Samuel P. Nitze

Sam Nitze, a former federal prosecutor, is an experienced trial lawyer and a member of the Firm’s Investigations, Government Enforcement and White Collar Criminal Defense Group. Sam also 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.

Sam tried 10 cases to verdict and briefed and argued numerous appeals before the Second Circuit Court of Appeals.  Sam 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.  Sam 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.

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

Before joining the Department of Justice, Sam worked as an associate at a law firm in New York and clerked for the Honorable Reena Raggi, United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.  Sam received a B.A., with honors, from Duke University, and a J.D., magna cum laude, from New York University School of Law, where he was editor-in-chief of the Law Review.

Prior to joining attending law school, Mr. Nitze 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.