Demian Ahn is a member of the firm’s data, privacy, and cybersecurity practice based in Washington, D.C. Demian represents and advises companies confronting all manner of cyber risks—risks from threat actors, regulatory risks from governmental bodies, legal risks related to cybersecurity and data collection programs, and litigation risks related to data privacy regulations and cybersecurity breaches.

Demian’s practice includes emerging privacy, cybersecurity, and online platform regulations, including those directed at technology companies, government contractors, financial services firms, health care organizations, and public companies. In that context, he advises clients who are building data privacy, data security, and data governance programs, helping companies adapt to new regulatory risks according to the needs of the business. Demian also advises and advocates for companies that receive requests for data, as well as other inquiries, from law enforcement, regulators, other government entities, and private litigants.

Demian has 20 years of experience in high-stakes investigations and litigation, with a focus on cybersecurity and privacy matters over the past decade. During most of his 12 years as a federal prosecutor, he served as a Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property Prosecutor and National Security-Cyber Specialist conducting, supervising, and supporting investigations and prosecutions related to data breaches. He led investigations and supported incident response relating to data breaches at U.S. government agencies, and he led groundbreaking prosecutions of advanced persistent threat (APT) actors who targeted companies, universities, and U.S. government agencies and officials. He handled matters involving cybersecurity-related export control violations, procured the seizure of servers and domains used by terrorists and cyber criminals, and led investigations into organized identity theft rings. Demian’s prosecutions led to convictions, for example, of the individual responsible for the largest known computer intrusion and data theft from the United States Senate; of numerous hackers who targeted banks and other financial services firms; and of threat actors who carried out ransomware attacks. He also prosecuted cases involving other internet-related conduct, including crimes inspired by internet conspiracy theories and cyberstalking offenses motivated by racial and religious bias.

Demian’s CFAA and ECPA expertise was highly regarded in the Department of Justice, and federal law enforcement across the country sought his assistance in matters that required novel evidence collection and prosecutorial strategies. He was a member of the Ransomware Action Network of the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys, was invited faculty at the National Security Division’s training for National Security Cyber Specialists, and has presented about cybercrime before groups such as the National Association of Attorneys General and the National Association of Former United States Attorneys.

Prior to joining the Department of Justice, Demian worked at a prominent multinational law firm, where he represented clients in high-stakes litigation and investigations, including matters before Congress, federal and state regulatory bodies, and federal and state trial and appellate courts.

Following law school, Demian clerked for the Honorable Frederick J. Martone of the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona. During law school, he also served as a law clerk for the South African Human Rights Commission in Durban, South Africa.