Firm Overview
Areas of Practice
Attorneys
Representative Clients
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Celiza P. Bragança, Partner
Ms. Bragança joined Sperling & Slater in January 2004. As part of her overall commercial litigation practice, she specializes in securities litigation and investigations. Ms. Bragança’s expertise in this area was honed while she served as a Branch Chief in the Division of Enforcement of the Securities & Exchange Commission, where she handled a number of investigations of possible financial fraud, offering fraud, insider trading, and Foreign Corrupt Practices Act violations. In addition to her work representing clients, Ms. Bragança also speaks about issues related to securities fraud; for example, she recently spoke on that topic to the Turnaround Management Association.
Prior to attending law and business school, Ms. Bragança was a computer systems consultant with the division of Arthur Andersen & Company that later became Accenture. She is a member of the Trial Bar for the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
Education
J.D. (Order of the Coif) and M.B.A., University of Chicago, 1992
B.A. in Economics, with honors, University of Chicago, 1984
Representative Matters
Securities Litigation and Investigations
While at the SEC, Ms. Bragança investigated major accounting firms, subprime lenders,
telecommunications companies, and broker-dealers. Specifically, Ms. Bragança
investigated significant financial fraud at Mercury Finance Company, which led to
civil and criminal fraud charges being brought against the company’s former Chairman and
CEO, former treasurer, and former accounting manager. Ms. Bragança also participated in
the investigation of Foreign Corrupt Practices Act violations arising out of the bribery of
Haitian customs officials by officers of American Rice, Inc. She coordinated the investigation
with the Department of Justice’s Fraud Division. Those investigations resulted in criminal
convictions of American Rice's former CEO and former vice president of operations.
(In the Matter of American Rice, Inc., et al., Exchange Act Release No. 47286, SEC Admin.
Proceeding File No. 3-11024 (Jan. 30, 2003)) Given this experience, Ms. Braganca has
valuable perspective to offer when representing directors, officers and others in
connection with SEC and related investigations, as she has done since joining the firm.
Her securities law experience also carries over to other matters, including both defending
and prosecuting cases brought by investors raising fraud and other claims.
Other securities matters that Ms. Bragança has handled include Securities & Exchange
Commission v. Terry Dowdell, et al., 175 F. Supp. 2d 850 (W.D. Va. Dec. 7, 2001),
2002 WL 236687 (Feb. 15, 2002), 2002 WL 424595 (Mar. 14, 2002) (obtained injunction
against promoters of international Ponzi scheme); In the Matter of Laurie Canady, SEC Admin.
Proceeding File No. 3-8531-D (Nov. 26, 2001) (sanction of Merrill Lynch registered
representative for churning and unsuitable investments); and SEC v. Stanley Awdisho, et al.,
Civ. No. 04-C-6125 (N.D. Ill., filed Sept. 21, 2004) (targeted manipulation of stock option
markets via "small lot baiting" or "spoofing").
Directors and Officers
Ms. Bragança has represented directors and officers before the SEC and in financial and
securities litigation, including SEC investigations and litigation, securities class
actions, fiduciary duty actions, and related bankruptcy actions.
Complex Commercial Litigation
Prior to joining the SEC, Ms. Bragança concentrated on complex commercial litigation.
While at Jenner & Block, she represented Case Corporation in a federal court trial in which
the jury awarded Case the entire $4.2 million sought for breach of contract against its
insurer, plus an additional $10 million in punitive damages against the insurer for bad
faith denial of claims. Since joining Sperling & Slater, commercial matters such as
these have returned to her practice.
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Celiza P. Bragança
312-641-3200
cbraganca@sperling-law.com
Sperling & Slater
55 West Monroe Street
Suite 3200
Chicago, Illinois 60603
312-641-3200
fax: 312-641-6492
info@sperling-law.com
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