News Americas, New York, NY, February 13, 2025: The acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Danielle R. Sassoon, has stepped down, following in the footsteps of Caribbean-American Damian Williams, who left the post last month.
Sassoon’s resignation comes after the U.S. Department of Justice, (DOJ), ordered federal prosecutors to drop corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams. In a two-page memo, Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove directed the case’s dismissal “without prejudice” on Monday, citing concerns about its impact on Adams’ ability to address issues like illegal immigration and violent crime.
The decision has sparked turmoil within the Justice Department, with two officials from its public integrity unit in Washington also resigning in protest. Bove’s memo, obtained by the Associated Press, suggested that the timing of the charges and the actions taken by former U.S. Attorney Damian Williams had “threatened the integrity of the proceedings.”
In a public address at City Hall on Thursday, Adams declared the DOJ’s decision as validation of his innocence.
“I never asked anyone to break the law on my behalf or on behalf of my campaign, never. I never traded my power as an elected official for any personal benefit,” Adams stated. “I thank the Justice Department for its honesty. Now, we can put this cruel episode behind us and focus entirely on the future of our city. It’s time to move forward.”
Williams, the first Black U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, resigned in January before the inauguration of Donald Trump. Soon after, the prominent law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP announced his return as a partner in its Litigation Department.
Williams, who previously worked at the firm early in his career, will leverage his extensive experience to represent clients in high-profile government investigations, white-collar cases, and internal corporate probes.
“We are thrilled to welcome Damian back to Paul, Weiss,” said Chairman Brad S. Karp. “Damian is a transcendently talented lawyer who has led many of the government’s highest-profile prosecutions and investigations. He will be an exceptional addition to our already outstanding team of white-collar and regulatory lawyers and a leader in the national legal community.”
Williams’ tenure as U.S. Attorney was marked by a series of high-profile prosecutions and key reforms. He launched a civil rights unit within the Southern District’s criminal division to combat the rise in hate crimes, sought federal oversight for Rikers Island, and modernized evidence extraction techniques for federal investigations. His leadership earned widespread recognition, with TIME Magazine naming him to its Time100 Next 2024 list and the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners presenting him with the Cressey Award for lifetime achievement in fraud detection.
A Harvard graduate with an economics degree, Williams also holds an M.Phil. in international relations from the University of Cambridge and a J.D. from Yale Law School, where he was editor of the Yale Law Journal. He previously clerked for U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens and Judge Merrick B. Garland on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.
As Williams embarks on the next chapter of his legal career, his legacy as one of the most impactful prosecutors in recent history remains firmly intact.
