Rebecca Castaneda

Attorney

CURRENT PORTFOLIO

Skilled in high-level negotiations and diplomatic relations, Attorney Castaneda represents clients, including politicians and government officials, in international business matters, federal criminal defense, asset seizure and forfeiture claims, civil litigation, and cryptocurrency compliance.

Rebecca L. Castaneda is a former federal prosecutor and special operations and maritime law attorney in the United States Coast Guard.

As a federal prosecutor in the Middle District of Florida, Attorney Castaneda prosecuted over $2.3B in international drug trafficking and money laundering cases. Her areas of expertise include international law, foreign bilateral and multilateral agreements, treaty law, maritime law enforcement, international extradition, matters involving the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) and mutual legal assistant treaties (MLATs).

She is admitted to the List of Assistants to Counsel of the International Criminal Court, The Hague, The Netherlands, and is qualified to be chosen by defense counsel or legal representatives of victims in proceedings before the International Criminal Court.

Within the United States, she is admitted to practice law in:

  • New York;

  • Massachusetts;

  • Florida;

  • District Court of Massachusetts;

  • District Court of Colorado;

  • District Court for the District of Columbia;

  • District Court for the Middle District of Florida;

  • District Court for the Southern District of Florida;

  • District Court for Eastern Michigan;

  • District Court for the Eastern District of New York;

  • District Court for the Southern District of New York;

  • District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas;

  • District Court for the Western District of Arkansas;

  • Court of Appeals for the First Circuit;

  • Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces.

Attorney Castaneda represents those charged with federal crimes and those facing extradition to and from the United States. She advises those facing  charges of war crimes including allegations of murdering the heads of state; participation in the Bosnian War; and participation in the Colombian conflict with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC).

Attorney Castaneda advises clients in international business matters and investments as well as in the areas of cryptocurrency investigations, compliance, regulation and project development.

BACKGROUND

Attorney Castaneda served for six years on active duty and continues to serve as a Judge Advocate General (JAG) in the United States Coast Guard Reserve. While on active duty, Attorney Castaneda served in the Office of Legal & Defense Services, the Office of Maritime & International Law, and on a special assignment with the Department of Justice as a federal prosecutor at the Middle District of Florida in Tampa, Florida. Attorney Castaneda was the primary legal advisor to the Offices of Cutter Forces, Boat Forces, Aviation Forces, Maritime Security Response, and the Office of Defense Operations-Counterterrorism, where she advised program management, senior leadership, Atlantic Area and Pacific Area Commands, and United States Coast Guard District offices regarding the legality of international agreements, and domestic and international authorities of United States Coast Guard operations.

As a duty attorney in the Office of Maritime and International Law, Attorney Castaneda provided legal advice during real-time law enforcement actions pertaining to counterdrug operations, fisheries enforcement, and migrant interdiction. She worked closely with the Departments of State and Justice and foreign-assigned United States Government personnel to seek international resolution and accountability.

Attorney Castaneda is currently a legal advisor to the District Thirteen Commander in Seattle, Washington, and advises in legal matters involving military justice, fisheries enforcement, and international maritime law.

She has co-taught maritime law enforcement courses at the United States Naval Academy, served as a legal instructor for the United States Coast Guard Aviation Training Command and the Naval Justice School, and taught international law courses during the United States Coast Guard Missions Law and Advanced Missions law programs. Attorney Castaneda continues to teach maritime and international law as a visiting professor at educational institutions and organizations throughout the world and is a contributing author of numerous maritime law enforcement, naval operations, and drug prosecution publications.

PERSONAL

Attorney Castaneda was born in Texas and raised in California and Oklahoma. She graduated from the University of California at Davis where she played equestrian polo. She attended New England School of Law in Boston, Massachusetts, where she rode horses and foxhunted.

She currently resides in Tampa, Florida, with her two children. Attorney Castaneda continues her lifelong passion for the outdoors and enjoys spending time riding horses, shooting clays, hunting, fishing, and watching her children play hockey. Go Bolts!