The Justice Department has received a criminal investigation referral concerning a former senior federal prosecutor who served in the Biden administration, raising questions about whether she misled federal agents regarding her involvement in a high-profile fraud investigation.
Jina Choi joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California in late 2023. Shortly thereafter, Biden-appointed U.S. Attorney Ismail Ramsey selected her to lead the office’s Corporate and Securities Fraud Section, a position responsible for handling major corporate and securities cases throughout the Bay Area, including Silicon Valley.
The matter centers on Choi’s previous representation of IRL, a social media startup co-founded by Abraham Shafi. The company’s business model focused on organizing and connecting people through events. However, IRL shut down in 2023 following a board-directed investigation that concluded approximately 95 percent of its users were likely automated bots rather than actual people. Shafi disputed these findings. He was subsequently indicted in 2025 on federal fraud and obstruction charges.
The criminal referral, submitted Tuesday by an attorney Shafi retained separately from his defense team, represents an unusually aggressive challenge to the conduct of a former prosecutor connected to the broader investigation. Cully Stimson, acting director of the Heritage Foundation’s Legal Policy Center and himself a former federal prosecutor, noted that while defense teams commonly attack prosecutors, resorting to a criminal investigation referral remains rare.
The central allegation concerns whether Choi remained involved in the IRL investigation after joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office, despite supposedly being screened from the matter due to her prior representation of the company. Federal prosecutors have maintained that Choi was properly walled off from the federal investigation involving both IRL and Shafi.
However, Shafi’s attorney now alleges that internal communications and an FBI interview report demonstrate she remained involved in the matter. Furthermore, the attorney claims Choi later understated that involvement when questioned by federal agents.
The referral specifically asks federal authorities to investigate whether Choi made false statements about her role in the IRL investigation. The federal investigation into IRL predated Choi’s arrival at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and prosecutors have consistently stated she was screened from the matter because of her prior representation.
The FBI declined to comment when contacted about the referral.
It bears noting that the Justice Department generally has no obligation to respond to referrals of this nature. Nevertheless, the submission of such a referral against a former federal prosecutor who led a significant fraud section represents a serious allegation that merits attention.
The case raises important questions about ethical walls within federal prosecutorial offices and the potential conflicts that can arise when attorneys move between private practice and government service, particularly in specialized areas such as securities fraud prosecution where the professional community remains relatively small and interconnected.
Related: Family of Minneapolis Woman Shot by ICE Agent Files Federal Wrongful Death Lawsuits
