Andrew Weissmann is a prominent American attorney and professor who has been involved in some of the most high-profile cases in the country. He is best known for his role as a lead prosecutor in Robert Mueller’s Special Counsel investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. But how much is Andrew Weissmann net worth? And what are the sources of his income? In this article, we will explore the career and wealth of Andrew Weissmann, the former chief of the criminal fraud section of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Early Life and Education
Andrew Weissmann was born on March 17, 1958, in New York City, where he grew up in a Jewish family. He attended the Ethical Culture Fieldston School, a prestigious private school in the Bronx. He then graduated from Princeton University with a bachelor’s degree in 1980. After receiving a Fulbright scholarship, he studied at the University of Geneva in Switzerland. He then earned his Juris Doctor degree from Columbia Law School in 1984. He began his legal career as a clerk for Judge Eugene Nickerson in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York.
Career as a Federal Prosecutor
In 1991, Weissmann joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York as an Assistant U.S. Attorney. He specialized in prosecuting organized crime cases, especially against the Genovese, Colombo, and Gambino crime families. He was the lead prosecutor in the case against Vincent Gigante, the boss of the Genovese family, who was convicted of racketeering and murder conspiracy in 1997.
In 2002, Weissmann was appointed by President George W. Bush as the deputy director and later the director of the Enron Task Force, a special unit of the FBI that investigated the collapse of the energy giant Enron. He led the prosecution of more than 30 people, including Enron’s top executives, Andrew Fastow, Kenneth Lay, and Jeffrey Skilling, who were found guilty of fraud, conspiracy, and other charges. He also successfully argued that the accounting firm Arthur Andersen had obstructed justice by shredding documents related to Enron, resulting in the dissolution of the firm.
In 2011, Weissmann became the General Counsel of the FBI, serving under Director Robert Mueller. He advised the FBI on legal matters, including national security, cybercrime, and civil rights. He left the FBI in 2013 and joined the private law firm Jenner & Block as a partner.
In 2015, Weissmann returned to the Department of Justice as the chief of the Criminal Fraud Section, overseeing the prosecution of white-collar crimes, such as corporate fraud, foreign bribery, and health care fraud. He also supervised the investigation into the Volkswagen emissions scandal, which resulted in a $4.3 billion settlement and criminal charges against several executives.
In 2017, Weissmann was selected by Robert Mueller, who had been appointed as the Special Counsel to investigate Russian interference in the 2016 election and possible links to the Trump campaign. Weissmann was the lead prosecutor in the cases against Paul Manafort, the former campaign chairman of Donald Trump, and Rick Gates, his deputy, who pleaded guilty to financial crimes and agreed to cooperate with the investigation. He also oversaw the cases against Michael Flynn, the former national security adviser of Trump, who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI, and Michael Cohen, the former personal lawyer of Trump, who pleaded guilty to tax evasion, bank fraud, campaign finance violations, and lying to Congress.
The Special Counsel investigation concluded in 2019, finding that Russia had interfered in the 2016 election in a “sweeping and systematic fashion” but did not establish that the Trump campaign had coordinated or conspired with the Russian government. The investigation also did not make a judgment on whether Trump had obstructed justice, leaving that decision to the Attorney General. Weissmann later criticized the Attorney General, William Barr, for misrepresenting the findings of the report and for not pursuing the obstruction charges against Trump.
Career as a Professor and Author
After leaving the Department of Justice in 2019, Weissmann joined the New York University School of Law as a distinguished senior fellow and an adjunct professor. He teaches courses on criminal law, criminal procedure, and white-collar crime. He also serves as a legal analyst for MSNBC, a cable news network.
In 2020, Weissmann published his first book, Where Law Ends: Inside the Mueller Investigation, which provides an insider’s account of the Special Counsel investigation and its challenges and limitations. The book was a New York Times bestseller and received positive reviews from critics and readers.
Personal Life and Family
Andrew Weissmann is married to Debra Weissmann, a retired dermatologist who worked in Norwalk, Connecticut. The couple has a son named Ben Weissmann, who is a writer and producer for The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, a comedy news show. Andrew and Debra live in New York City.
Andrew Weissmann Net Worth and Salary
Andrew Weissmann has had a long and successful career as a federal prosecutor, a private lawyer, and a professor. He has earned a substantial income from his various roles and sources. According to some estimates, his annual salary as a federal prosecutor was around $190,000, while his salary as a partner at Jenner & Block was around $1.5 million. His net worth is also boosted by his book sales and his media appearances.
According to some sources, Andrew Weissmann net worth is estimated to be around $50 million as of 2023. However, the exact figure is not publicly available and may vary depending on his assets and liabilities.