The U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey is the chief federal law enforcement officer in New Jersey. On December 16, 2021, Philip R. Sellinger was sworn in as U.S. Attorney. The

U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey The United States District Court for the District of New Jersey (in case citations, D.N.J.) is a federal court in the Third Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appealed to the ...

has jurisdiction over all cases prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney.

Organization

The Office is organized into divisions handling civil, criminal, and appellate matters, in addition to the Special Prosecutions Division, which oversees political corruption investigations. The District of New Jersey is also divided into three vicinages: Newark, Trenton and Camden, with the southern two offices supervised by a Deputy U.S. Attorney. The office employs approximately 170 Assistant U.S. Attorneys. It is the fifth-largest U.S. Attorney's Office in the nation, behind those in the District of Columbia, Los Angeles, Manhattan, and Miami.

High-profile cases

* Hugh Addonizio - Conviction of former Newark mayor on conspiracy and extortion charges * BitClub Network (2019) - Indicted five individuals for operating and promoting the BitClub Network, an elaborate, worldwide

Ponzi scheme A Ponzi scheme (, ) is a form of fraud that lures investors and pays profits to earlier investors with funds from more recent investors. Named after Italian businessman Charles Ponzi, the scheme leads victims to believe that profits are comin ...

that law enforcement estimates took in more than $1 billion from investors. *

Wayne Bryant Wayne R. Bryant (born November 7, 1947) is an American Democratic Party politician, who served in the New Jersey State Senate from 1995 to 2008, where he represented the 5th Legislative District. He is also a convicted felon for corruption. Befo ...

- Conviction of former chairman of New Jersey Senate Budget & Appropriations Committee for funneling money to the

University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) was a state-run health sciences institution of New Jersey, United States. It was founded as the Seton Hall College of Medicine and Dentistry in 1954, and by the 1980s was both a major ...

in exchange for a no-show job at the University. * Joseph Centanni (2020) - Filed a civil rights lawsuit against a major landlord who repeatedly engaged in a pattern or practice of sexual harassment of numerous tenants and applicants. * Cognizant (2019) - Charged the former President and the former Chief Legal Officer of Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp. with violations of the FCPA in connection with a foreign bribery scheme. *

Crazy Eddie Crazy Eddie was a consumer electronics chain in the Northeastern United States. The chain was started in 1971 in Brooklyn, New York, by businessmen Eddie and Sam M. Antar, and was previously named ERS Electronics (ERS stood for Eddie, Rose and ...

- Conviction of

Eddie Antar Crazy Eddie was a consumer electronics chain in the Northeastern United States. The chain was started in 1971 in Brooklyn, New York, by businessmen Eddie and Sam M. Antar, and was previously named ERS Electronics (ERS stood for Eddie, Rose and ...

, founder and CEO of Crazy Eddie, a consumer electronics chain, for fraud * Walter Forbes - Conviction of former chairman of

Cendant Corporation Cendant Corporation was an American provider of business and consumer services, primarily within the real estate and travel industries. In 2005 and 2006, it broke up and spun off or sold its constituent businesses. Although it was based in New Yo ...

for fraud. *

EDGAR Edgar is a commonly used English given name, from an Anglo-Saxon name ''Eadgar'' (composed of '' ead'' "rich, prosperous" and ''gar'' "spear"). Like most Anglo-Saxon names, it fell out of use by the later medieval period; it was, however, rev ...

Hacking Attack (2019) - Indicted Artem Radchenko and Oleksandr Ieremenko for a large-scale, international conspiracy to hack into the

Securities and Exchange Commission The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government, created in the aftermath of the Wall Street Crash of 1929. The primary purpose of the SEC is to enforce the law against market ...

