The acting chief of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) crypto and cyber unit took over the agency’s general litigation efforts weeks before the Trump administration assumed the White House.

Jorge Tenreiro updated his LinkedIn profile this month to reflect his new title as the SEC’s chief litigation counsel. In this role, he oversees the Division of Enforcement lawsuits and nationwide investigations that may lead to legal actions. According to a now-closed job posting, this position offers an annual salary of up to $305,000.

Mark Sylvester, the former deputy chief of the crypto unit, and Laura D’Allaird, the former counsel to outgoing Commissioner Jaime Lizárraga, updated their LinkedIn profiles on December 2, listing themselves as the new co-chiefs of the crypto assets and cyber unit.

Tenreiro succeeds former SEC litigation chief Olivia Choe, who, according to her LinkedIn profile, left the agency in July to join the international law firm Milbank LLP as a partner

Tenreiro’s Rise on SEC

Tenreiro’s rise to the position came just seven weeks before President-elect Donald Trump took office. Trump had promised to ease regulatory scrutiny on the crypto industry.

Tenreiro first joined the crypto assets and cyber unit as deputy chief in October 2022, and took over as chief in June after the departure of the unit’s former head, David Hirsch.

In his roles within the crypto unit, Tenreiro led the SEC’s numerous lawsuits against some of the biggest names in the industry, including major exchanges like Kraken and Coinbase, blockchain firm Tron and its founder Justin Sun, and the multi-year legal battle against Ripple Labs.

Tenreiro’s name is listed among the SEC lawyers who sued Terraform Labs and Do Kwon in early 2023. Source: CourtListener.

The unit also led lawsuits against FTX and its former executives, and in June, secured the SEC’s largest-ever settlement when Terraform Labs and former CEO Do Kwon settled for $4.47 billion.

Tenreiro was also in position when two SEC lawyers resigned after the agency was sanctioned for lying about evidence it presented in court against the crypto company Debt Box.

Tenreiro has faced criticism within the industry. Crypto lawyer John Deaton stated in an X post on December 1 that Tenreiro is at the top of the list of lawyers the crypto industry should avoid hiring if they leave the agency.

The SEC did not respond to a request for comment on Tenreiro’s appointment. Tenreiro also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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