Education
St. John’s University School of Law
University of Delaware
Admissions
State Bar of New York
U.S. District Courts:
Southern District of New York
Eastern District of New York
Biography
Wayne Gosnell is an experienced trial lawyer who litigates complex, high-stakes criminal, civil, and regulatory matters in federal and New York state courts. Clients turns to him when investigations, felony charges, or allegations of misconduct put their liberty, career, or business on the line. He is a tireless advocate known for building comprehensive strategies that account for legal risk, public scrutiny, and the client’s long-term goals.
Wayne’s criminal practice spans a broad range of serious charges, including securities, tax, wire, and mail fraud; health care fraud; money laundering; illegal kickbacks; narcotics trafficking; RICO; kidnapping; sexual assault; and domestic violence. He also represents individuals and businesses in commercial disputes and in investigations by regulators and enforcement agencies such as the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Federal Trade Commission, and the New York Attorney General’s Office. He has particular experience in matters that implicate the First and Second Amendments and in highly publicized cases where media and law enforcement attention are intense.
A substantial part of Wayne’s practice is devoted to sexual misconduct and “#MeToo” matters. He represents both survivors and those accused of misconduct in cases brought under New York’s Child Victims Act, Adult Survivors Act, and New York City’s gender-motivated violence law, in both public and confidential forums. He handles these matters from initial investigation through mediation, arbitration, and trial, and is accustomed to managing the legal, reputational, and human stakes that accompany such disputes.
Wayne has been recognized in New York Super Lawyers every year since 2020. He is active in the profession and his community, serving as Treasurer of the Child Care Council of Westchester and as a member of the American Inns of Court at the Federal Bar Council. Before joining Clayman Rosenberg Kirshner & Linder LLP, Wayne served as a prosecutor in the Bronx District Attorney’s Office, where he tried numerous jury cases and prosecuted hundreds of serious felonies, and as a law clerk to the Honorable William H. Pauley III of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.
Representative Matters
Representative Matters
- Represented the former-Chief Financial Officer of a multi-billion-dollar real estate development company in parallel fraud investigations conducted by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and the New York State Attorney General.
- Argued before the New York Court of Appeals challenging a conviction on the ground that the defendant’s constitutional right to counsel was violated when he was represented at trial by an attorney who had been suspended by the Second Circuit for serious misconduct and who had a history of neglecting client matters.
- Secured the minimum possible sentence for a Manhattan defendant in a high-profile New York weapons-possession case arising from the January 6 riots.
- Obtained a non-incarceratory sentence of three years’ probation for a client charged in a multi-million-dollar drug distribution conspiracy.
- Represented business owner charged with tax evasion in New Jersey and obtained for him a sentence far below the agreed-upon Sentencing Guidelines.
- Represented at trial in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York a pain management doctor charged with running what the government claimed was a “pill mill.”
- Obtained numerous dismissals by successfully litigating discovery violations by state prosecutors.
- Represented many small businesses and individuals in criminal tax investigations conducted by the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance, the Internal Revenue Service, and various District Attorney’s and United States Attorney’s Offices.
- Obtained a non-jail plea from the New York County District Attorney’s Office for a doctor charged with sexually assaulting numerous patients.
- Persuaded court to allow a client to enter drug diversion treatment to resolve felony charges without having to plead guilty. The case was later dismissed. Because there was no guilty plea, the client suffered no adverse action by licensing authorities.
- Represented employees of an international financial institution in multinational criminal investigations into anti-money laundering compliance.
- Obtained dismissal of all claims in federal civil court alleging that a major international law firm committed civil RICO and fraud.
Highlights
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Recognized in New York Metro Super Lawyers for White Collar Criminal Defense each year since 2020.
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Selected to present for the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers’ annual seminar on defending sexual-misconduct cases.
- Treasurer and Board member of the Child Care Council of Westchester since 2018.
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Member of the American Inns of Court at the Federal Bar Council.
- Member of the New York Council of Defense Lawyers.