’s Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval (EDGAR) system and profit by trading on critical information they stole. * Fort Dix Six (2007) - Conviction of group of six radical Islamist men allegedly plotting attack on Fort Dix military base * Fort Lee lane closure scandal (2014) * Cornelius Gallagher - Guilty plea of New Jersey Congressman for tax evasion *

Nelson G. Gross Nelson Gerard Gross (January 9, 1932 – September 17, 1997) was an American Republican Party politician who served in the New Jersey General Assembly and as Chairman of the New Jersey Republican State Committee. His political career ended in 197 ...

- Conviction of former Republican state chairman on perjury and obstruction of justice charges * Sharpe James (2008) - Conviction of former Newark mayor on corruption charges * Robert C. Janiszewski (2002) - Guilty plea of Hudson County Executive for tax evasion and bribery * John V. Kenny - Conviction of former Jersey City mayor and chairman of Hudson County Democratic Party on conspiracy, bribery, and extortion charges * Charles Kushner (2004) - Guilty plea of real estate developer—and largest campaign donor to former New Jersey Governor

James E. McGreevey James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguati ...

—for filing false tax returns and for attempting to retaliate against a witness in a federal criminal case * Hemant Lakhani (2005) - Conviction of black market arms dealer attempting to sell shoulder-fired missiles * Gene Levoff (2019) - indicted former Corporate secretary and Director of corporate law at Apple Inc. for orchestrating a five-year

insider trading Insider trading is the trading of a public company's stock or other securities (such as bonds or stock options) based on material, nonpublic information about the company. In various countries, some kinds of trading based on insider information ...

scheme. *

John A. Lynch, Jr. John A. Lynch Jr. (born October 21, 1938) is an American Democratic Party politician from New Jersey, who served in the New Jersey Senate from 1982 to 2002, where he represented the 17th Legislative District, and was Senate President from 1990 t ...

- Guilty plea of former president of

New Jersey Senate The New Jersey Senate was established as the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature by the Constitution of 1844, replacing the Legislative Council. There are 40 legislative districts, representing districts with an average population of 232, ...

for mail fraud and tax evasion * Newark Violent Crime Initiative (VCI) (2018-2020) - awarded an Attorney General’s Award in October 2019 as the model for cooperative law enforcement among federal, state, county and city agencies. The VCI led to a 30 percent reduction in the number of shooting victims city-wide between 2017 and 2018 and another 39 percent decline in 2019. In 2020, a year in which violent crime spiked in various places across the country, Newark maintained the same low in the number of murders. * Novartis/

Alcon Alcon is an American Swiss medical company specializing in eye care products with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, and incorporated in Fribourg, Switzerland. Alcon began as a US company and its US subsidiary’s headquarters remain in Fort ...

(2020) - Two deferred prosecution agreements regarding significant violations of the

Foreign Corrupt Practices Act The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977 (FCPA) (, ''et seq.'') is a United States federal law that prohibits U.S. citizens and entities from bribing foreign government officials to benefit their business interests. The FCPA is applicable world ...

at Greek and Vietnamese subsidiaries of the Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis, resulting in penalties of $345 million, representing the second largest criminal and regulatory fine imposed against pharmaceutical companies under the FCPA. * Operation Bid Rig (2002–2009) - Multi-stage political corruption sweep, resulting in arrest of Hoboken Mayor Peter Cammarano, Secaucus Mayor Dennis Elwell, New Jersey Assemblymen

Daniel Van Pelt Daniel M. Van Pelt (born September 4, 1964) is an American Republican politician, who served in the New Jersey General Assembly from January 8, 2008, until July 31, 2009, when he resigned after being arrested in connection with Operation Bid Rig o ...

and

L. Harvey Smith Leonard Harvey Smith (born December 19, 1948) is an American Democratic Party politician who has served in the New Jersey General Assembly from January 8, 2008 to January 10, 2010, where he represented the 31st legislative district. He is the for ...

, and Jersey City Council President

Mariano Vega Mariano is a masculine name from the Romance languages, corresponding to the feminine Mariana. It is an Italian, Spanish and Portuguese variant of the Roman Marianus which derived from Marius, and Marius derived from the Roman god Mars (see also ...

