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Geoffrey Steven Berman (born September 12, 1959) is an American attorney who served as the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York from 2018 to 2020. He is the Global Chair of the litigation department at the law firm Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson.

Key Information

Berman, a Republican, served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York from 1990 to 1994. In January 2018, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced Berman's appointment as interim U.S. Attorney for a statutory period of 120 days.[1] On April 25, 2018, the judges of the Southern District of New York, pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 546(d), unanimously appointed Berman U.S. Attorney for an indeterminate term that extended "until the vacancy is filled",[2] which may or may not include the appointment of a presidential nominee approved by the Senate.[3][2]

On June 19, 2020, Attorney General William Barr announced in a press release that Berman was "stepping down" effective July 3 and that Jay Clayton, the chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, would be nominated as his replacement.[4][5] Hours later, Berman stated that he had not resigned and would not resign until "a presidentially appointed nominee is confirmed by the Senate."[6] At the time that Trump and Barr sought his ouster, Berman was reportedly investigating Trump's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani for alleged crimes relating to his activities in Ukraine.[7][8] On June 20, Barr told Berman that he had been fired by Trump at Barr's request and that the deputy U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss would serve as acting U.S. Attorney. Berman then agreed to resign immediately.[8][9][10]

Early life

[edit]

Geoffrey Steven Berman was born in Trenton, New Jersey, the son of Marie (Edelman) and Ronald Berman, a developer of Trenton real estate properties.[11][12] He graduated magna cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and a Bachelor of Science in economics from the Wharton School in 1981.[13] He then studied law at Stanford Law School, where he obtained a Juris Doctor in 1984.[14] During law school, he was the Note Editor of the Stanford Law Review.[15]

Career

[edit]

Berman began his career as a clerk for Judge Leonard I. Garth of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.[13] From 1987 to 1990 he served as an associate to independent counsel Lawrence Walsh during the Iran–Contra affair investigation.[16] There, he was part of a team that prosecuted former CIA employee Thomas G. Clines for tax fraud.[citation needed]

Assistant United States Attorney (1990–1994)

[edit]

Berman served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York from 1990 to 1994.[17] He worked on several tax and fraud cases as a prosecutor, including the Masters of Deception computer hacking case. As a result of Berman’s prosecution of that case, his effigy was stabbed on the front cover of 2600: The Hacker Quarterly, a computer hacking magazine.[18]

Private practice (1994–2018)

[edit]
Berman during his time at Greenberg Traurig (2014)

Berman was subsequently engaged by Mudge Rose and Latham & Watkins, where he worked as a monitor to rid the New York Carpenter’s Union of the influence of organized crime.[14] From 1994 to 1997, Berman represented, pro bono, Maureen and Richard Kanka, defending the constitutionality of Megan’s Law in state and federal litigation. He married Joanne Karen Schwartz on August 20, 1994.[19]

Berman is a resident of New York, where he previously lived from 1984 to 2002. He then moved to Princeton, New Jersey, where he lived for 14 years. Berman was a shareholder at Greenberg Traurig, as was Rudy Giuliani.[20] It was reported that Giuliani supported Berman for U.S. Attorney in New Jersey, but that Giuliani supported a different candidate for U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York.[21][22]

Berman represented Philip Kwon, the deputy general counsel at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey during the Bridgegate trial.[23] He denied that Kwon was ever told the lane closures were intended to punish anyone.[24]

United States Attorney (2018–2020)

[edit]
Berman with Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor in March 2019

After President Donald Trump fired Preet Bharara as U.S. Attorney, Trump interviewed Berman for the position.[25] Berman had performed some part-time volunteer work for the Trump transition.[26] On January 3, 2018, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced Berman's appointment as U.S. Attorney, along with 16 other former prosecutors to various offices around the country on an interim basis until the Senate could confirm them.[27][28]

The Trump administration never nominated Berman or most of the other interim appointments. On April 25, 2018, the Chief Judge of the Southern District of New York entered an order on behalf of a unanimous court appointing Berman U.S. Attorney pursuant to its authority under 28 U.S.C Section 546(d). Berman had the appointment indefinitely, until the Senate confirmed someone nominated by the president.[2] The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, often called the "Sovereign District of New York", is known as highly independent.[29] Berman oversaw investigations into some of Trump's associates.[30][31][32][33]

