tiffany@finchmccranie.com
Tiffany Nichols Bracewell brings more than a decade of experience defending individuals and businesses against federal fraud charges and regulatory enforcement actions. She has extensive experience engaging with the Department of Justice, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), the Federal Trade Commission, and state Attorneys General. Tiffany has advised clients facing claims of bribery; embezzlement; antitrust violations such as price-fixing, bid-rigging, wage-fixing, and “no-poach” agreements; securities fraud; wire fraud; government contracting fraud; tax fraud; violations of the False Claims Act, Stark Law, and Anti-Kickback Statute; and deceptive business practices. She also regularly guides clients through confidential internal investigations, government inquiries and critical subpoena response efforts, and complex business disputes.
As the first Fellow at the Federal Defender Program for the Northern District of Georgia and the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, Tiffany gained substantial courtroom experience as a zealous advocate for individuals navigating a broad range of federal crimes, from probation and supervised release violations to immigration offenses and drug trafficking. Notably, Tiffany secured a full acquittal in United States v. Penaloza-Bravo, United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, for a client facing charges of conspiracy, distribution of methamphetamine, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. Building on this success, Tiffany served as a key member of the defense team for a national sales representative in United States v. Penn et al., U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado—an unprecedented multi-defendant antitrust prosecution tried three times by the government in its effort to prove price-fixing within the chicken industry for sales to fast food restaurants and grocery stores. The first two trials resulted in hung juries for all defendants, and the third trial ended with a not guilty verdict.
Tiffany is deeply committed to service in the law. For six years, she represented pro bono Devonia Inman, a man serving a life sentence for a 1998 murder in South Georgia. His case became the subject of the fourth season of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s award-winning “Breakdown” podcast, the Forbes- and Cosmopolitan-acclaimed “Murderville, Ga.” podcast published by The Intercept, and Sundance TV’s “It Couldn’t Happen Here” true crime series. In December 2020, Mr. Inman was exonerated after a Georgia judge granted his petition for habeas corpus relief and the District Attorney moved to dismiss all underlying charges. Tiffany’s dedication to Mr. Inman’s case and her work with the Federal Defender Program led to her recognition as a Page Pate Exemplar of Service Award recipient in 2022 and a 40 Under 40 honoree by Georgia State University in 2020. Tiffany also has served in various leadership roles with the Litigation Section of the Atlanta Bar Association and relishes mentoring students and junior associates throughout the Atlanta legal community.
Prior to joining Finch McCranie, Tiffany founded The Bracewell Firm, LLC, a boutique white collar litigation firm, where she partnered with longtime colleague Carl Lietz on several significant matters. She previously served as a partner at Am Law 50 firm Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders, LLP in the White Collar Litigation & Investigations practice, where she was recognized by Best Lawyers in America® as “One to Watch” for Criminal Defense: White Collar (2021-2024) and Commercial Litigation (2021-2024). Tiffany began her career as a law clerk to the Honorable J. Randal Hall of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia before joining Troutman in 2015.
Tiffany graduated in the top 2% of her class summa cum laude from Georgia State University College of Law. She holds honors degrees in Economics and Spanish from Wake Forest University, which she completed in just three years.
EDUCATION
- Georgia State University College of Law, J.D., summa cum laude, 2014
Activities: Moot Court Board; Georgia State University Law Review Business Editor,
Selected for Publication, 30 Ga. St. U. L. Rev. (2014); Bleckley Inn of Court - Wake Forest University, B.A., magna cum laude, 2007
JURISDICTIONS ADMITTED TO PRACTICE
- Georgia State Courts
- Georgia Superior Courts
- Courts of Appeals of Georgia
- Georgia Supreme Court
- United States Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit
- United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia
- United States District Court for the Middle District of Georgia
- United States District Court for the Southern District of Georgia
- United States District Court for the District of Colorado
- United States District Court, Eastern District of Tennessee
REPRESENTATIVE MATTERS
- Defended a target and key witnesses in prosecutions by the Fulton County, Georgia District Attorney’s Office and the United States Department of Justice involving alleged interference with the 2020 presidential election.
- Defended an investment advisory firm under investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission for alleged violations of the antifraud provisions and Marketing Rule of the Investment Advisors Act in connection with statements and disclosures made to clients and investors regarding the use of artificial intelligence in its investment processes.
- Defended an academic official in an investigation and first-ever prosecution of college rankings fraud.
- Secured partial dismissal on behalf of a private medical practice in qui tam suit alleging violations of the False Claims Act for billing related to allegedly prolonged anesthesia. The relators subsequently dismissed with prejudice the sole remaining claim.
- Represented a utility under investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission for alleged fraud related to the estimated costs and expected in-service date of a first-of-a-kind asset, resulting in a recommendation of non-enforcement.
- Conducted an internal investigation and counseled a medical device startup in a federal health care fraud investigation, which was closed without any enforcement action.
- Successfully argued for re-pleading of the Federal Trade Commission’s complaint against director facing derivative liability for defunct corporation’s alleged use of deceptive business practices.
- Represented a utility in resolving a tax dispute regarding deductions for research and experimental expenditures under Code section 174, securing $3.075 billion in allowable deductions.
- Represented an investment advisory startup in an investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission for alleged violations of the Marketing Rule and misrepresentations regarding product use of artificial intelligence.
- Represented an internet security entrepreneur under investigation by the Department of Justice in connection with alleged data breach incident.
- Represented a Wall Street investment firm in offensive and defensive state and federal securities fraud litigation and in investigation by the Department of Justice arising from a go-private merger transaction.
- Represented equipment finance and leasing company in successful negotiations with insurer relating to claims under a fidelity bond arising from embezzlement and other fraudulent conduct by a former executive.
- Conducted an internal investigation on behalf of a publicly traded biopharmaceutical company and represented the company in parallel investigations by the Securities and Exchange Commission and Department of Justice into alleged securities and accounting fraud.
- Defended a broker-dealer in an investigation by FINRA into sales of Canadian non-brokered private placements (NBPP) to U.S. consumers.
- Represented the United States subsidiary of a foreign real estate developer in public corruption investigation by the Department of Justice.
- Represented a technology company in investigation by the Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry & Security, into alleged export violations.
- Defended the owner of skilled nursing and long-term care facilities in federal tax evasion investigation and prosecution.
- Secured non-enforcement and favorably resolved a dispute between the Securities and Exchange Commission and a local government official facing allegations of fraud and conflicts of interest related to the procurement of advisory services for approximately $200 million in pension assets.