* Operation Brace Yourself (2019) - Investigation and prosecution of sweeping

durable medical equipment Durable medical equipment is any medical equipment used in the home to aid in a better quality of living. It is a benefit included in many insurance policies and in some cases covered by Medicare benefits. The item is defined by Title XIX for Med ...

kickback schemes that resulted in the largest healthcare fraud takedown yet pursued by the Department. * Purdue Pharma (2020) - prosecution of opioid manufacturer Purdue Pharma L.P. for three felonies, including conspiracy to defraud the

DEA The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA; ) is a United States federal law enforcement agency under the U.S. Department of Justice tasked with combating drug trafficking and distribution within the U.S. It is the lead agency for domestic enf ...

and Anti-Kickback Statute violations—for its gross misconduct in misbranding and mismarketing OxyContin that amounted to over $8 billion in penalties. * Samsam Ransomware (2018) - Indicted two Iranians—Faramarz Shahi Savandi and Mohammad Mehdi Shah Mansouri—for conducting the largest ransomware attack in the U.S. that crippled institutions in New Jersey and elsewhere. *

Sarah Brockington Bost Sara Brockington Bost (born 1947) was the first female African-American to serve as Mayor of Irvington, New Jersey. She was the first African-American to head the Women Mayors Division of the United States Conference of Mayors. In 2003 she was se ...

(2002), Mayor of Irvington, New Jersey *

Martin Taccetta Martin "Marty" Taccetta (born May 2, 1951) is an imprisoned New Jersey mobster who was the alleged boss of the Jersey Crew, a powerful faction of the Lucchese crime family. Early life Born in Newark, New Jersey in 1951, Martin Taccetta is the s ...

Michael Taccetta Michael Salvatore Taccetta (born September 16, 1947), also known as "Mad Dog," is a high-ranking member of the Lucchese crime family, who controlled the family's New Jersey faction in the 1980s. Personal life Taccetta, also known as "''Mike T' ...

(1987) - Unsuccessful prosecution of high-ranking members of

The Jersey Crew The Lucchese crime family's New Jersey faction, also known as the Jersey Crew,Carlpg. 232-236/ref> is a powerful crew within the Lucchese crime family. The members operate throughout the Northern New Jersey area. During the 1970s into the late 198 ...

, a faction of the Lucchese crime family * UMDNJ (2005) - Deferred prosecution agreement overseen by federal monitor Herbert Stern involving Medicaid double-billing and other cases of health care fraud at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.New Jersey Law Journal's Lawyer of the Year: Chris Christie
''

New Jersey Law Journal New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz (South Korean band), The Boyz Albums and EPs * New (album), ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartn ...

'', December 27, 2006. * Thomas J. Whelan - Conviction of mayor of Jersey City on conspiracy, bribery and extortion charges * Woodcliff Lake (2018) - Filed a civil rights lawsuit against the Borough of Woodcliff Lake for violations of

RLUIPA The Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA), , codified as et seq., is a United States federal law that prohibits the imposition of burdens on the ability of prisoners to worship as they please and gives churches and oth ...

resulting from the Borough’s efforts to prevent an Orthodox Jewish congregation from building a new place of worship.

Prominent officeholders

Prominent assistant US attorneys *

Samuel Alito Samuel Anthony Alito Jr. ( ; born April 1, 1950) is an American lawyer and jurist who serves as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. He was nominated by President George W. Bush on October 31, 2005, and has served ...

- Associate Justice, U.S. Supreme Court *

Carolyn Arch Carolyn is a female given name, a variant of Caroline (given name), Caroline. Other spellings include Karolyn, Carolyne, Carolynn or Carolynne. Caroline itself is one of the feminine forms of Charles. List of Notable People *Carolyn Bennett (bo ...

