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Danielle Sassoon

Danielle Sassoon
United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York
Acting
In office
January 21, 2025 – February 13, 2025
PresidentDonald Trump
Preceded byEdward Kim (acting)
Succeeded byMatthew Podolsky (acting)
Personal details
Born
Danielle Renee Sassoon

1986 (age 38–39)
Political partyRepublican
Education

Danielle Renee Sassoon is an American attorney who served as the acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York between January 21, 2025, and February 13, 2025, appointed by Donald Trump. As an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the district, she secured prominent convictions against sex trafficker Lawrence V. Ray and fraudster Sam Bankman-Fried.

Sassoon resigned from the U.S. Department of Justice to avoid complying with Acting United States Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove's command to dismiss federal criminal corruption charges against New York City mayor Eric Adams.

Early life and education

Danielle Renee Sassoon was born in 1986 to Salomon (Sol) and Evelyn Sassoon in New York City.[1] Her father was a partner at the law firm Morrison Cohen, and her mother works as a clinical professor in psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College.[2][3] Her grandmother escaped Syria to avoid the persecution against Syrian Jews inflamed by the 1948 Palestine War.[4][5]

While attending the Ramaz School ('04), a modern Orthodox Jewish school on the Upper East Side of Manhattan where she was first in her class, Sassoon studied the Talmud, which she credits as preparation for her future legal work.[6][7]

She graduated from Harvard University magna cum laude with a B.A. in history and literature in 2008. She then attended Yale Law School, where she was a Features Editor of The Yale Law Journal, graduating in 2011.[4][6][8][9]

Sassoon subsequently served as a law clerk for Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson III of the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.[6][10] From July 2012 to August 2013, she clerked for Justice Antonin Scalia of the U.S. Supreme Court."[3][9] She then worked as a litigation associate at the law firm Kirkland & Ellis in its New York City office.[3][9] In the spring term of 2016 she co-taught a Supreme Court seminar as an adjunct professor at New York University Law School.[11]

Prosecutions

In 2016, Sassoon was hired as an Assistant U.S. Attorney by Preet Bharara, the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York. Working in the Violent and Organized Crime Unit, she concentrated on murder and racketeering cases.[12] During her tenure, she secured a 60-year sentence against Lawrence V. Ray for extortion and sex trafficking of students at Sarah Lawrence College.[13]

In 2023, Sassoon and fellow assistant US attorney Nicholas Roos prevailed in the trial of Sam Bankman-Fried, securing a 25-year sentence for fraud, conspiracy, and money laundering.[13][14] Sassoon personally handled the cross-examination of Bankman-Fried at the trial.[15][16][17] She then served as Co-Chief of Criminal Appeals.[18]

In 2023, she received the Women in Federal Law Enforcement Top Prosecutor Award.[18] In 2024, she was awarded the FBI Director’s Award for Outstanding Criminal Investigation.[18]

Eric Adams case, and resignation

See also: 2025 U.S. Department of Justice resignations

In January 2025, President Donald Trump appointed Sassoon as the acting US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, pending the Senate confirmation of Jay Clayton.[19] The following month, acting U.S. Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove instructed Sassoon to have lead attorney Hagan Scotten dismiss the federal criminal corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams, claiming that it would allow Adams to focus on immigration enforcement.[20][21]

On February 12, 2025, Sassoon sent a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi stating her intent to resign if forced to drop the charges for explicitly political reasons, indicating confidence that Adams was guilty of the charged crimes. In a footnote, she claimed that Adams' lawyers had demanded a quid pro quo, suggesting that he would be "in a position to assist with the (DOJ)'s enforcement priorities" only if the charges against him were dismissed.[19][20][21] Bove accepted Sassoon's resignation the following day, stating that Sassoon's conduct would be investigated by the Office of the Attorney General, pursuant to Executive Order 14147.[22][23]

When asked, President Trump claimed he did not command the Justice Department to drop Adams' charges, later stating "I don't know if he or she resigned, but that U.S. attorney was fired".[23][24][25]

Personal life

On November 28, 2015, Sassoon married Adam Katz, an investment analyst. They met while attending Harvard University.[3]

Sassoon is a member of the conservative Federalist Society, and is a registered Republican.[9][26]

