Jamie McDonald has assumed the role of United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, according to a July 29 announcement. Judge Laura Taylor Swain, Chief District Judge for the Southern District of New York, informed the Office that the Court appointed McDonald to serve as United States Attorney pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 546(d), following Jay Clayton’s resignation. Clayton was confirmed by the Senate as Director of National Intelligence and resigned as U.S. Attorney effective earlier in the day. McDonald was sworn in by Chief Judge Swain.
Sean S. Buckley will continue serving as Deputy United States Attorney, Amanda Houle will remain Chief of the Criminal Division, and Jeff Oestericher will continue as Chief of the Civil Division, consistent with a transition announcement from July 8.
McDonald previously served in the Office as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Criminal Division until 2017. In that capacity, he participated in significant prosecutions involving organized crime, white collar offenses, and violent crimes—including cases against senior members of the Genovese Organized Crime Family; former New York State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver; and a case involving rival street gangs with 48 defendants.
From 2017 to 2020, McDonald served as Director of Enforcement at the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), where he oversaw all aspects of enforcement including investigations and market surveillance activities. During his tenure at CFTC, enforcement actions were prioritized on market manipulation and fraud cases; notably, during his last year there was an unprecedented number of enforcement actions brought by the agency.
After leaving government service at SDNY and CFTC, McDonald became a Partner at Sullivan & Cromwell LLP where he co-headed both the Securities & Commodities Investigations Practice and the Commodities, Futures and Derivatives Group. He also advised on compliance principles through work with organizations such as the American Law Institute and held academic roles including Visiting Scholar at Harvard Business School.