Arun G Rao, Indian-American Deputy Assistant Attorney General of the US department of justice civil division’s consumer protection branch, was in New Delhi to meet the officials of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to cement law enforcement ties between India and the USA.
Rao was picked by the Biden administration for the senior position in April this year.
Rao discussed means for combating emerging crime trends, including fighting rising telemarketing fraud, with Indian counterparts.
“In their meetings, the parties affirmed their shared commitment to strengthen cooperation in combating crime, specifically with respect to efforts to investigate and prosecute cyber-enabled financial frauds and global telemarketing frauds, including international robocalls and communications,” an official statement from the US department of justice said.
They additionally discussed the need for continued cooperation in tackling emerging technology-based crimes through faster information exchange and evidence sharing, with a view to ensure security and protection of citizens of both jurisdictions.
Rao had earlier served as the president of IGI, a corporate investigations and risk advisory firm in Washington DC and principal of The Lenzner Firm, where he directed due diligence and corporate internal investigations and advised clients on crisis and risk management. From 2015 to 2017, he served as chief of the southern division of the US attorney’s office for the District of Maryland.
He was also a deputy associate counsel in the White House from 2012 to 2013, where he vetted President Barack Obama's executive branch nominees (including candidates for the Cabinet and other Senate-confirmed positions).
He joined the US department of justice in 2007 as an assistant US attorney in Tennessee (Memphis). Prior to working for the department of justice, Rao was assistant district attorney in the New York County district attorney’s office.
An adjunct professor of law at Georgetown University, he graduated from the University of Virginia and received a law degree from New York University school of law.
