As a former Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division for the United States Attorney’s Office in the District of New Jersey, former Counsel to the 9/11 Commission on Terrorist Attacks, and former law clerk for the Honorable Nicholas H. Politan, United States District Court Judge for the District of New Jersey, Mr. Azzarello focuses his practice on representing clients, including corporate officers of public and private
companies in all aspects of criminal defense as well as federal and state regulatory matters. He also handles complex commercial litigation matters.
Mr. Azzarello has established a reputation for tenacity and attention to detail in the courtroom as well as integrity among his peers. He has devoted the past 30+ years of his practice to fighting tirelessly and zealously for the rights of his clients.
Recognized annually for over 15 years by his peers as one of the top criminal defense attorneys in New Jersey and recognized as Lawyer of the Year in the 2022 Edition of the Best Lawyers in America, Mr. Azzarello has earned a stellar reputation among his peers as an outstanding trial attorney who masters the details of his cases and leaves no stone unturned. Mr. Azzarello has been separately recognized by New Jersey Monthly as one of the Top Attorneys in New Jersey and by New Jersey Super Lawyers in the area of White-Collar Criminal Defense.
Mr. Azzarello has over 30 years of experience as a trial lawyer and has successfully tried numerous cases to verdict. His successes include obtaining an acquittal on all felony charges in a federal prosecution of the Mayor of West New York and his son in the District of New Jersey. Recently, Mr. Azzarello convinced a New Jersey State Court judge to impose a sentence of probation on a client who pled guilty to illegal use of firearms, a crime that mandates a sentence of imprisonment under the Graves Act.
In October 2021, Mr. Azzarello convinced federal prosecutors in New Jersey to dismiss all criminal charges against his client in a major wire fraud case alleging his client’s participation in a conspiracy to embezzle over a million dollars from a private company. Mr. Azzarello was able to obtain this remarkable outcome for his client because he engaged in a tireless independent investigation of the government’s case and identified evidence either ignored or overlooked by law enforcement that established his client lacked any intent to commit the charged crimes.
Mr. Azzarello also successfully persuaded federal prosecutors in New Jersey to dismiss charges against his client, who was accused of participating in a conspiracy to circulate hundreds of thousands of dollars in counterfeit currency. Once again, he identified weaknesses in the government’s case and convinced the prosecution team that they lacked sufficient evidence to establish his client’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
With more than 30 years of experience, Mr. Azzarello has orchestrated the criminal defense of CEOs, CFOs, officers, and directors of public and private corporations in securities, healthcare, insurance, and antitrust investigations and prosecutions. He has also successfully defended numerous public officials in state and federal court. Further, Mr. Azzarello has served as Special Counsel to the New Jersey Senate Democratic Caucus since 2007.
Mr. Azzarello has also successfully defended public entities and supervisory public employees against plaintiffs’ claims of wrongful termination based on allegations of discrimination and harassment in the workplace including claims under New Jersey’s Conscientious Employee Protection Act (“CEPA”). Notably, he has achieved significant success in defending major cities and police departments in New Jersey against such claims. His record of success includes the pretrial dismissal of at least two wrongful termination cases in the last year.
Mr. Azzarello has also conducted numerous internal investigations on behalf of domestic and international corporations to evaluate individual and corporate exposure to criminal and civil liability. He has also managed all aspects of civil litigation in both federal and state courts including complex commercial litigation.
- Successfully persuaded Federal Prosecutors to dismiss charges against his client who was accused of participating in a conspiracy to circulate hundreds of thousands of dollars in counterfeit currency. He demonstrated to prosecutors that they lacked sufficient evidence to secure a conviction against his client at trial.
- In October 2021, Mr. Azzarello also convinced federal prosecutors in New Jersey to dismiss all criminal charges against his client in a major wire fraud case where his client was accused of embezzling over a million dollars from a private company. Mr. Azzarello was able to obtain this remarkable outcome for his client because he engaged in a tireless independent investigation of the government’s case and identified evidence either ignored or overlooked by law enforcement that established his client lacked any intent to commit the charged crimes.
- In 2013, after a two-week federal trial, Mr. Azzarello obtained an acquittal on all felony charges for the son of the West New York Mayor. He was accused of conspiring with the mayor to hack into an email account and shut down a website designed by political opponents critical of the mayor and intended to remove him from office.
- Counseled and negotiated a favorable global plea agreement for the former Mayor of Orange, New Jersey, who was charged with accepting a bribe by federal officials and submission of fraudulent expense vouchers by state officials. Mr. Azzarello successfully argued for a substantial sentencing departure in federal court that resulted in a 9-month term of imprisonment. Through his skillful and relentless negotiations, he obtained a concurrent sentence in state court.
