securities exchange, broker and clearing agency.

She ...