As a district court judge on Long Island, Joseph Nocera Jr. presided over low-level criminal cases and disputes involving small amounts of money. He could soon oversee some of the nation’s most high-profile criminal cases.
This week, President-elect Donald J. Trump announced his selection of Nocera to be the next U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York. In a statement announcing his selection on Truth Social, Trump said Nocera has a “strong track record of bringing law and order to the great people of New York.”
As a judge on Long Island, Nocera ruled on cases including COVID-19 relief fraud and drunk driving cases, and presided over family court.
The Eastern District, where Mr. Nocera served as prosecutor decades ago, operates on a different scale. The office and its 160 or so prosecutors have long pursued high-profile cases involving organized crime, national security and foreign politicians. He has won convictions in various recent blockbuster cases. That includes one against singer R. Kelly, who was convicted of a sex crime. disgraced former congressman George Santos; And the leader of the sex cult NXIVM.
Seth Ducharme, who served as acting U.S. attorney in 2020, said Nocera’s extensive experience, including presiding over small courts, will serve him well in what he called a “friendlier version” of its higher-profile neighbor. He said it would be. , Southern District of New York. But Nocera is something of an outsider, he noted.
“I think most of the prosecutors were probably surprised,” Ducharme said. “It’s not a name I’ve heard much.”
Former Long Island Republican Sen. Alphonse M. D’Amato said Nassau Republican Party Chairman Joseph G. Cairo Jr. “acted as a stand-in” for Nocera with the incoming Trump administration to secure the nomination. spoke. The Senate must approve it.
“He’s a fairly new judge, but he’s an outstanding person. You couldn’t ask for a better background,” D’Amato said in an interview. “Great choice.”
Mr. Nocera, who could not be reached for comment, graduated from Fordham University in 1986 and earned a law degree from Columbia University in 1989. While serving as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Eastern District from 1991 to 1995, Mr. Nocera led convictions against a married couple who stole $35 million from a major bank and against Vittorio Amuso, leader of the Lucchese crime family. won.
Mr. Nocera will earn nearly $192,000 a year as a U.S. attorney. The Eastern District, which he oversees, covers Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island, as well as Suffolk and Nassau counties, which have a population of about 8 million people, according to its website.
Mr. Nocera has deep ties to Nassau County’s formidable Republican political machine and has held a series of prominent legislative roles in local government in recent years. He served as Nassau County’s attorney, then as town attorney in Oyster Bay and Hempstead, before becoming a judge in 2022. Mr. Nocera is also a reliable donor to Republican causes, donating thousands of dollars to local Republican candidates and clubs in recent years. Decades.
Nassau County has moved politically to the right in recent years, with Republicans supporting Trump. Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, who was elected in the 2021 election and is a close ally of Trump, has created an armed residents’ unit that he says will be used in civil unrest and is confronting a roller derby team. I’ve done it before. transgender members.
In a social media post, Blakeman praised Nocera’s selection, calling him “a valuable asset in fighting crime and defending our country.”
Some Democrats criticized Nocera for being overly partisan, while others were more supportive of his nomination. “I look forward to working with him on the issues that are important to the residents of Nassau County,” said first-term Democratic state Rep. Laura Gillen, who represents a battleground district on Long Island.
Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly, a Republican, said Nocera had been a student at Fordham University since she was 18 and was a fair-minded person. She said her familiarity with the terrain of the Eastern District and her experience overseeing “Rainbow Incidents” will be helpful.
“One thing about Joe is he definitely knows Long Island,” Donnelly said.
Nicholas Fandos contributed reporting.
