Manhattan’s top federal prosecutor announces resignation ahead of Trump presidency

Manhattan's top federal prosecutor will resign next month after leading high-profile cases in a historic three-year tenure, his office announced Monday.

Damian Williams, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, said in his resignation announcement it has been an "honor to serve the American people," adding it is a "bittersweet day" for him.

"It is bitter in the sense that I am leaving my dream job, leading an institution I love that is filled with the finest public servants in the world," Williams said. "It is sweet in that I am confident I am leaving at a time when the office is functioning at an incredibly high level – upholding and exceeding its already high standard of excellence, integrity, and independence."

As the lead prosecutor of one of the nation's most prominent U.S. attorneys' offices, Williams secured a fraud conviction against FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried and a corruption and bribery conviction of former New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez. His office is also prosecuting New York City Mayor Eric Adams for bribery, fraud, and campaign finance charges as well as rapper and music producer Sean “Diddy” Combs on charges including sex trafficking.

The New York office said Williams' last day is Dec. 13, and his deputy, Edward Kim, will succeed him as acting U.S. attorney.

Williams, 44, is the first Black prosecutor to lead the Southern District of New York. President Joe Biden nominated him in August 2021, and he was confirmed by the Senate two months later. Biden nominated a diverse roster of prosecutors, a departure from the former administration. A 2020 analysis by The Associated Press found that 85% of President-elect Donald Trump’s Senate-confirmed U.S. attorneys in his first term were white men.

Trump has announced Jay Clayton as his nominee to lead the Southern District of New York office. Clayton was the chair of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission during Trump's first term.

A historic tenure

Williams has led his office in high-profile prosecutions that garnered national attention, including public corruption, fraud on Wall Street and fentanyl trafficking.

The office pressed charges against Bankman-Fried for what Williams said was one of the biggest financial frauds in U.S. history. Bankman-Fried was sentenced earlier this year to 25 years in prison for stealing $8 billion from customers of the now-bankrupt FTX cryptocurrency exchange he had founded.

In the Bronx, Williams' office prosecuted a day care owner accused of operating a drug operation after a one-year-old died from fentanyl poisoning and three other children were hospitalized. Grei Mendez pleaded guilty to drug distribution charges last month and faces a minimum of 20 years in prison.

This year, Adams became New York City's first mayor to be criminally charged while in office after Williams' office accused him in an indictment of being a willing agent for the Turkish government, trading influence for illegal campaign funds and free trips around the world. Also in September, music mogul Combs was arrested on charges of racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. Both cases remain ongoing.

In addition to high-profile court cases, Williams created the Civil Rights Unit in SDNY's criminal division to focus on civil rights enforcement, and he sought to get a receiver appointed to Rikers Island to address violence and dysfunction at the infamous jail.

Before heading the Southern District of New York office, Williams led the Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force in the SDNY. He prosecuted former Congressman Christopher Collins for insider trading and lying to the FBI, and former New York State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver for fraud, extortion and money laundering.

Williams served as a law clerk to now-U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland when Garland served as an appellate judge and U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens.

Trump announces pick for SDNY prosecutor

Clayton, a former SEC chair and veteran of the law firm Sullivan & Cromwell, has been announced as Trump's nominee to lead the Southern District of New York office.

In his first administration, Trump had nominated Clayton to take over as U.S. attorney for the SDNY, replacing Geoffrey Berman, who was fired. That nomination was stalled after Trump lost the White House in 2020.

U.S. attorneys are appointed for four-year terms and are subject to removal at the president’s will. After four years, they typically remain in office until they decide to leave or there is a change in the administration.

Contributing: Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: SDNY US Attorney Damian Williams to resign after historic tenure