DIEGO M. PESTANA

He has worked on various white-collar criminal cases involving government and internal investigations, financial fraud, healthcare fraud, public corruption, money laundering, racketeering (criminal RICO), and obstruction. His other criminal-defense cases have involved murder, vehicular homicide, DUI, theft, drug possession, burglary, and Stand Your Ground.

Diego maintains a robust civil practice, including commercial and business litigation, civil RICO litigation, securities litigation, False Claims Act litigation, and constitutional litigation. He has also experience in administrative law, including matters before the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Transportation Security Administration (TSA), Florida Department of Education, and Florida Public Employees Relation Commission. He has successfully handled appeals, including appeals at the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, appeals in administrative agencies, and student-disciplinary appeals. Diego is also a volunteer attorney for the Veterans Consortium Pro Bono Program and the Institute for Justice.

Diego is a native of the greater Tampa Bay area, having grown up in Spring Hill. He obtained his undergraduate degree from Saint Leo University, where he was a member of the men’s soccer team that won the 2013 Sunshine State Conference. Diego graduated cum laude from Stetson University College of Law, where he concentrated on advocacy. He was awarded the Victor O. Wehle Award for excellence in trial advocacy. He was awarded the E. Harris Drew Memorial Award for his dedication to the law and his ability to express thoughts orally and in writing. He earned highest-grade designations in Trial Advocacy, Negotiation & Mediation, and Federal Courts. He also excelled in White Collar Crime taught by Professor Ellen S. Podgor. Diego participated in a Study Abroad course entitled Comparative Trial Advocacy at the University of Oxford in England. Diego was an associate of Stetson Law Review and a member of the Moot Court Board.