According to Cointelegraph, U.S. Attorney John Durham for the Eastern District of New York has resigned, and Trump has appointed Joseph Nocella as acting U.S. Attorney. Nocella will serve for 120 days or until a Senate-confirmed nominee is in place.
Nocella's appointment comes as the criminal trial of former SafeMoon CEO Braden John Karony begins. Karony faces charges of securities fraud, mail fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Nocella has stated he will target drug dealers, gang members, terrorists, and human traffickers.
Karony had requested to postpone the trial, as the proposed changes to securities law by Trump could affect his case. The Eastern District of New York handles cases related to digital assets, including the SEC's complaint against Hex founder Richard Heart.
SafeMoon's Karony, Kyle Nagy, and Thomas Smith are accused of embezzling millions of dollars in SFM tokens from the platform between 2021 and 2022. Karony pleads not guilty to all charges and has been released on a $3 million bail in February 2024.