Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, John Durham has stepped down as President Donald Trump’s nominee assumes control of the office.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York announced in a May.5 notice that Joseph Nocella will temporarily serve as the U.S. Attorney for the region for up to 120 days or until a Senate-confirmed replacement is appointed.
Nocella’s appointment came as jury selection started in the criminal trial of SafeMoon ex-CEO Braden John Karony. It’s not clear yet how Nocella’s recent promotion by President Donald Trump this month could impact the prosecutors’ case against Karony.
He is facing charges of wire fraud conspiracy, securities fraud conspiracy, and money laundering conspiracy. Additionally, Nocella said he aimed to help in prosecuting drug traffickers, terrorists, human traffickers, gang members, and other criminals.
Karony faces trial amid legal shakeups
The former SafeMoon CEO requested in February that the court delay the start of his trial due to “significant changes” proposed by Trump. The changes could impact US securities laws and his criminal case.
Though not as widely recognized for handling high-profile crypto cases, the Eastern District of New York has overseen cases involving individuals connected to digital assets. The cases include a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) complaint against Hex founder Richard Heart and fraudsters.
The neighboring Southern District of New York will oversee the sentencing of former Celsius CEO Alex Mashinsky on May. 8. On the other hand, a Wall Street insider and former SEC chair, Jay Clayton, became the interim US Attorney for the district in April.
SafeMoon’s Karony, Kyle Nagy, and Thomas Smith were charged on Nov. 2023 for diverting and misappropriating millions of dollars worth of the platform’s SFM token between 2021 and 2022. Karony has denied all charges and has been free on a $3 million bond since Feb. 2024.
In a filing on May. 5, Karony agreed to have jury selection for his trial proceed under US Magistrate Judge James Cho. District Judge Eric Komitee is expected to oversee the trial starting on May. 6.
