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; represents individuals in negotiations regarding allegations of sexual misconduct and other sensitive matters; and specializes in matters involving First and Second Amendment issues.
Wayne’s criminal practice includes defending individuals against accusations of securities, tax, wire and mail fraud; health care fraud; money laundering; narcotics trafficking; RICO; sexual assault; domestic violence; and other serious crimes. Wayne’s civil practice includes representing individuals and businesses in commercial disputes and in connection with federal, state, and regulatory agencies investigations including investigations brought by the SEC, FTC, and the New York Attorney General’s Office.
Wayne also represents clients who have been the victims of sexual misconduct and those accused of committing sexual misconduct, including in cases brought under the Child Victims Act, the Adult Survivors Act, and the Gender-Motivated Violence Act. These representations span all aspects of public and private litigation, including mediation, arbitration, and cases filed in state and federal courts.
Wayne has been named a Super Lawyer every year since 2020.
Prior to joining Clayman Rosenberg Kirshner & Linder LLP, Wayne worked as a state prosecutor in the Bronx District Attorney’s Office and as a federal law clerk to the Honorable William H. Pauley III of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. As a former prosecutor, Wayne tried numerous jury trials and prosecuted hundreds of felony cases involving robberies, burglaries, kidnapping, conspiracies, and homicides.
Representative Matters
Representative Matters
- Represent the former-Chief Financial Officer of a multi-billion-dollar real estate development company in connection with 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 regarding whether a defendant was denied his constitutional right to counsel when he was represented by a suspended attorney who had a history of neglecting client matters.
- 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.”
- Persuaded a New York Supreme Court Justice to dismiss all charges for a businessman charged with stalking.
- 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 connection with multinational criminal investigations involving failure to maintain appropriate anti-money laundering systems.
- Obtained dismissal of all claims in federal court alleging that a major international law firm committed civil RICO and fraud
Highlights
Wayne participates in several civic and professional organizations. He serves as the Treasurer of the Child Care Council of Westchester, where he has also been a member of the Board of Directors since 2018. Wayne is also a member of the American Inns of Court at the Federal Bar Council and a member of the Criminal Advocacy Committee for the New York City Bar Association.