In April 2018, Berman's office issued a search warrant of the office and hotel room of Michael Cohen, Trump's former lawyer, for possible bank fraud and campaign finance violations.[34][35][36] Since Berman was recused by the U.S. Attorney General's Office from the investigation, he was apparently not involved in the decision to raid Cohen's office.[37] That search was presumably conducted under the authority of Robert Khuzami, Berman's top deputy.[38]

On August 8, 2018, U.S. Representative Chris Collins, his son Cameron, and the father of Cameron's fiancée, Stephen Zarsky, were arrested by the FBI and charged by Berman with insider trading and making false statements.[39][40][41] Following the charges, House Speaker Paul Ryan kicked Collins off of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and Collins suspended his reelection campaign.[42][43][44] Collins subsequently pleaded guilty to insider trading and lying to the FBI and was sentenced to 26 months in prison.[45]

On October 26, 2018, Berman charged Cesar Sayoc with sending a string of homemade incendiary packages to several present and former federal officials, including former President Barack Obama, former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.[46] Sayoc pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 20 years in prison.[47]

In October 2018, Berman charged five doctors and one pharmacist with narcotics distribution, including prescribing opioids to individuals who had no medical need for them. Berman said at his press conference: “These doctors and other health professionals should have been the first line of defense against opioid abuse, but as alleged in today's charges, instead of caring for their patients, they were drug dealers in white coats."[48][49][50] Five of the defendants have either pleaded guilty or been convicted.[51]

In November 2018, Berman charged recording artist and performer Daniel Hernandez, better known as 6ix9ine, with six felony counts of racketeering and violence to aid racketeering. The most serious charge against Hernandez was "using or carrying a firearm during and in relation to, or possessing a firearm in furtherance of, a crime of violence, which was discharged", which can result in life in prison.[52] In January 2019 Hernandez pleaded guilty to the charges.[53] He was sentenced to two years in prison.[54]

On November 26, 2018, Berman announced the indictment of former Honduran Congressman Tony Hernández on drug trafficking and weapons charges. Hernández is the brother of former Honduras President Juan Orlando Hernández. On October 18, 2019, Tony Hernández was convicted at trial.[55][56]

On January 8, 2019, Berman charged Natalia Veselnitskaya, a Russian lawyer, with obstruction of justice in connection with a false and misleading declaration she submitted to a judge in the Southern District of New York. Berman said on announcing the indictment: "Fabricating evidence to affect the outcome of pending litigation not only undermines the integrity of the judicial process, but it threatens the ability of our courts and our government to ensure that justice is done."[57][58][59]

On March 25, 2019, Berman charged Michael Avenatti with extortion in connection with his threat to Nike that he would go public with damaging allegations against Nike employees unless Nike paid him over $20 million. Berman said on announcing the charges: "A suit and tie doesn't mask the fact that, at its core, this was an old-fashioned shakedown."[60][61] Avenatti was convicted on all counts on February 14, 2020.[62]

In April 2019, Berman brought the first ever drug trafficking charges against a pharmaceutical company and two of its executives, charging Rochester Drug Co-Operative and its former CEO, Laurence Doud III, with conspiring to distribute oxycodone and fentanyl and to defraud the DEA. In announcing the charges, Berman said, "This prosecution is the first of its kind: executives of a pharmaceutical distributor and the distributor itself have been charged with drug trafficking, trafficking the same drugs that are fueling the opioid epidemic that is ravaging our country. Our Office will do everything in its power to combat this epidemic, from street-level dealers to the executives who illegally distribute drugs from their boardrooms."[63][64]

In May 2019, Berman charged Avenatti with another indictment, alleging that he stole $300,000 from his client Stormy Daniels. Berman said: "Far from zealously representing his client, Avenatti, as alleged, instead engaged in outright deception and theft, victimizing rather than advocating for his client."[65]

In July 2019, Berman charged financier Jeffrey Epstein with sex trafficking of minors and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of minors. Berman said at his press conference: "The alleged behavior shocks the conscience. And while the charged conduct is from a number of years ago, it is still profoundly important to the many alleged victims, now young women. They deserve their day in court, and we are proud to stand up for them in bringing this indictment."[66][67] Berman's prosecution resurfaced then-Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta's handling of Epstein's sex trafficking case a decade earlier. On July 12, Acosta resigned amid pressure from the case.[68]

