Jamari Buxton

Jamari Buxton is a partner in Steptoe's Investigations & White-Collar Defense group based in Los Angeles. A former federal prosecutor and accomplished trial lawyer, Jamari advises companies and individuals in the areas of government and internal investigations, corporate compliance, and white-collar and regulatory matters, leveraging his extensive experience coordinating with federal agencies such as the FBI, Department of Homeland Security, IRS, and SEC.

Before joining Steptoe, Jamari served as an Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) for over a decade at US Attorney's Offices on both coasts, where he investigated and prosecuted some of the most complex and high-profile cases in the country. Jamari handled hundreds of federal criminal cases as an AUSA, including matters involving wire and bank fraud, securities fraud, healthcare fraud, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) violations, public corruption and bribery, campaign finance offenses, tax evasion, transnational organized crime, racketeering and money laundering, Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) offenses, and civil rights violations.

Most recently, Jamari was a member of the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section at the US Attorney's Office for the Central District of California (2019-2025). There, Jamari handled some of the district's most prominent and consequential prosecutions, including a complex, multi-year investigation involving the nation's largest utility, and the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office, stemming from a massive over-billing scandal and subsequent collusive litigation scheme, leading to convictions of numerous high-level City officials of various corruption-related offenses. Jamari also led a high-profile fraud, tax, and civil rights investigation involving a millionaire cryptocurrency personality who defrauded major companies by selling access to their web-based marketing accounts and paid a roster of active Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department deputies to obtain illegal search warrants for him, surveil and extort his rivals, and commit other civil rights violations.

A skilled trial lawyer, Jamari has tried numerous high-stakes federal criminal jury trials to verdict. His achievements at the US Attorney's Office for the Central District of California included trying a sitting US congressman for lying to the FBI about his knowledge of illegal campaign contributions and obtaining guilty verdicts (bribery, Honest Services Wire Fraud, and Travel Act violations) against a billion-dollar real estate development company that lavished a powerful Los Angeles City councilmember with over $1 million in benefits in exchange for supporting a plan to build the tallest tower in Los Angeles history.

At the US Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey (2013-2019), Jamari prosecuted one of the district's most significant white-collar cases, partnering with the SEC to investigate and charge the corporate secretary of a Fortune Global 10 company who engaged in an insider trading scheme. He also prosecuted dozens of international and US-based organized crime members for RICO-related offenses, murder, extortion, and other violent crimes.  This included prosecuting one of the FBI's Ten Most Wanted and securing across-the-board convictions of eight high-profile gang members who committed a slew of gang-related murders, attempted murders, assaults, and other crimes following a four-month RICO trial. Jamari prosecuted numerous violent crime and firearms offenses in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania (2012-2013), as well. Earlier in his career, Jamari practiced at a major law firm in New York.

At Steptoe, Jamari's work focuses on complex investigations and compliance strategies that help clients navigate today's rapidly evolving regulatory environment. His background in managing multi-agency investigations and his strong relationships with law enforcement and regulatory bodies enhance Steptoe's West Coast platform and complement the firm's strengths in white-collar defense counseling.