Damian Williams, the prosecutor investigating Sam Bankman-Fried’s case from FTX, may be planning to leave the New York Southern District Court before Trump takes office next January.
Reports earlier this week suggested that Trump was planning to replace Williams with Jay Clayton, the former SEC chairman.
Prominent Crypto Cases Under Damian Williams
Williams was appointed in 2021 under President Joe Biden. Since then, he has led some of the most prominent Cryptocurrency fraud prosecutions in recent years. His office plays a key role in holding Crypto executives accountable following the industry upheavals of 2022.
According to a report from Bloomberg reports. reportsDeputy Attorney General Ed Kim will serve as interim U.S. Attorney until a permanent replacement is announced.
“Trump has expressed sympathy for Adams amid the prosecution — which he says was motivated by personal political animosities — and he plans to fire U.S. Attorney Damian Williams, who charged Adams on federal corruption and bribery charges,” WNYC wrote in one post on X (formerly Twitter).
During his tenure, Williams prosecuted Sam Bankman-Fried, the former CEO of FTX. Bankman-Fried was convicted on all seven counts and sentenced to 25 years in prison.
Earlier this year, Caroline Ellison was also sentenced to two years in prison for her role in the collapse of FTX. Ellison received a reduced sentence due to her cooperation during Bankman-Fried’s trial.
In 2023, Williams’ team also achieved a groundbreaking verdict in an insider trading case involving a former product manager at OpenSea, the NFT marketplace. Previously, they obtained a guilty plea in a similar case from a former Coinbase employee.
These prosecutions are the first to target insider trading in the digital assets space.
Beyond crypto, Williams’ office has conducted a broad investigation into block trading activities. Williams’ expected departure is consistent with the routine turnover of U.S. Attorneys under new administrations.
However, Trump’s decision to leave came before a formal request allowing him to leave on his own terms. This decision may be to maintain his legacy defined by pursuing Cryptocurrency crime aggressively.
Trump Continues Favoring Crypto-Friendly Candidates
Just before his presidency begins in January, Trump’s transition team is also considering several crypto-friendly candidates to fill key financial regulatory roles. The president-elect is considering three candidates to replace current SEC chairman Gary Gensler.
As TinTucBitcoin previously reported, Trump is also considering appointing Brian Brooks, former CEO of Binance.US, to some regulatory role. Meanwhile, rumors are emerging that the new President-elect is potentially acquiring Bakkt, a leading b2b digital asset platform.