On August 10, 2019, Epstein was found dead in his cell of an apparent suicide. Berman stated: "Today's events are disturbing, and we are deeply aware of their potential to present yet another hurdle to giving Epstein's many victims their day in Court. To those brave young women who have already come forward and to the many others who have yet to do so, let me reiterate that we remain committed to standing for you, and our investigation of the conduct charged in the Indictment—which included a conspiracy count—remains ongoing."[69]

On October 9, 2019, Berman announced charges against Lev Parnas, Igor Fruman and two others for campaign violations relating to the illegal use of straw donors and foreign money.[70] Berman said: "They sought political influence not only to advance their own financial interests but to advance the political interests of at least one foreign official—a Ukrainian government official who sought the dismissal of the U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine". Berman said the investigation was ongoing.[71]

On October 15, 2019, Berman announced the indictment of Halkbank, the largest state-owned bank in Turkey, for a multi-billion-dollar scheme to evade U.S. sanctions on Iran. In announcing the charges, Berman said: "The bank's audacious conduct was supported and protected by high-ranking Turkish government officials, some of whom received millions of dollars in bribes to promote and protect the scheme."[33][32][31] Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan lobbied President Trump to quash Berman's investigation, as Erdogan's family and allies could be implicated by it.[72] In June 2019, Attorney General Barr pressed Berman to allow Halkbank to pay a fine and acknowledge some wrongdoing, and to end criminal investigations into senior Halkbank officials involved in the sanctions evasion.[72] Previously, acting Attorney General Matthew G. Whitaker rejected Berman's request to file criminal charges against the bank. Whitaker did so shortly after Erdogan had pressed Trump to quash the investigation.[72]

On November 19, 2019, Berman charged guards Michael Thomas and Tova Noel with creating false records, and with conspiracy, after video footage obtained by prosecutors revealed that Jeffrey Epstein had, against regulation, been in his cell unchecked for eight hours before being found dead on August 10, 2019.[73]

On January 27, 2020, at a press conference sponsored by Safe Horizon at the site of Jeffrey Epstein's New York mansion, Berman was asked whether Prince Andrew was cooperating with the SDNY's investigation into Epstein's coconspirators. Berman responded that to date Andrew had provided "zero cooperation".[74][75] On March 9, 2020, Berman said that Andrew had "completely shut the door" on voluntary cooperation and that his office was considering its options.[76][77]

On February 11, 2020, Berman announced charges against Lawrence Ray, who sex trafficked and extorted his daughter's college roommates. Berman said: "For so many of us, and our children, college is supposed to be a time of self-discovery and newfound independence, a chance to explore and learn, all within the safety of a college community. But as alleged, the defendant exploited that vulnerable time in his victims' lives".[78][79]

On February 25, 2020, it was reported and confirmed by an SDNY spokesperson that a search warrant was executed at the Manhattan offices of Peter Nygård amid a sex-trafficking investigation.[80]

On March 9, 2020, Berman announced the indictment of 27 people, including Jason Servis and Jorge Navarro, involved in doping racehorses across the country. Berman said, "The defendants who we charge today engaged in this conduct not for love of the sport and certainly not out of concern for the horses, but for money."[81]

On March 26, 2020, Berman announced the indictment of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and other Venezuelan officials on charges of conspiracy to commit narco-terrorism and to import hundreds of tons of cocaine into the United States and related weapons offenses. Berman said: "As alleged, Maduro and the other defendants expressly intended to flood the United States with cocaine in order to undermine the health and well being of our nation. Maduro very deliberately deployed cocaine as a weapon."[82]

On April 30, 2020, Berman announced drug trafficking and weapons charges against Juan Carlos "The Tiger" Bonillo, the former head of the Honduras National Police. Berman stated that the indictment alleged that Bonillo conspired with convicted former Honduran congressman Tony Hernández and his brother, former Honduras President Juan Orlando Hernández.[83]