- Counseled leading U.S. and international internet betting and gaming companies and payment processors concerning compliance with the United States civil and criminal online gaming laws and regulations.
- Defended the CEO of a private company in a seven-week criminal securities fraud/insider trading jury trial in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey which ended when he negotiated an extremely favorable plea agreement for his client. Pursuant to the terms of the plea deal, the government agreed to dismiss the most serious charges including the lead conspiracy count that charged his client with a securities fraud violation that resulted in a loss of 120 million dollars, and thereby substantially reduced his client’s exposure.
- Served as counsel to the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, commonly referred to as the “9/11 Commission”. The 9/11 Commission was established by the United States Congress to investigate the terrorist attacks on U.S. soil on September 11, 2001. Mr. Azzarello’s principal responsibilities included investigating and evaluating the response to the terrorist attacks by the offices of the President and Vice President of the United States, the Department of Defense, North American Aerospace Defense Command, the Federal Aviation Administration, and state and local governments.
- Served for 10 years as Assistant United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey where he successfully conducted numerous jury trials. Mr. Azzarello started in the Criminal Division before moving on to the Special Prosecution Division, where he specialized in public corruption cases. He later was promoted to Deputy Chief, Criminal Division, where he supervised Assistant U.S. Attorneys in the investigation and prosecution of an array of federal crimes. As Deputy Chief, he had direct supervisory responsibilities over numerous federal criminal trials and served as office-wide international crime coordinator.
- Served as judicial law clerk to the Honorable Nicholas H. Politan, United States District Court Judge, District of New Jersey.
- April 2024 : Recipient of the Seton Hall Law School Peter Rodino Society’s Award for Outstanding Achievement in the legal profession. In honoring the legacy of former New Jersey Congressman Peter Rodino, this award recognizes individuals who embody excellence, leadership, integrity, and a deep commitment to serving others and advancing the cause of justice.
- Named Lawyer of the Year in the 2022 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America.
- Recipient of the Attorney General’s Special Achievement Award for Sustained Superior Performance of Duty as a Federal Prosecutor.
- Selected by the U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey to serve as an Instructor at the Department of Justice National Advocacy Institute, Washington, D.C.
- Recipient of the Attorney General’s Special Achievement Award for the successful trial and conviction of 17 defendants on RICO, homicide, and narcotics charges in the United States v. Victor Gonzalez, et al., a case in which four defendants were sentenced to life without parole.
- Recipient of a Letter of Commendation from Louis J. Freeh, Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, for the successful prosecution of the United States v. Victor Gonzalez, et al.
- Recipient of the U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey’s Special Achievement Award for the successful prosecution of the United States v. Galuzzi, a case involving public corruption.
- Guest Lecturer – Seton Hall School of Law – McLaughlin Advanced Trial Advocacy Workshop – Instructed third-year law students on “The Art of Cross Examination of Difficult Witnesses” (2020 – 2024).
- Panelist – “Preparing your Client for the Presentence Interview and Sentencing Process in Federal Court”, Criminal Justice Act Panel for the District of New Jersey, January 2014.
- Panelist – “Preparing for the Storm: Addressing Whistleblowers and Claims of Business Fraud While Managing Corporate Investigations”, Association of Corporate Counsel, Greater New York Chapter, January 2009.
- Panelist – “Compliance Readiness: Avoiding Compliance Surprises—Bribery, Domestic and Foreign (The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act)”, Association of Corporate Counsel, Greater New York Chapter & K&L Gates, October 2006.
- White Collar Crime
- Criminal Defense of all matters in federal courts in New Jersey and New York as well as state courts throughout New Jersey
- Corporate Internal Investigations
- Defense of individual and corporate clients in Regulatory matters
- Complex Commercial Litigation (state and federal)
- Defense of individuals, public and private entities against Employment, Civil Rights, and Civil RICO claims
- J.D. magna cum laude Seton Hall University School of Law
- Associate Editor of the Seton Hall Law Review
- President of the Student Bar Association, Seton Hall School of Law
- B.A. cum laude Georgetown University
- United States District Court for the District of New Jersey
- United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
- United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
- United States Supreme Court
- New Jersey
- New York
- District of Columbia (Inactive)
- Member, Criminal Justice Act Panel for the District of New Jersey
- Past President and Member of the New Jersey Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers for over 20 years
- Member, Board of Trustees, Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey, Executive Board Member (2009 – present)
- Member, Advisory Board, New Jersey Attorney General’s Conviction Review Unit (CRU) (From the inception of CRU in 2019 to the present).
- Grantor, The Grazioso Children’s September 11th Trust Fund
- 2013, Elected to serve a 3-year term as a member of the Green Brook Township Board of Education