U.S._Attorney's_Office_for_the_Southern_District_of_New_York

United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York

United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York

Chief federal law enforcement officer in eight New York counties

The United States attorney for the Southern District of New York is the chief federal law enforcement officer in eight New York counties: New York (Manhattan), Bronx, Westchester, Putnam, Rockland, Orange, Dutchess, and Sullivan. Established by the Judiciary Act of 1789, the office represents the United States government in criminal and civil cases across the country. The SDNY handles a broad array of cases, including but not limited to those involving white collar crime, domestic terrorism, cybercrime, public corruption, organized crime, and civil rights disputes.

Quick Facts Department overview, Formed ...

The Southern District has earned itself the moniker the "Sovereign District of New York".[1][2] Its resources, culture, and accompanying FBI field office have given the SDNY a reputation for being exceptionally aggressive in its pursuit of criminals.[3][4] Due to its jurisdiction over the New York City borough of Manhattan, the preeminent financial center of the United States of America, the office's incumbent is often nicknamed the "Sheriff of Wall Street".[5]

As of October 10, 2021, the United States attorney is Damian Williams.[6]

Organization

The office is organized into two divisions handling civil and criminal matters. The Southern District of New York also has two offices: in Manhattan and White Plains. The office employs approximately 220 assistant U.S. attorneys.[7]

List of U.S. attorneys

In 1814, the District of New York was divided into the Northern and the Southern District.[8]

More information Term, U.S. Attorney ...
  1. Henry C. Platt served as Acting U.S. Attorney during the vacancy
  2. Robert E. Manley served as Acting U.S. Attorney during the vacancy
  3. Thomas E. Dewey served as Acting U.S. Attorney during the vacancy
  4. Francis W. H. Adams served as Acting U.S. Attorney during the vacancy
  5. Gregory Francis Noonan served as Acting U.S. Attorney during the vacancy
  6. Correa served as Acting U.S. Attorney from March to July 1941 before official confirmation to the post.
  7. Howard F. Corcoran served as Acting U.S. Attorney during the vacancy
  8. McGohey served as Acting U.S. Attorney from October 9, 1944, to January 1945 before official confirmation to the post.
  9. Saypol served as Acting U.S. Attorney from October 1949 to April 13, 1950, before official confirmation to the post.
  10. Lloyd F. McMahon served as interim U.S. Attorney during the vacancy
  11. Arthur H. Christy served as Acting U.S. Attorney during the vacancy
  12. Morton S. Robson served as Acting U.S. Attorney during the vacancy
  13. From September 6 to November 20, 1962, Morgenthau resigned his position to run for Governor of New York. After he was defeated, John F. Kennedy re-appointed him as U.S. Attorney. In the interim, Vincent Lyons Broderick served as acting U.S. Attorney from September 5 to November 20, 1962.
  14. Thomas J. Cahill served as Acting U.S. Attorney during the vacancy
  15. William M. Tendy served as Acting U.S. Attorney during the vacancy
  16. Benito Romano served as Acting U.S. Attorney during the vacancy
  17. David N. Kelley served as interim U.S. Attorney during the vacancy
  18. Lev Dassin served as interim U.S. Attorney during the vacancy
  19. Joon Kim served as interim U.S. Attorney during the vacancy
  20. Geoffrey Berman served as Interim U.S. Attorney from January 5 to April 25, 2018[12][13] and as court-appointed U.S. Attorney from April 25, 2018, to June 20, 2020[14][15][16][17]
  21. Audrey Strauss served as Acting U.S. Attorney from June 20, 2020, until she was court-appointed U.S. Attorney on January 16, 2021

Notable assistants

Television

The Showtime drama series Billions is loosely based on Preet Bharara's prosecution of SAC Capital and other hedge funds.[18]

The ABC legal drama For the People depicts new defense attorneys and prosecutors working in the Southern District of New York.

The 2020 Netflix series Fear City: New York vs The Mafia documents the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Southern District of New York against the Five Families of the Italian American Mafia in the 1980s.