On April 30, 2020, Berman announced a deferred prosecution agreement against Bank Hapoalim, Israel's largest bank, for conspiring to hide assets and income in offshore accounts. Bank Hapoalim agreed to pay nearly $875 million. Berman said, "Israel's largest bank, Bank Hapoalim, and its Swiss subsidiary have admitted not only failing to prevent but actively assisting U.S. customers to set up secret accounts, to shelter assets and income, and to evade taxes. The combined payment approaching $1 billion reflects the magnitude of the tax evasion by the Bank's U.S. customers, the size of the fees the Bank collected to provide this illegal service, and the gravity of the illegal conduct."[84]

On June 12, 2020, Berman announced the unsealing of a complaint against Inigo Philbrick, an art dealer with galleries in London and Miami, charged with defrauding a client of over $20 million. Berman said: "You can't sell more than 100 percent ownership in a single piece of art, which Philbrick allegedly did, among other scams. When his schemes began to unravel, Philbrick allegedly fled the country. Now he is in U.S custody and facing justice."[85][86]

2020 ouster

[edit]

In June 2020, CNN reported that Trump had been thinking about removing Berman from his position for two years. Under Berman, the SDNY investigated and prosecuted Trump's longtime personal attorney and "fixer" Michael Cohen in 2018. Trump also felt Berman's investigation of his personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, was an effort to damage him politically.[87] That investigation of Giuliani's activities in Ukraine became publicly known in October 2019, and later was reported to include a broad range of potential crimes by Giuliani or his associates.[88][89] In May 2021, the SDNY publicly disclosed in a court filing that in November 2019 it covertly obtained search warrants for Giuliani's iCloud account, and for that of his and Trump's associate, Victoria Toensing, as part of the investigation.[90] In June 2020, the SDNY was also two months from indicting former Trump advisor Steve Bannon on fraud charges relating to fundraising for the Mexico–United States border wall.[91]

In a late-night news release on June 19, 2020, Attorney General William Barr announced that Berman would step down from his position. He said that Trump intended to nominate Jay Clayton, the chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, to take Berman's place as the Manhattan U.S. attorney, and that Trump, on his recommendation, had appointed Craig Carpenito, the U.S. attorney for the District of New Jersey, to serve as the acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, effective July 3, 2020, while the Senate takes up Clayton's nomination.[4][92][93]

Shortly after Barr's announcement, Berman denied having resigned and said that he had "no intention of resigning," saying that he was appointed by a court, not the president, and that he would remain in office until the Senate confirmed a replacement. He added that he learned about his supposed intention to step down from press reports. He vowed to ensure that the office’s "important cases continue unimpeded."[94] Because Berman was appointed by the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York under 28 U.S.C. Section 546(d), it was unclear whether either the Attorney General or the President could remove Berman as US Attorney without a Senate-confirmed successor in place.[95][96][97][98][99] It was also unclear whether Carpenito is legally eligible to replace Berman on an acting basis.[100]

The next day, June 20, Barr claimed that Trump had fired Berman, writing in a letter to Berman, "Because you have declared that you have no intention of resigning, I have asked the President to remove you as of today, and he has done so."[9][101] Barr wrote in his letter, "Unfortunately, with your statement of last night, you have chosen public spectacle over public service".[10] Barr added "By operation of law, the Deputy United States Attorney, Audrey Strauss, will become the Acting United States Attorney."[102][103] When asked by reporters, Trump said, "That's his [Barr's] department, not mine. ... I'm not involved."[104] Later that day Berman agreed to step down because, he said, Barr had respected "the normal operation of law" by appointing his deputy as interim U.S. attorney.[8] Barr also wrote to Berman, "Your statement also wrongly implies that your continued tenure in the office is necessary to ensure that cases now pending in the Southern District of New York are handled appropriately. This is obviously false."[8]

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York stated that the firing "reeks of potential corruption of the legal process."[105] Schumer said from the Senate floor, "But for Mr. Berman’s principled stand, the White House and the DOJ would have subverted the chain of succession at the SDNY to install a pliant U.S. Attorney from New Jersey in Mr. Berman’s place. Thankfully, due to Mr. Berman’s courage that plan was thwarted".[106] On June 20, 2020, House Judiciary Committee chair Jerry Nadler announced that the committee would "immediately open an investigation into this incident, as part of our broader investigation into Barr’s unacceptable politicization of the Department of Justice" and invited Berman to join two whistleblowers at an upcoming hearing about "a larger, ongoing, and wholly unacceptable pattern of conduct."[107] Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said that Berman's firing “cannot be explained by cause and instead suggests base and improper motives. ... Judiciary Chairman Nadler’s renewed call for Barr to testify before the House Judiciary Committee and the Committee’s decision to open an immediate investigation into this incident are justified and urgently needed."[108]

