First Assistant U.S. Attorney John A. Sarcone welcomed new Assistant U.S. Attorneys and Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys during a training session held in Syracuse on March 3.
The event introduced the new attorneys to the federal criminal process and outlined their roles within the office. The training covered several key topics, including drug prosecutions, working with cooperators and informants, firearms prosecutions, Project Safe Childhood, and the use of search warrants.
Deputy Criminal Chief and Narcotics and Firearms Chief Nico Commandeur led sessions on drug cases, informants, and firearms matters. Michael Gadarian, Project Safe Childhood Coordinator, presented on issues related to that initiative. Senior Litigation Counsel Lisa Fletcher discussed procedures for obtaining and using search warrants.
Participants included Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul DerOhannesian, Jeff Brown, Michael Whalen, and Kevin Cheung. Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys from various counties also attended: William Berger (Saratoga County), Kathleen Hofman (Montgomery County), Joseph Frandino (Saratoga County), Marissa Olsen (Madison County), Meghan Horton (Saratoga County), Jed Hudson (Onondaga County), Nolan Pitkin (Jefferson County), Manpreet Kaur (Montgomery County), Sam Rodgers (Madison County), Michael Johnson (Herkimer County), and Arne Soldwedel from the Social Security Administration.
Sarcone addressed the group by saying, “We are extremely grateful to have you join the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York. We eagerly look forward to the contributions you will make as we work together to uphold our mission and serve the public as civil servants.”
The training aimed to prepare new attorneys for their responsibilities in federal prosecution while fostering collaboration among staff members.
