Sarah Coyne is an accomplished litigator and former federal prosecutor focused on white collar criminal defense, internal and government-facing investigations, and related complex litigation. A partner in Ropes & Gray’s global litigation and enforcement practice group, Sarah advises clients on a broad range of matters relating to financial crime, securities fraud, health care fraud, and high-profile allegations of misconduct and serious wrongdoing.
Her experience spans heavily regulated industries, including financial services, health care and life sciences, technology, and sports. Clients describe Sarah as an “incredible advocate” and “the kind of person you want in your corner” in Chambers USA, where she is highly ranked for white collar crime and government investigations.
Before entering private practice, Sarah served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York for 11 years and in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey for three years. In New York, she was Chief of the Business & Securities Fraud Section and also held key roles in the Public Integrity Section. Sarah prosecuted and supervised many high-profile criminal investigations, and briefed and argued numerous successful appeals before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second and Third Circuits.
Sarah maintains a robust pro bono practice, currently serving on the board of directors of the Legal Aid Society of New York. For several years, she was a lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, where she taught a course on white collar crime. She also regularly presents at major industry conferences.
Experience
Sarah has represented the following clients:
Sensitive and Government Investigations
- The Office of New York Governor Kathy Hochul in unwinding the historic Waterfront Commission, a joint New York/New Jersey agency that polices the docks and ports in New York Harbor.*
- A national sports association in connection with various congressional inquiries.*
- A foreign individual investigated by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York over the FIFA corruption scandal.*
- A New York police union investigated by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York for alleged corruption in a county police force.*
- A national sports association in a league-wide investigation into allegations of player abuse and discrimination.*
- The board of trustees of an international nonprofit network into allegations of harassment and retaliation.*
- A special committee of the board of directors of a defense company into alleged misconduct and governance violations.*
- An international logistics company in an internal investigation into allegations of fraud in a major acquisition, allegations of improper accounting by a member of senior management, and allegations of misconduct by a company executive.*
- The board of directors of a primary health care provider into potential misconduct by its CEO.*
- A private preparatory school into allegations of racist conduct by students and a review of the school’s disciplinary procedures following an alleged sexual assault incident.*
- Several public companies in bankruptcy-related investigations into transactions that occurred prior to the companies’ chapter 11 filings.*
Financial Crime & Fraud
- A major financial institution investigated by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for a purported theft by a former employee of millions of dollars from client accounts.*
- A senior banker at a financial institution investigated by the SEC over failed Puerto Rico municipal government bonds.*
- A global payment provider investigated by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for 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.*
- A global investment management firm investigated by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey for allegations of insider trading.*
- A former hedge fund founder investigated by the U.S Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York for securities fraud.*
- A publicly traded company in an internal investigation regarding an accounting inquiry by the SEC.*
- Numerous executives of financial institutions in securities fraud investigations.*
Health Care Fraud
- An executive at a life sciences laboratory investigated by the Civil Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York for allegations of improper Medicare billing.*
- A major engineering company in a U.S. Department of Justice inquiry into potential violations of the False Claims Act.*
*Experience prior to joining Ropes & Gray