On July 9, Berman testified before a closed session of the House Judiciary Committee.[109] After his testimony was released, Representative Adam Schiff said that "Berman’s act of defiance" was a story "of great heroism".[110][111]

On August 20, 2020, the SDNY announced the indictment of Steve Bannon, Trump’s former campaign CEO, on wire fraud and money laundering charges.[112][113] The charges were based on his taking for his personal use funds that were supposed to be dedicated to the building of a wall on the southern border. Several articles questioned whether the charges would have been brought if Berman had not blocked Barr's attempt to appoint an ally to replace him. On January 20, 2021, Trump granted Bannon a pardon from the federal charges.[114][115][116] Berman refused to resign until his deputy was named to succeed him, which he said would ensure that the important cases of his office would continue without delay or interruption.[117][118]

On July 15, 2020, Stanford Law School announced Berman's appointment as the Edwin A. Heafey Jr. Visiting professor of Law for the fall 2020 term.[119][120]

On November 19, 2021, at Damian Williams's investiture ceremony as the new U.S. Attorney for the SDNY, Williams praised Berman’s service. As reported by the Associated Press, Williams "sparked sustained applause when he mentioned Geoffrey S. Berman, a Republican who served as U.S. attorney during much of Donald Trump’s presidential term. Berman became known in what prosecutors like to affectionately call the 'Sovereign District of New York' for standing up to Washington’s demands and left office in June 2020 after a standoff with then-Attorney General William Barr over investigations into Trump’s allies. Williams said Berman promoted him and 'when the hour demanded true courage and independence and a demonstration of what it means to be a Southern District of New York prosecutor, he showed all of America what that means.'"[121]

Return to private life

[edit]

In December 2020, Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson announced that Berman was joining the firm to head its white-collar defense, regulatory enforcement and investigations practice.[122][123]

In September 2022, Berman published a memoir, Holding the Line: Inside the Nation’s Preeminent US Attorney’s Office and its Battle with the Trump Justice Department. In it he describes numerous instances in which he says the Justice Department took politically motivated actions, such as suppressing investigations into Trump's allies or demanding investigations into people considered Trump's enemies.[124] As one example, he says that in September 2018 a senior Justice Department official told Berman's deputy that because the Southern District had pursued prosecution of two Trump loyalists, the office should issue charges against a prominent Democratic lawyer "to even things out", and should do so before Election Day.[125] The Senate Judiciary Committee announced plans to investigate Berman's allegations that the Justice Department during the Trump administration made politically influenced decisions to initiate criminal investigations against some people and block them against others.[126]

Notable civil cases and criminal prosecutions announced by Berman

[edit]

Works

[edit]
  • Holding the Line: Inside the Nation's Preeminent US Attorney's Office and Its Battle with the Trump Justice Department. Penguin. September 13, 2022. ISBN 978-0-593-30030-5. OCLC 1338025853.

See also

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References

[edit]
[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Geoffrey Berman

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
Geoffrey S. Berman is an American attorney who served as for the Southern District of New York from January 2018 until June 2020. Appointed as a Republican by President on an interim basis and later confirmed by the , Berman led an office of over 230 prosecutors handling federal criminal and civil matters in the nation's financial capital, including investigations into terrorism, public corruption, and . Prior to this role, Berman had served as an in the same district from 1990 to 1994, where he prosecuted fraud cases, and as associate counsel in the Office of Independent Counsel for the Iran-Contra affair, successfully securing the conviction of a former CIA employee, Thomas G. Clines, for tax fraud—the only such prison sentence from that probe. His tenure drew attention for overseeing prosecutions of figures connected to Trump, such as Michael Cohen, as well as other significant cases, and concluded with his resignation following a public dispute with over leadership transition and case priorities, after which he emphasized the office's commitment to independence. Since leaving government service, Berman has practiced as a partner at LLP, where he chairs the global litigation department and heads the white-collar defense and investigations practice; he also authored the 2022 memoir Holding the Line, recounting his time at the helm of the Southern District.