- Partner, Arch & Goodwin, Newark, N.J. * Maryanne Trump Barry - U.S. Circuit Court Judge, Third Circuit *

John Winslow Bissell John Winslow Bissell (born June 7, 1940) is a former United States federal judge, United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. Education and career Born in Exeter, New Hampshire, Exeter, New Ha ...

- U.S. District Court Judge *

Matthew Boxer Matthew Boxer was the New Jersey State Comptroller. Matthew Boxer was sworn in as New Jersey's first independent state comptroller on January 17, 2008 after the recreation of the office in 2007. He served in this position until the end of his ter ...

- Comptroller, State of New Jersey *

Garrett Brown, Jr. Garrett E. Brown Jr. (born March 20, 1943) is a former United States federal judge, United States District Judge and later the Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. Education and career Born in Orange, ...

- U.S. District Court Judge * Renee Bumb - U.S. District Court Judge *

Michael Chagares Michael Arthur Chagares (born May 1, 1962) is the chief judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Education Chagares received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Gettysburg College in 1984 and his Juris Doctor from Seton Ha ...

- U.S. Circuit Court Judge, Third Circuit * Michael Chertoff - Former Secretary, Department of Homeland Security *

Stanley R. Chesler Stanley Richard Chesler (born June 15, 1947) is a senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. Education and career Chesler graduated from Harpur College, now Binghamton University, in 19 ...

- U.S. District Court Judge *

Christopher J. Christie Christopher James Christie (born September 6, 1962) is an American politician, lawyer, political commentator, Lobbying in the United States, lobbyist, and former United States Attorney, federal prosecutor who served as the 55th governor of New J ...

- Former Governor of New Jersey * John Farmer Jr. - Former Attorney General, State of New Jersey *

Joseph Greenaway Joseph Anthony Greenaway Jr. (born November 16, 1957) is an American lawyer who serves as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and previously sat on the United States District Court for the Di ...

- U.S. Circuit Court Judge, Third Circuit * Gurbir Grewal - Former Bergen County Prosecutor and former Attorney General of New Jersey *

Peter C. Harvey Peter C. Harvey is an attorney who became the first African American to serve as New Jersey Attorney General. Harvey was appointed by New Jersey governor Jim McGreevey as acting attorney general on February 15, 2003, and was confirmed by the New ...

- Former Attorney General, State of New Jersey *

Katharine Hayden Katharine Sweeney Hayden (born May 30, 1942) is an American attorney and jurist serving as United States federal judge, Senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. Early life and educat ...

- U.S. District Court Judge *

Noel Hillman Noel Lawrence Hillman (born December 22, 1956) is a senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. Education and career Born in Red Bank, New Jersey, Hillman received a Bachelor of Arts de ...

- U.S. District Court Judge; Former Chief, Public Integrity Section, U.S. Department of Justice * Richard Hughes - Former Governor of New Jersey; Former Chief Justice, New Jersey Supreme Court * David Lat - Blogger, Underneath their Robes and Above the Law *

William Martini William John Martini (born February 10, 1947 in Passaic, New Jersey, Passaic, New Jersey) is a Senior Status, Senior United States federal judge, United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, havi ...

- U.S. District Court Judge; Former Congressman ( NJ-8) * Stuart Rabner - Chief Justice, New Jersey Supreme Court *

Jerome Simandle Jerome B. Simandle (April 29, 1949 – July 19, 2019) was a United States federal judge, United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. Education and career Born in Binghamton, New York, Bingham ...

- U.S. District Court Judge * Herbert Stern - former U.S. District Court Judge; former federal monitor, UMDNJ Medicaid fraud investigation

Officeholders

References

External links

Official District Court websiteOfficial U.S. Attorney's Office websiteVideo reviewing the first 225 years of the Office of the United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey, 1789-2014
{{DEFAULTSORT:United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey New Jersey law New Jersey lawyers Newark, New Jersey Trenton, New Jersey Camden, New Jersey Prosecution