White Collar Criminal Defense & Civil Litigation

Zealously protecting the rights of clients

Mark P. Schnapp

Mark P. Schnapp Top Rated Lawyer

Mark P. Schnapp has more than 40 years of litigation experience, including seven years at the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida, where he was Chief of the Criminal Division and the Public Corruption Section.

He focuses his practice on white-collar criminal defense matters, SEC and regulatory enforcement issues, complex and civil litigation. He routinely advises boards, audit committees, and special committees. Mark has handled more than 70 jury and non-jury trials in Federal and State Courts.

Mark began his career at a major Wall Street law firm in New York in 1976. He joined the U.S. Attorney's Office in Miami in 1982.

Mark joined a prominent international law firm based in Miami in 1989 where he spent over 30 years. He joined a national law firm in Ft. Lauderdale in July 2019. He then decided to form his own firm in August 2020.

Mark's Primary Areas of Experience include

  • Government Enforcement Investigations
  • White Collar Criminal Defense
  • Government Investigations – Health Care
  • Government Contracts Investigations
  • Foreign Corrupt Practices Act Defense and Training
  • Financial Services Defense
  • Commercial/Business Litigation
  • SEC defense
  • Medicare Fraud and Abuse Counseling
  • Trials

Professional Experience

Representing a cancer specialist in an investigation of a Tampa cancer facility.

Represented a company in an investigation involving contractual issues with the Miami International Airport.

Obtained second deferred prosecution agreement from the SEC and simultaneous declination from the DOJ in an FCPA case regarding a construction project in the Middle East.

Represented a major engineering firm in an investigation into alleged illegal campaign contributions and government contracts issues.

Represented a cell phone provider in a federal investigation into the SafeLink Program.

Represented a major engineering firm in a corruption investigation regarding funding with a public works project.

Represented Atlanta Public Schools in an investigation involving E-Rate funds.

Represented an investment banking firm in an attorney general investigation into securitization of sub-prime loans.

Represented a national engineering firm in a criminal environmental investigation involving alleged Clean Water Act violations.

Defended a national distributor of diabetes and respiratory supplies in a Medicare investigation.

Represented an investment bank in a securities class action involving allegations of yield burning.

Represented financial institutions and corporations in sensitive federal and state investigations, including investigations by the DOJ, the SEC, the Florida Attorney General's Office and the Florida Department of Banking and Finance.

Represented an international bank in Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) investigation.

Represented a national home builder in investigations conducted by the Miami-Dade County State Attorney's Office into building practices in South Florida and by the Florida Attorney General into waste disposal practices.

Defended a manufacturer of military aircraft engines in a criminal environmental investigation.

Represented a major developer in an investigation into affordable housing projects.

Represented a national securities firm in a criminal investigation jointly conducted by the U.S. Attorney's Office and the SEC into the sale of public limited partnerships.

Represented several health care clients in investigations by the federal government and local agencies.

Co-counsel in defense of William Kennedy Smith in a highly publicized sexual battery trial that resulted in an acquittal.

  • AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell
  • Best Lawyers in America® in Criminal Defense: (2006 – 2022)
  • Best Lawyers in America in Civil Litigation (2020-2022)
  • Named as “Lawyer of the Year”: White Collar Criminal Defense (Fort Lauderdale) (2020-2021)
  • Listed in Chambers USA:America’s Leading Business Lawyers, Band One for Florida Litigation: White Collar Crime and Government Investigations(2004-2021)
  • Listed as a Top Lawyer by South Florida Legal Guide( 2004-2005, 2021)
  • Name as a "Top Lawyer" in Fort Lauderdale Illustrated
  • Named to Who's Who Legal: Business Crime Defense (2019)
  • Listed in Benchmark Litigation as a "National Litigation Star" (2019)
  • Listed in The Legal 500 United States, Corporate Investigations and White-Collar Criminal Defense (2017)
  • Recognized as a "Legal Luminary - White Collar Crime" by the Dade County Bar Association (2016)
  • Listed in Euromoney's Guide to World's Leading White-Collar Crime Lawyers (2016)
  • Recipient –"Trailblazer – White Collar Crime" award by The National Law Journal (2015)
  • Member – American Bar Association (1977 to Present)
  • Member, ABA Criminal Justice Section White Collar Crime Institute Planning Committee
  • Former President – National Association of Assistant United States Attorneys, South Florida
  • Former Chairman – Security and Fraud Prevention Committee, Florida International Bankers Association
  • Member – Judicial Nominating Commission, Southern District of Florida (2006 – 2008)
  • Board Member – Women of Tomorrow, a charitable organization that provides mentors and scholarships for at-risk young women
  • Mentor – Kozyak Minority Mentoring Foundation
  • Former Board Member, Community Board of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation
  • Member, Israel and Overseas Committee of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation
  • Speaker – “Corporate Investigations and the Changing Landscape Created by United States v. Connelly”, ABA Annual National Institute on White Collar Crime (March 2020)
  • Moderator – "Corporate Governance During Internal Investigations-the Interplay Between Management, the Board, the Audit Committee, Outside Auditors, Employees, and Government Agencies," ABA Annual National Institute on White Crime (2019)
  • Speaker – "Trends in Criminal Law," Spellman-Hoeveller Inns of Court (2019)
  • Moderator – "Audit Committee Investigations and the Role of Outside Accountants," ABA Annual Institute on White Collar Crime (2018)
  • Speaker – "Superstars in Trial - Mock Trial," MSP Forum and the American Inns of Court (Spellman-Hoeveler Chapter) (September 2018)
  • Panelist – "What Every Civil Lawyer and In-House Counsel Needs to Know about White Collar Law," White Collar Law Luncheon, Dade County Bar Association (May 2018)
  • Moderator – "Ethical Issues in Representation of Companies in White Collar Cases," ABA Annual Institute on White Collar Crime (2017)
  • Moderator – "Ethical Pitfalls in Conducting Internal Investigations and Prosecuting and Defending White Collar Cases," ABA Annual Institute on White Collar Crime (2016)
  • Speaker – "Mock Hearing: Admissibility of Unlawfully Obtained Evidence," C5's 5th Miami Forum on Fraud, Asset Tracing & Recovery (October 2016)
  • Speaker – "Ethics - The Business of White Collar Defense Work: Ethical, Practical and Legal Considerations in Getting Paid," ABA AnnualWhite Collar Crime Institute (2015)
  • Member of Defense Team – "A View from the Bench: Super Stars Mock Trial," presented by Daily Business Review and Easter Seals South Florida, Coral Gables, Florida (October 2, 2015)
  • Moderator – "Foundations of White Collar Law and Practice and Handling a Health Care Fraud Case," ABA 20th Annual National Institute on Health Care Fraud (2010)
  • Speaker – "Designing the Investigation: Audiences, Scope and Personnel," State Bar of Georgia Corporate Internal Investigations (2009)
  • "Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI) Investigation Day 6," C-SPAN (October 1991)
  • Lecturer – "Money Laundering, Corporate Investigations, and the Sentencing Guidelines," Federal Bar Association
  • Instructor to several law enforcement agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), on money laundering and fraud investigations.

N.Y.

Florida

D.C.

S.D. Fla.

M.D, Fla.

S.D. N.Y.

E.D.N.Y.