Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP

Sam is an experienced first-chair trial lawyer and former federal prosecutor with deep expertise in investigations, risk management, anti-corruption programs, and domestic and cross-border enforcement actions. He brings clear judgment, investigative precision, and a practical understanding of business realities to his work, advising clients as they navigate sensitive litigation and enforcement matters, conduct internal investigations, prepare witnesses, and engage with law enforcement and regulatory agencies. Sam’s clients include corporations, boards of directors, special committees, and individuals in a broad range of industries as they face their most difficult challenges.

Sam is a member of the firm’s Investigations, Government Enforcement and White Collar Criminal Defense Group and serves as Co-Chair of the firm's Crisis Law & Strategy Group and the Sports Litigation Practice. Prior to joining the firm, Sam was a federal prosecutor for more than a decade and served in various leadership capacities in the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, including as Chief of the Office’s Public Integrity Section, Deputy Chief of the Criminal Appeals Division, and Director of the Office’s FIFA Task Force. In his supervisory capacities, Sam oversaw teams of prosecutors and investigators in various practice areas, including the Public Integrity, Business and Securities Fraud, and Asset Forfeiture sections of the U.S. Attorney’s Office and in the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice in Washington D.C.

During his years as a federal prosecutor, Sam investigated, prosecuted, and supervised a wide range of high-profile cases involving fraud, bribery, cross-border corruption, racketeering, obstruction of justice, gang violence, organized crime, FARA/Section 951 violations, and terrorism, among other offenses.

He tried 10 cases to verdict and briefed and argued numerous appeals before the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. He was a member of the original team that investigated and indicted the groundbreaking FIFA case and went on to lead the Office’s FIFA task force. He was lead trial counsel in several complex cases, including the first FIFA trial in 2017 and the first-ever trial conviction of an ISIS defendant in a U.S. Court.

Sam earned a number of awards and commendations for his work as a prosecutor, including the Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service; the EOUSA Director’s Award for Superior Performance as an Assistant United States Attorney, and the Eastern District’s annual Elizabeth J. Kramer Memorial Award, given to a prosecutor who shows extraordinary judgment, empathy, ethics, and heart.

He has spoken on issues relating to international corruption, including sports corruption, at various conferences and events in the United States and abroad.

Earlier in his career, Sam clerked for the Honorable Reena Raggi, United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.  Prior to attending law school, he was an award-winning investigative reporter, most recently at the Miami Herald. His work has been published in the New York Times, New York Times Magazine, Miami Herald, and Providence Journal, among other publications.