References

  1. ^ Henry, Justin (February 16, 2024). "BakerHostetler Picks Up Private Equity Dealmaker Amid Firm's M&A 'Expansion'". New York Law Journal. Retrieved February 14, 2025.2012}} (subscription required)
  2. ^ "Sassoon, Evelyn". Weill Medical College. Retrieved February 14, 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d Yohai, Roey (November 29, 2015). "Danielle Sassoon and Adam Katz". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on January 7, 2022. Retrieved February 14, 2025.
  4. ^ a b Cohen, Luc (February 14, 2025). "Who is Danielle Sassoon, the prosecutor who stood up to Trump's DOJ over Eric Adams' case?". Reuters.
  5. ^ Danielle R. Sassoon (April 23, 2008). "The Forgotten Refugees ," The Harvard Crimson.
  6. ^ a b c Weiser, Benjamin; Bromwich, Jonah E. (February 12, 2025). "Danielle Sassoon, a Manhattan Prosecutor, Quits Rather Than Do Trump's Bidding". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 14, 2025.
  7. ^ "Academic Honors" (PDF). Kehilath Jeshrurun Bulletin. July 7, 2004.
  8. ^ "Danielle R. Sassoon; 2013 Temple Bar Scholar Report," American Inns of Court.
  9. ^ a b c d "Danielle Sassoon". Federalist Society. May 15, 2017. Retrieved February 14, 2025.
  10. ^ Shayna Jacobs ( February 14, 2025). "Meet the acting U.S. attorney who quit over Eric Adams case," The Washington Post.
  11. ^ "Richard H. Pildes". New York University Law School. Supreme Court Seminar. Archived from the original on September 4, 2017. Retrieved February 14, 2025.
  12. ^ "Who is Danielle Sassoon, the US attorney who resigned rather than drop charges against Eric Adams?," AP, February 14, 2025.
  13. ^ a b Weiser, Benjamin; Bromwich, Jonah E. (February 2, 2025). "'Sovereign' Status of Manhattan Federal Prosecutor Hangs in the Balance". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 14, 2025.
  14. ^ Cohen, Ben (October 5, 2023). "It's Their Job to Put Sam Bankman-Fried in Prison". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on October 5, 2023. Retrieved February 14, 2025.
  15. ^ Pahwa, Nitish (October 26, 2023). "Honestly, Sam Bankman-Fried Was Very Annoying From the Stand". Slate. Retrieved February 14, 2025.
  16. ^ Morrow, Allison (October 30, 2023). "Here's what happened today in Sam Bankman-Fried's trial". CNN. Retrieved February 14, 2025.
  17. ^ Nocera, Joe (October 31, 2023). "The Humiliating Cross-Examination of SBF". The Free Press. Retrieved February 14, 2025.
  18. ^ a b c "Meet the U.S. Attorney," U.S. Department of Justice.
  19. ^ a b Iyer, Kaanita (February 13, 2025). "Who is Danielle Sassoon, the acting US attorney in New York who quit amid directive to drop Eric Adams corruption case?". CNN. Archived from the original on February 14, 2025. Retrieved February 13, 2025.
  20. ^ a b Sassoon, Danielle R. (February 12, 2025). "Re: United States v. Eric Adams, 24 Cr. 556 (DEH)" (PDF). Southern District of New York. New York. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 14, 2025. Retrieved February 15, 2025.
  21. ^ a b "Read the Justice Department Memo About Eric Adams's Corruption Case". The New York Times. February 10, 2025. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on February 11, 2025. Retrieved February 11, 2025.
  22. ^ Rothfeld, Michael (February 13, 2025). "Read The Letter From Emil Bove Accepting Danielle Sassoon's Resignation, Annotated". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on February 13, 2025. Retrieved February 14, 2025.
  23. ^ a b "New York's top federal prosecutor steps down after being told to drop Mayor Adams case". ABC News. February 14, 2025. Archived from the original on February 14, 2025. Retrieved February 14, 2025.
  24. ^ Forkin, Jim; Mangan, Dan (February 13, 2025). "Trump denies meddling in Eric Adams case as 6 top prosecutors quit over DOJ dismissal order". NBC Bay Area. Archived from the original on February 14, 2025. Retrieved February 14, 2025.
  25. ^ "President Trump Meets With Indian Prime Minister | Video | C-SPAN.org". C-SPAN. 12:27-12:53; 17:17-17:27. Archived from the original on February 14, 2025. Retrieved February 14, 2025.
  26. ^ Ben Sales (February 13, 2025). "Danielle Sassoon, interim US attorney, resigns after being ordered to drop Eric Adams case," JTA.
Quelle: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danielle_Sassoon