Our Team

The Cast Law Firm represents clients in high-stakes federal, international, and investigative matters, including whistleblower disclosures, criminal defense, and asset forfeiture. Our work frequently involves complex, cross-border issues and sensitive situations requiring discretion, strategic judgment, and experience at the federal level.

The firm is led by Rebecca Castaneda, a former U.S. Coast Guard JAG officer, federal prosecutor, and Special Operations attorney. She brings firsthand experience in how federal investigations are built, executed, and resolved.

Our practice is informed by experience advising in high-risk operational environments and representing clients in sensitive government, intelligence-adjacent, and cross-border matters. This perspective allows us to navigate complex cases where legal exposure, cooperation decisions, and confidentiality are critical from the outset.

We are frequently engaged by individuals and businesses facing federal investigations and asset exposure. Many of our matters come through referrals from prior clients, attorneys, and law firms nationwide and internationally.

Attorney Rebecca Castaneda

Attorney Castaneda brings a rare blend of maritime, criminal, and international law experience to her clients. Skilled in high-level negotiations and diplomatic relations, she has represented politicians, government officials, and private clients in matters involving international business, federal criminal defense, asset seizure, civil litigation, and maritime law.

As a former federal prosecutor in the Middle District of Florida, Attorney Castaneda prosecuted over $2.3 billion in international drug trafficking and money laundering cases. She is also a former special operations and maritime law attorney with the United States Coast Guard. Her expertise spans international law, bilateral and multilateral agreements, treaty law, maritime law enforcement, extradition, INTERPOL proceedings, and mutual legal assistance treaties (MLATs).

Attorney Castaneda is admitted to the List of Assistants to Counsel of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands, and is qualified to be chosen by defense counsel or legal representatives of victims in ICC proceedings. She has advised and represented clients facing serious international charges, including allegations of war crimes, heads-of-state assassinations, participation in the Bosnian War, and involvement in the Colombian conflict with the FARC and AUC.

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.

Operational & Military Experience

Attorney Castaneda served six years on active duty and continues to serve as a Judge Advocate General (JAG) officer in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve. While on active duty, she worked in the Office of Legal & Defense Services, the Office of Maritime & International Law, and completed a special assignment with the Department of Justice.

She was the primary legal advisor to Coast Guard operational commands, including:

  • Cutter Forces

  • Boat Forces

  • Aviation Forces

  • Maritime Security Response

  • Office of Defense Operations – Counterterrorism

In these roles, she advised program managers, senior leadership, Atlantic and Pacific Area Commands, and District offices nationwide. Her guidance ensured compliance with U.S. and international maritime law, the legality of operations, and the interpretation of bilateral/multilateral maritime agreements. This unique insider knowledge gives her clients a distinct advantage in cases involving maritime casualty investigations, international shipping disputes, port security, and Coast Guard enforcement actions.

In her current role as a United States Coast Guard Reserve JAG, Attorney Castaneda is a legal advisor to the District Eight / Heartland Commander in New Orleans, Louisiana. She advises in legal matters involving military justice, fisheries enforcement, and maritime law.

Bar Admission

Attorney Castaneda is licensed to practice law in the state bars of New York, Florida and Massachusetts. She is admitted to the List of Assistants to Counsel of the International Criminal Court, The Hague, Netherlands. Attorney Castaneda is admitted to the practice in the federal courts of:

  • United District Court, Middle and Southern Districts of Florida

  • United District Court, Eastern and Southern Districts of New York

  • United District Court, Eastern and Western Districts of Arkansas

  • United States District, Eastern Michigan

  • United District Courts of Colorado, Columbia, and Massachusetts

  • United States Court of Appeals, First, Sixth, and Eleventh Circuits

  • United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces

Personal

Attorney Castaneda was born in Texas and raised in California. She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of California at Davis, where she played equestrian polo. She went on to attend law school in Boston, Massachusetts.

She currently resides in Tampa, Florida. Outside of her practice, she spends time with her family shooting clays, hunting and fishing, and playing hockey. Go Bolts!

Investigators & Experts

To best serve our clients, we have built a multidisciplinary investigation team that brings insider knowledge and technical skill to every case:

  • Federal sentencing experts who assess guideline exposure and mitigation strategies for criminal and civil matters.

  • Weapons and explosives experts who analyze incidents involving shipboard armories, cargo, or hazardous materials.

  • Cryptocurrency experts assisting with digital asset tracing, compliance, and maritime commerce fraud.

  • Retired federal law enforcement Special Agents from the FBI, DEA, Coast Guard Investigative Service (CGIS), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the IRS, who leverage decades of investigative training and access to understand federal processes, uncover hidden evidence, and provide expert testimony.

This broad network allows us to handle cases ranging from international smuggling to money laundering.

Federal & International Expertise

When the stakes are high, experience matters. The United States government spends millions training its federal agents and operators over the course of their careers — teaching them how to uncover the truth, follow the evidence, and build airtight cases for prosecution. Now, that same elite training works for you. Our investigators are retired Special Agents. They bring decades of insider knowledge about how federal investigations actually work, how agents think, what evidence they value, and where mistakes are made. They know:

  • How to conduct surveillance and undercover operations without detection

  • The tactics used in interrogations and witness interviews

  • How evidence is obtained through wiretaps, pen registers, and recordings

  • What law enforcement looks for during searches and seizures

  • How DNA, fingerprints, photos, and video are collected and challenged

  • How prosecutors build affidavits and prepare testimony

  • How to identify weaknesses in government cases — and exploit them

These are not textbook skills; they are lessons forged through careers spent inside the federal system.

Our team understands these tactics — and how to spot when they’ve been overreached, mishandled, or misused.

When you hire us, you gain decades of inside knowledge about how federal investigations really operate. We know how agents think, where they look, what mistakes they make, and how cases can fall apart before they ever reach a courtroom.

We don’t just react; we anticipate.
We don’t just defend; we dismantle.

When your freedom, your career, or your reputation is at stake, you deserve someone who’s been on the inside and knows exactly how to fight back.