Early life and education

Family background and upbringing

Geoffrey Steven Berman was born in , to Ronald Berman, a real estate developer and attorney, and Marie Edelman Berman. Ronald Berman founded R. Berman Development Corporation, which developed over 10 million square feet of properties, and served as a founding partner in the Trenton Warren, Goldberg & Berman. The family maintained ties to Trenton, where Berman grew up amid his father's local business activities in and legal practice.

Academic and early professional influences

Berman earned a in and a Bachelor of Science in economics from the in 1981, graduating magna cum laude from the . He then attended , receiving his in 1984, where he served as Note Editor of the Stanford Law Review, indicating significant engagement with scholarly legal analysis during his studies. Following , Berman clerked for Judge Leonard I. Garth on the Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, an experience that provided foundational exposure to federal appellate practice and judicial decision-making in complex cases. Subsequently, as an associate at & Wardwell, he received mentorship from Robert Fiske, Jr., a prominent partner and former for the Southern District of New York, whose guidance emphasized rigorous litigation and white-collar defense strategies. This period honed Berman's skills in high-stakes legal work prior to his entry into . From 1987 to 1990, Berman served as an associate counsel in the Office of Independent Counsel Lawrence E. Walsh during the Iran-Contra investigation, where he successfully prosecuted a former employee for tax fraud related to the affair. This role immersed him in probing executive branch actions and international arms dealings, fostering expertise in politically sensitive federal prosecutions and the mechanics of independent counsel inquiries. These early positions under seasoned figures like Garth, Fiske, and Walsh shaped Berman's approach to federal , emphasizing independence, thorough investigation, and courtroom precision in subsequent career phases.

Service as Assistant United States Attorney (1990–1994)

Geoffrey S. Berman served as an in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York from 1990 to 1994, focusing on complex criminal prosecutions. In this role, he handled cases involving tax fraud, computer hacking, and , contributing to the office's efforts against sophisticated white-collar and technological offenses during a period when federal prosecutions of emerging cyber threats were nascent. A key achievement was Berman's prosecution of the , a New York-based hacking group that infiltrated telephone networks, including systems, to commit and disrupt services in the early . He built rapport with group members to secure their cooperation and testimony, simplifying technical evidence for juries, which led to multiple guilty pleas and a one-year sentence for the leader—among the first significant federal penalties in a computer hacking case. This effort, described as cutting-edge by contemporaries, established Berman's reputation for tenacity in innovative investigations. He also pursued members of a prominent New York organized crime family on fraud-related charges, bolstering the district's aggressive stance against intertwined with financial schemes.

Private practice and firm roles (1994–2018)

Following his tenure as an Assistant United States Attorney, Berman entered private practice in 1994 by joining Latham & Watkins, where he worked under Michael Chertoff and contributed to the court-ordered monitoring of the Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI) scandal. He advanced to partner at the firm, focusing on litigation matters informed by his prosecutorial experience. Berman later joined his father's real estate development firm and established his own practice before transitioning to in 2006. At , he specialized in white-collar defense, commercial litigation, and criminal and regulatory investigations, representing clients in high-stakes matters. Within , Berman served as a principal in the New York and offices and co-managing of the office, roles that underscored his leadership in the firm's regional operations until his departure in 2018. His practice emphasized defending individuals and entities in complex regulatory enforcement actions, drawing on over two decades of legal expertise.

