Former IRS Chief of Criminal Investigation and General Counsel of NYS Department of Financial Services Richard Weber Joins Winston & Strawn as Litigation Partner in New York

Brings senior-level federal government experience, including as former Chief, Asset Forfeiture/Money Laundering Section, DOJ Criminal Division, and AUSA, Deputy Chief (Civil Division), and Chief, Asset Forfeiture Unit, U.S. Attorney’s Office

New York – December 5, 2022 – Winston & Strawn LLP today announced that Richard Weber has joined the firm’s New York office as a partner in the Litigation Department and as a member of the White Collar, Regulatory Defense & Investigations Practice.

Rich brings to Winston a compelling combination of unparalleled experience at the highest levels of city, state, and federal government, as well as in private-sector investment banking and financial services.

He joins Winston after serving as General Counsel for the New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS), where he was responsible for all legal and compliance matters in the agency that regulates the activities of over 3,000 banking, insurance, virtual currency, and other financial institutions. Rich oversaw a broad spectrum of regulatory, supervisory, and enforcement actions and worked to ensure transparency, fair business practices, and public responsibility in the areas under his purview.

“Government scrutiny of banking institutions, fintechs, and multinational businesses has increased in tandem with a global focus on money laundering, financial crimes, asset forfeiture, tax, and sanctions,” said Rich. “I look forward to leveraging my deep experience in these areas as we help corporations, banks, boards of directors, and individual clients navigate increasingly complex issues. I am thrilled to be joining Winston’s world-class litigation team and excited to work with a great group of attorneys.”

Prior to joining DFS as General Counsel, Rich was Managing Director and America’s Head of UBS’s Financial Crime Prevention division, where he led efforts surrounding anti-money laundering, the Bank Secrecy Act, sanctions compliance, fraud, FCPA, and anti-corruption. Earlier, he was Deutsche Bank’s Managing Director and America’s Head of anti-financial crimes. He led, implemented, and designed the bank’s legal and regulatory compliance programs and oversaw all financial and internal fraud investigations, analytics, and financial intelligence in the Americas.

Rich was Chief of the Criminal Investigation Division at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the sixth-largest law enforcement agency in the country, where he led a worldwide staff of 3,700 and managed complex investigations of financial crimes involving money laundering, tax, sanctions evasion, cyber, cryptocurrency, bribery/foreign corruption, fraud, and terrorist financing.

During his tenure at the IRS, Rich oversaw some of the most significant global financial crime investigations in the history of the agency, including FIFA, Silk Road, and the Swiss Bank Program in which 80 Swiss banks entered into agreements with the government and paid $1.36 billion in penalties. He spearheaded the first-ever IRS-CI cybercrime program and significantly enhanced the agency’s capabilities in cybercrime and cryptocurrency investigations.

“Rich has served as a formidable financial crimes leader, investigator, and prosecutor, as well as a superior financial services compliance professional,” said Mats Carlston, Winston’s New York office managing partner. “He will bring a unique and holistic approach to representing and defending our clients’ legal and business interests.”

Rich’s senior prosecutorial roles included serving as Deputy Chief, Investigation Division, and Chief, Major Economic Crimes Bureau, for the New York County District Attorney’s Office; Chief, Asset Forfeiture/Money Laundering Section, for the U.S. Department of Justice’s Criminal Division; and Assistant U.S. Attorney, Deputy Chief (Civil Division), and Chief, Asset Forfeiture Unit, for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of New York.

He received the Presidential Rank Award (the nation’s highest public service recognition); two Attorney General’s Awards (the highest honor for Justice Department lawyers); the Executive Office for U.S. Attorney Director’s Award; and the Henry Stimson Medal for Outstanding Contributions to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

“Vigorously representing clients in an environment of greater federal scrutiny requires a professional with proven regulatory and enforcement experience in both government and the corporate world,” said Winston Chairman Tom Fitzgerald. “Rich’s deep and broad knowledge will significantly strengthen Winston’s ability to provide clients with superior legal counsel and to help the firm expand its services to the financial sector.”

Winston & Strawn LLP is an international law firm with 16 offices in North America, South America, Asia, and Europe. More information about the firm is available at www.winston.com.