Joseph Nocella, Jr.

Joseph Nocella, Jr., was sworn in as the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York on September 2, 2025, following his appointment by the judges of the district and after having completed a 120-day appointment as Interim United States Attorney. 

Mr. Nocella is the 51st U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, which is comprised of more than 8 million people in the Boroughs of Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island, and in Nassau and Suffolk Counties on Long Island.  As U.S. Attorney, Mr. Nocella leads an Office responsible for all federal criminal and civil cases in the district and manages more than 150 Assistant U.S. Attorneys and 125 professional staff in the Brooklyn and Central Islip Offices. Under Mr. Nocella’s leadership, the Office has focused its investigative and prosecutorial resources on transnational drug trafficking organizations, terrorist organizations, gun trafficking, human trafficking, national security threats, cybercrime, money laundering, illegal gambling, business and securities fraud, and organized crime and violent gangs.

Prior to his appointment as United States Attorney, Mr. Nocella, 61, served as a Nassau County Family Court Judge following several years of service as a Nassau County District Judge.  Mr. Nocella began his career in public service as a law clerk to the Honorable Lawrence M. McKenna, United States District Judge for the Southern District of New York.  Mr. Nocella continued his career in public service as a federal prosecutor in the Criminal Division of the Eastern District of New York, where he served from 1991 to 1995, prosecuting cases involving narcotics trafficking, organized crime, money laundering and tax, insurance, and financial institution fraud. In that position, Mr. Nocella received many commendations, including for his prosecutions of the “Boss” of the Luchese Crime Family (United States v. Vittorio Amuso) and the perpetrators of a massive banking, insurance, and wire fraud scheme (United States v. Robert Scaretta).

Thereafter, Mr. Nocella practiced law in New York and Los Angeles at two international law firms, White & Case LLP and Dewey Ballantine LLP, where he worked on complex commercial litigations involving securities, antitrust and bankruptcy matters and handled internal corporate investigations. He also held various positions in government as the chief legal officer of several municipalities.  Mr. Nocella graduated from Chaminade High School in 1982, received his bachelor’s degree from Fordham University in 1986 and graduated from Columbia University School of Law in 1989.