Trump’s New York US attorney pick committed misconduct, disciplinary investigation finds
Interim U.S. Attorney John Sarcone III of the Northern District of New York delivers a speech after being sworn in March 17, 2025, at the James T. Foley U.S. Courthouse in Albany, New York. (Photo by Will Waldron/The Albany Times Union via Getty Images)
President Donald Trump’s appointee for U.S. attorney in Albany, New York, was found to have committed professional misconduct, according to the New York judicial committee that reviews complaints against attorneys.
After John Sarcone III was appointed as the interim U.S. attorney for the Northern District of New York, the Attorney Grievance Committee for the Appellate Division’s Third Judicial Department of the New York Supreme Court found “sufficient basis” for a complaint of professional misconduct.
Sarcone, who had no prosecutorial experience before leading the U.S. attorney’s office, was appointed by Trump. Last summer, federal judges in the Northern District of New York did not extend Sarcone’s appointment after it expired, prompting the Department of Justice to give him a new title and continue to lead the office. In January, a federal judge ruled that Sarcone was appointed as the interim U.S. attorney illegally, according to Bloomberg Law.
Claims that Sarcone “engaged in erratic and potentially [illegal] conduct” were submitted by the nonprofit Campaign for Accountability, according to coverage by Bloomberg Law.
Elena Jaffe Tastensen, the chair of the grievance committee, noted that the 21-member panel “took appropriate action” and concluded the matter, according to a letter dated April 1. Much of the complaints about Sarcone centered on an alleged assault attempt made last June, and that he falsely stated his residential address.
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