Breon Peace, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, announced his resignation on Wednesday, effective January 10, 2025, just ten days before President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration. Carolyn Pokorny, currently the First Assistant U.S. Attorney, will assume the role of Acting U.S. Attorney until a successor is appointed by the incoming administration.
Appointed by President Joe Biden in 2021, Peace called his time in office “the honor of a lifetime.” Under his tenure, the Eastern District of New York saw a series of high-profile cases that brought out the importance of the office in the prosecution of financial crimes, corruption, and international fraud.
Among the significant achievements under Peace’s leadership was the guilty plea of former U.S. Representative George Santos on fraud charges and the conviction of a former Goldman Sachs banker in connection with the 1MDB Malaysian development fund scandal. His office also obtained a $778 million settlement from French cement giant Lafarge for making payments to terrorist organizations and secured convictions in cases involving high-profile individuals such as former Mexican security minister Genaro Garcia Luna and Ozy Media founder Carlos Watson.
However, Peace’s period in office was not without its ups and downs. In 2022, his office could not get a conviction against former Trump fundraiser Tom Barrack, who was acquitted on charges of acting as an unregistered foreign agent for the United Arab Emirates. Trump recently nominated Barrack as the U.S. Ambassador to Turkey.
Peace’s Office Indicted Indian Billionaire Gautam Adani
One of Peace’s most significant and controversial actions was in November 2024, when his office indicted Indian billionaire Gautam Adani and key executives from the Adani Group on allegations of defrauding U.S. investors by concealing a bribery scheme aimed at securing government contracts in India. While the case has sent shockwaves through global markets, the Adani Group has denied the charges, calling them baseless and rooted in a misinterpretation of facts.
According to a statement issued by the Adani Group, this indictment pertains to one single contract of Adani Green Energy, which contributes only 10% of the business. “None of its 11 listed companies were implicated in wrongdoing in the action brought against the Adani Group.” Adani Group CFO Jugeshinder Singh said that “The ill-founded U.S. action and reckless false reporting have caused significant repercussions, including international project cancellations and unwarranted scrutiny from investors.”.
The indictment has further brought into the international spotlight the Peace tenure as U.S. Attorney. His office recently brought charges against Linda Sun, a former aide to New York Governor Kathy Hochul, for allegedly acting as an unregistered agent of the Chinese government—a case tied to a broader effort to counter foreign influence operations in the U.S.
As he gets set to leave office, Peace reaffirmed his faith in the mission of the Eastern District. “I look forward to the office’s continued courageous commitment to pursuing justice fairly and ethically, without bias, without fear or favor, and with compassion,” he said in his statement.
ALSO READ: Putin Regrets Of Not Invading Ukraine Earlier: There Should Have Been A ‘Systemic Preparation’
