Described in Chambers USA as “a first-rate white-collar attorney” Morris “Sandy” Weinberg, Jr. has been on the winning side of high-profile cases throughout his more than 40 years as a federal prosecutor and private practitioner.
His achievements include leading the defense in one of the largest health care fraud investigations in history, securing the dismissal of charges in one of the only criminal cases brought against a religion, defending the general counsel of a large public health care company in a Medicaid fraud case, and leading the prosecution in one of the country’s most high-profile tax fraud cases. These achievements have garnered recognition from top legal publications including the top ranking in the Chambers guide for white-collar crime and government investigations, and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Daily Business Review.
A respected attorney, Sandy has represented clients in a wide variety of criminal cases, including health care fraud, government contract fraud, securities fraud, tax fraud and export control.
In August 2017, Sandy was elected as Chair of the ABA’s Criminal Justice Section, which has over 20,000 members including state and federal prosecutors, state and federal judges, private attorneys and public defenders, academics and representatives of law enforcement. In that role, Sandy introduced a number of initiatives, including task forces on immigration, border searches, attorney mental health, and private prisons. He previously served as Chair-elect and First Vice Chair of the ABA Criminal Justice Section and as Co-Chair of the ABA’s White Collar Crime Committee, where he chaired the Brady Task Force that led to the adoption of a resolution by the ABA House of Delegates. He serves as a member of the Council for the ABA Criminal Justice Section and as a member of the ABA Sentencing Standards Task Force that is revising the ABA’s Sentencing Standards and previously served as a member of the ABA Criminal Discovery Standards Task Force that led to the recent major revision of the ABA Criminal Discovery Standards.
In addition to his extensive white collar criminal experience, Sandy also counsels clients in parallel civil and regulatory matters, including FCA cases. His clients have included individuals and corporations in a wide variety of industries, including health care, government contracting, and professional services.
Sandy previously served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, where he prosecuted white collar criminal cases. He received the Director’s Award for Superior Performance, as well as an award for outstanding service from the Treasury Department for his work in the high-profile prosecution of international financier and commodities dealer Marc Rich. After his government service, Sandy moved to Florida where he was a shareholder with Carlton Fields from 1985 to 1991, and in 1991 opened Zuckerman Spaeder’s Tampa office. He continues to serve as the office’s managing partner.
As a student at Vanderbilt Law School, Sandy helped establish the school’s first student legal services program. He has continued to provide pro bono assistance to those in need throughout his career, including through his work on Innocence Project, local legal services cases, and Clemency Project 2014. In 2012, Sandy and his wife Rosemary Armstrong founded Crossroads for Florida Kids, Inc., a non-profit legal services organization that provides pro bono legal services for children in dependency and delinquency cases in the Tampa Bay Area. Sandy and lawyers in the firm’s Tampa office serve as Crossroads’ volunteer lawyers representing children in those cases.
