Sandy Weinberg
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Morris "Sandy" Weinberg Jr.

Founder of the Tampa Office and Senior Counsel

Office
Tampa
Tel.
+1 813.321.8200
Fax.
813.223.7961
Others
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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.

Education
  • Vanderbilt University Law School, J.D., cum laude, 1975
     
  • Princeton University, Woodrow Wilson School of Urban and International Affairs, B.A., magna cum laude, 1972
Bar admissions
  • Florida
  • District of Columbia
  • Georgia
Court admissions
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit
  • U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida
  • U.S. District Court, Northern District of Florida
  • U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida
  • U.S. District Court, Northern District of Georgia
Government service
  • Assistant U.S. Attorney
    • Southern District of New York
Professional leadership
  • Chair, ABA Criminal Justice Section (2018)
  • Steering Committee, Florida Bar Criminal Justice Summit (2018)
  • Member, ABA Criminal Justice Section Task Force on Sentencing Standards
  • Former Chair-Elect, ABA Criminal Justice Section
  • Former First Vice Chair, ABA Criminal Justice Section
  • Former Vice Chair, ABA Criminal Justice Section
  • Executive Committee Member, ABA Criminal Justice Section
  • Council Member, ABA Criminal Justice Section
  • Member, ABA Criminal Justice Section Task Force on Criminal Discovery Standards
  • Member, ABA Criminal Justice Section Task Force on Sentencing Standards
  • Former Co-Chair, White Collar Crime Committee, ABA Criminal Justice Section
Representative matters
  • Led the defense of a national health care provider in the largest health care fraud investigation in history. The case spanned federal investigations in Florida and Georgia, involving complex transactions and allegations of billing and cost reporting fraud.
  • Won an acquittal for a retired general after a six-and-a-half-month federal jury trial in Tampa regarding allegations of defense contracting fraud.
  • Represented the former general counsel of WellCare Health Plans, in connection with his indictment, along with four other former WellCare executives, for alleged Medicaid fraud. He also represented the client in related matters, including a securities class action,  a derivative action, and a complaint for federal securities fraud filed by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and represents him in connection with civil false claims allegations.
  • Defended an international package servicing company in a large export control investigation by DOJ, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of Commerce.
  • Defended an American sales representative in an indictment regarding the sale of prohibited goods to Iran.
  • Defended a Malaysian businessman in an indictment regarding the sale of prohibited computer equipment to Iran.
  • Defended a medical device manufacturer that was accused in a False Claims Act complaint of providing false billing information to physicians regarding a product’s eligibility for Medicare reimbursement.
  • Represented the lead defendant in one of the largest tax shelter cases ever brought.
  • Represented an energy company in a state and federal Environmental Protection Agency criminal investigation.
  • Defended a client against an arbitration claim related to a multimillion-dollar food service contract for the military in Iraq.
  • Defended a large Washington, DC communications firm in a $100 million federal legal malpractice claim involving FCC regulations.
  • Represented a church in one of the only criminal cases brought against a religion in the United States. The criminal charges were dismissed, and the firm led the church’s seven-year defense against civil wrongful death charges in the companion case.
  • Assisted a major nursing and hospital corporation in designing and implementing a defense strategy to combat a nationwide epidemic of civil liability claims.
  • Successfully defended a Tampa-based private security firm in both a federal criminal investigation and False Claims Act lawsuit.
  • Defended numerous national rental car companies in a series of federal and state investigations regarding alleged fraudulent billing practices.
  • Represented multiple executives in a series of school milk criminal antitrust investigations in Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana.
  • Developed a strategy to defend an automotive tool manufacturer in a distributor class action, as well as in various other distributor actions throughout the United States.
  • Won a summary judgment in a federal habeas corpus case securing the release of two men who had wrongfully sat on Florida’s death row for nine years—within 12 hours of their scheduled execution.
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Sandy Weinberg

Morris "Sandy" Weinberg Jr.

Founder of the Tampa Office and Senior Counsel

Office
Tampa
Tel.
+1 813.321.8200
Fax.
813.223.7961
Others
Send email Send an Email
vCard vCard
LinkedIn LinkedIn