United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New YorkGovernment

The United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York (SDNY) is the federal prosecutorial agency representing the United States Department of Justice in Manhattan, the Bronx, and six northern suburban counties. Its statutory mandate is to investigate and prosecute federal criminal offenses—with renowned expertise in complex financial crimes, corporate fraud, public corruption, terrorism, and international drug trafficking—and litigate civil cases on behalf of the United States. Tracing its lineage to the Judiciary Act of 1789 when President George Washington appointed Richard Harison as the inaugural U.S. Attorney for the District of New York, the office was officially designated the Southern District in 1814 and has historically earned the moniker "The Sovereign District of New York" for its formidable independence and aggressive prosecution of high-profile financial and political cases.