Tenure as United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York (2018–2020)

Appointment process and initial priorities

Geoffrey S. Berman was designated as interim United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York (SDNY) by Attorney General Jeff Sessions on January 3, 2018, under the authority of 28 U.S.C. § 546, which permits such appointments to fill vacancies arising during a presidential transition or congressional recess. This interim role was limited to 120 days, after which, absent a Senate-confirmed nominee, the statute allows the district's federal judges to appoint a replacement to serve until confirmation of a presidential appointee. The Trump administration opted not to nominate Berman for full Senate confirmation, citing potential opposition from Democratic senators amid the office's involvement in politically sensitive investigations. As Berman's 120-day term neared expiration in late April 2018, Chief Judge of the for the Southern District of New York, acting on behalf of the court's judges, formally appointed him to the position on April 25, 2018, extending his leadership indefinitely pending a confirmed successor. In response, Berman issued a statement affirming his commitment to guiding the office's prosecutors—described as dedicated public servants—in their pursuit of justice "without fear or favor," emphasizing continuity in upholding the . This judicial appointment process, rooted in federal vacancy statutes, preserved operational stability in the SDNY, known for handling high-stakes cases involving , , and . Berman's initial priorities aligned with the SDNY's longstanding mandate, leveraging his prior experience as an in the district from 1990 to 1994, where he prosecuted complex , , , narcotics trafficking, and cases. Early efforts focused on sustaining momentum in inherited investigations, including financial misconduct and public integrity matters, while advancing prosecutions of white-collar offenses and international cyber intrusions. Public corruption emerged as a core emphasis from the outset, reflecting Berman's view of it as an abuse of warranting aggressive enforcement, as later articulated in office speeches. These priorities underscored a non-partisan approach to complex criminal matters, with the office announcing charges in 2018 against entities involved in sanctions evasion and hacking schemes tied to foreign actors.

Key prosecutions and investigations

During Berman's tenure, the Southern District of New York (SDNY) office under his leadership brought charges against financier for of minors and conspiracy to commit of minors on July 8, 2019. The indictment alleged that Epstein, from 2002 to 2005, enticed and recruited dozens of minor girls, some as young as 14, to engage in sexual acts at his properties in and , paying victims hundreds of dollars per encounter and additional sums to recruit others. Epstein was arrested on July 6, 2019, and died by suicide in federal custody on August 10, 2019, while awaiting trial; Berman's office subsequently charged two correctional officers with falsifying records related to checks on Epstein's cell during the period leading to his death. The SDNY also pursued campaign finance-related prosecutions, including the August 21, 2018, guilty plea of Michael Cohen—former personal attorney to President —to charges of , making false statements to financial institutions, and causing unlawful campaign contributions through hush-money payments to women alleging affairs with Trump during the 2016 election; Cohen was sentenced to three years' imprisonment in December 2018, though Berman recused himself from direct involvement in that matter. In October 2019, the office charged and Igor Fruman—businessmen associated with Trump's attorney —with conspiracy to violate and foreign contribution bans under federal election law, alleging they funneled over $1 million in foreign funds to U.S. political campaigns and solicited contributions from foreign nationals to influence domestic elections. On the sanctions enforcement front, SDNY indicted Turkish state-owned bank on October 15, 2019, for , , and sanctions violations related to a scheme that laundered over $1 billion in Iranian oil and gas proceeds by disguising them as food and payments between 2010 and 2015, in violation of U.S. sanctions. The case built on prior related convictions, such as that of Halkbank executive Mehmet Hakan Atilla in 2018 for similar sanctions evasion. Other significant financial prosecutions included charges against French bank S.A. on November 19, 2018, for violating the Trading with the Enemy Act through unauthorized transactions benefiting Cuban entities, resulting in a agreement and $53.9 million forfeiture. Additionally, in December 2018, four defendants linked to the scandal—Mossack Fonseca partners and employees—were charged with facilitating and fraud through offshore entities for U.S. clients, involving and wire fraud. These efforts underscored SDNY's focus on international financial crimes and compliance with U.S. during Berman's oversight.

