Matthew Martens, an assistant U.S. prosecutor based in Charlotte, has been named chief litigation counsel for the Securities and Exchange Commission, according to Bloomberg News, citing people who did not want to be identified before the announcement.
The SEC's chief litigator oversees lawyers who argue the cases in court.
Among the pending cases Martens could oversee are those against Countrywide Financial and an insider trading lawsuit against the hedge fund Galleon Group.
Martens, who has practiced law since 1996, joined the criminal division of the U.S. Attorney's Western District in 2003. He was part of the team of government lawyers who reached a $50 million settlement with Beazer Homes USA over allegations of mortgage fraud.
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