References

  1. [1]
    Weiser, Benjamin; Rashbaum, William K. (March 10, 2017). "With Preet Bharara's Dismissal, Storied Office Loses Its Top Fighter". New York Times. In past presidential transitions, the storied office, long known to be so independent of Washington that some people referred to it as the Sovereign District of New York, has in large measure moved forward unaffected by politics.
  2. [2]
    Beale, Sara Sun (2011). "What Are the Rules if Everybody Wants to Play?". In Barkow, Anthony S.; Barkow, Rachel E. (eds.). Prosecutors in the Boardroom: Using Criminal Law to Regulate Corporate conduct. NYU Press. p. 206. ISBN 9780814787038. Finally, in some multijurisdictional cases there have been turf battles rather than cooperation. For example, the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Southern District of New York ... Press accounts have noted the perception that the 'Sovereign District of New York' ... doesn't necessar[il]y play well with others.
  3. [3]
    McDermott, Terry; Meyer, Josh (2012). The Hunt for KSM: Inside the Pursuit and Takedown of the Real 9/11 Mastermind, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. Little, Brown. p. PT42. ISBN 9780316202732. This was sometimes referred to—mockingly, but enviously, too—as the Sovereign District of New York. It was in many ways a separate fiefdom from the rest of the Bureau, creating its own rules and procedures. The agent in charge of the office, unlike all but one other agent in charge, held the rank of an assistant director of the entire FBI.
  4. [4]
    Ragavan, Chitra (March 26, 2001). "The pardon buck stops in New York: U.S. Attorney Mary Jo White takes the lead". U.S. News & World Report. Vol. 130, no. 12. p. 24. The Bush administration has left the answer largely in the hands of White, a registered independent, whose office, because of its legendary independence and tenacity, is known as the 'sovereign district'.
  5. [5]
    Relman, Eliza (May 15, 2017). "'History will judge this moment': The 'Sheriff of Wall Street' urges Republican lawmakers to hold Trump accountable". Business Insider. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
  6. [6]
    Berthelsen, Christian (October 11, 2021). "Wall Street Enforcer Becomes First Black U.S. Attorney for Manhattan". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved October 12, 2021.
  7. [7]
    Organization and Operation, U.S. Attorney's Office
  8. [8]
    "Southern District of New York". www.justice.gov. March 10, 2020. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
  9. [9]
    "History". New York Young Republican Club. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  10. [10]
    2013 Speech to the 14th Annual A.A. Sommer, Jr. Corporate Securities and Financial Law Lecture, Fordham Law School SEC. (October 3, 2013). Retrieved December 14, 2014
  11. [11]
    Krieg, Gregory (May 9, 2017). "Who is James Comey: 7 things to know about the fired FBI director". CNN. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
  12. [12]
    "Statement Of U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman On Appointment By Chief Judge" (Press release). April 25, 2018. Retrieved September 4, 2018.
  13. [13]
    Weiser, Benjamin (August 9, 2009). "For Manhattan's Next U.S. Attorney, Politics and Prosecution Don't Mix". The New York Times.
  14. [14]
    Orden, Erica; Perez, Evan; Prokupecz, Shimon (October 12, 2019). "Manhattan US attorney in the spotlight with another high profile investigation of Trump's inner circle". CNN. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
  15. [15]
    Scannell, Kara (March 9, 2020). "US Attorney Geoffrey Berman asserts independence from Justice Department". CNN. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
  16. [16]
    Erica Orden; Kara Scannell (February 15, 2020). "Attorney general's actions spark outrage and unease among US prosecutors". CNN. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
  17. [17]
    Spinelli, Dan (February 15, 2020). "Report: Barr Protected Turkish Bank From Prosecution to Appease Erdogan". Mother Jones. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
  18. [18]
    Tallerico, Brian (April 2, 2017). "Billions Recap: Agents of Chaos". Vulture. Retrieved April 25, 2017.
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