Sarah Coyne

Sarah is a former Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of New York, where she was Chief of the Business and Securities Fraud Section. She is ranked among the leading lawyers in New York for White Collar Crime and Government Investigations by Chambers USA, where sources have described her as “a terrific advocate for her clients” and “the kind of person you want in your corner; she will not compromise her client's interests for anything.” She has three times been named “White Collar Crime Lawyer of the Year” at Euromoney's Americas Women in Business Law Awards, in 2019, 2021 and 2023, and was also shortlisted for the award in 2020 and 2022. In 2018, she was featured by Global Investigations Review as one of the top 100 “Women in Investigations” worldwide, and has been recognized nationally by Legal 500 for Corporate Investigations and White Collar Criminal Defense since 2017, including as a “Next Generation” lawyer. She is currently named a “Litigation Star” by Benchmark Litigation, and is recognized in Euromoney’s White Collar Crime Expert Guide.

Prior to joining Weil, Sarah was a federal prosecutor for 14 years, including 11 in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of New York, following a three-year stint in the District of New Jersey. In these roles, Sarah prosecuted or supervised a number of high-profile matters, including those involving the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, securities and investment fraud, and off-label promotion in the healthcare space. She also tried 14 jury trials and argued seven successful appeals before the Second Circuit, and one before the Third Circuit. As Chief of the Business and Securities Fraud Section, Sarah supervised 15 prosecutors working on white collar criminal matters.

Recent notable experience includes representing:

• the Office of New York Governor Kathy Hochul in the unwinding of the historic Waterfront Commission, a joint New York/New Jersey agency that polices the docks and ports in New York Harbor.

• US National Women’s Soccer League Players Association in connection with a league-wide investigation into allegations of player abuse and discrimination.

• The Boards of Trustees of United Way Worldwide and United Way USA in an investigation into allegations of harassment and retaliation.

• U.S. Ski & Snowboard sports association in connection with various congressional inquiries.

• a special committee of the Board of Directors of Aerojet Rocketdyne in an internal investigation into alleged misconduct and governance violations.

• an international logistics company in internal investigations into allegations of fraud in connection with a major acquisition, allegations of improper accounting by a member of senior management, and allegations of misconduct by a company executive.

• a major engineering company in connection with a DOJ inquiry into potential False Claims Act violations.

• the board of directors of a primary healthcare provider in an internal investigation into potential misconduct by its CEO.

• a major financial institution in connection with investigations by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and the SEC into a purported theft by a former employee of millions of dollars from client accounts.

• a senior banker at a financial institution in connection with an SEC investigation into failed Puerto Rico municipal government bonds.

• a New York police union in connection with an investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York into alleged corruption in a county police force.

• a global payment provider with respect to a U.S. Attorney’s Office investigation into allegations of overbilling and a related class action filed in the Eastern District of New York, as well as an internal investigation regarding alleged fraud by an employee accused of embezzlement.

• an executive at a life sciences laboratory in connection with an investigation by the Civil Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York into allegations of improper Medicare billing.

• a former executive at a life sciences laboratory in connection with an investigation by the Civil Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York into allegations of improper Medicare billing.

• a global investment management firm with respect to an investigation brought by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey in connection with allegations of insider trading.

• a former hedge fund founder with respect to an investigation by the U.S Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York for securities fraud.

• a foreign individual in connection with the investigation by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York into the FIFA corruption scandal.

• a publicly traded company in an internal investigation regarding an accounting inquiry by the SEC.

• a private preparatory school in an investigation into allegations of racist conduct by students and a review of the school’s disciplinary procedures following an alleged sexual assault incident.

• numerous executives of financial institutions in securities fraud investigations.

• several public companies in bankruptcy-related investigations into transactions that occurred prior to the companies’ chapter 11 filings.

Sarah is a frequent speaker on white collar and related topics such as the FCPA. For many years, she served as a Lecturer of Law at the University of Pennsylvania School of Law and taught a course on white collar crime. She currently serves on the board of directors of the Legal Aid Society of New York.

Upon graduating from law school, Sarah clerked for two years for the Hon. Maryanne Trump Barry, both at the District Court level and at the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. She earned her J.D. in 1998 from New York University School of Law, and received her B.A. from Georgetown University, magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, in 1993.