Interactions with Department of Justice leadership

Berman's interactions with Department of Justice (DOJ) leadership were marked by escalating tensions, particularly with Attorney General William Barr, over prosecutorial independence in politically sensitive cases. In his 2022 memoir Holding the Line, Berman recounted repeated directives from Barr and senior DOJ officials to initiate investigations targeting perceived political adversaries of President Trump, including former Secretary of State John Kerry for alleged violations related to the Iran nuclear deal, as well as former FBI Director James Comey and Deputy Director Andrew McCabe. Berman described these requests as lacking evidentiary support and driven by partisan motives, which his office resisted by declining to open formal probes without probable cause. Additional friction arose in cases involving international sanctions enforcement, such as the prosecution of Turkey's Halkbank for evading U.S. sanctions on Iran, where Berman alleged Barr sought to intervene to secure a favorable resolution amid diplomatic pressures from the Turkish government. Berman maintained that such influences compromised the DOJ's commitment to impartial justice, a stance he attributed to broader efforts by Washington leadership to align SDNY actions with administration priorities. Barr's office, in response, denied any improper political interference, asserting that oversight of U.S. Attorneys is standard and that Berman's decisions were subject to review by the Attorney General. These disputes peaked in mid-June 2020. On June 18, Barr met Berman for approximately 45 minutes at the Pierre Hotel in , pressing him to resign voluntarily and accept a role as head of the DOJ's Civil Division or a position focused on civil rights enforcement. Berman refused, citing his confirmation and unwillingness to abandon ongoing investigations. The following evening, June 19, Barr issued a DOJ announcing Berman's effective immediately, with Acting Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen named as interim replacement; Berman promptly rebutted this in a public statement, declaring he had not resigned and would not leave until a Senate-confirmed successor assumed the role. On June 20, 2020, President Trump announced Berman's removal via , prompting Berman to step down that day after confirming Rosen's readiness to serve. In subsequent House Judiciary Committee on July 9, 2020, Berman characterized Barr's overtures as enticements to sideline him amid policy disagreements, including over case dispositions and resource allocation. Barr later dismissed Berman's accounts as exaggerated, claiming the removal stemmed from performance issues rather than conflicts, though Berman's detailed recollections in Holding the Line—corroborated by contemporaneous communications—highlighted a pattern of attempted subordination of SDNY autonomy to Main Justice directives.

Removal from office

On June 19, 2020, released a statement announcing that Geoffrey S. Berman had "stepped down" as for the Southern District of New York, effective immediately, and would be replaced on an interim basis by Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Jay Clayton, pending confirmation. In the same announcement, Barr praised Berman's tenure but indicated the Department of Justice sought new leadership with expertise in . Berman promptly refuted the claim in a public statement released that evening via the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, asserting, "I have not resigned, and have no intention of resigning," and noting he had learned of the purported only through Barr's . He affirmed he would continue overseeing ongoing investigations and prosecutions until a presidentially appointed successor was confirmed by the , emphasizing the office's . This public refusal triggered a standoff, as U.S. attorneys appointed with confirmation serve four-year terms and removals mid-tenure are atypical without cause, though the position is subject to executive authority under 28 U.S.C. § 541. The following day, June 20, 2020, Barr responded with a letter to Berman expressing disappointment in the refusal and stating he had requested to remove Berman effective immediately, which Trump did. Trump confirmed the action in a public statement, later tweeting support for the decision. Berman then vacated the office, with Deputy U.S. Attorney assuming the acting role and announcing no planned changes to ongoing cases. Barr cited Berman's reluctance to pursue certain non-criminal matters as a factor but maintained the removal aligned with departmental priorities.

Notable cases and their implications

High-profile financial and corruption cases

During his tenure, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York (SDNY) under Geoffrey Berman prosecuted several significant cases involving international , , and related financial misconduct, often targeting schemes that spanned multiple jurisdictions and involved substantial sums. These efforts built on prior investigations but advanced to indictments, guilty pleas, and sentencings during 2018–2020, emphasizing accountability for corruption that undermined financial institutions and global markets. A key example was the continuation and resolution of prosecutions tied to the (1MDB) scandal, a massive and operation that defrauded the Malaysian of approximately $4.5 billion. In January 2018, Joo Hyun "Steve" Lee, a New Jersey-based real estate broker, pleaded guilty to conspiring to launder at least $35 million in proceeds from foreign schemes linked to 1MDB, including funds used to influence Malaysian officials and acquire luxury assets in the U.S. The case highlighted SDNY's role in tracing illicit flows from overseas , with Berman's office securing cooperation that aided broader recovery efforts, though fugitive Malaysian financier remained at large despite sealed indictments unsealed in 2019 for related wire fraud and charges exceeding $1 billion. In domestic financial fraud, the SDNY secured a guilty plea from former U.S. Congressman in August 2019 for and related to a biotech company's unsuccessful drug trial. Collins, who lied to investigators and obstructed justice, was sentenced to 26 months in prison in January 2020 after tipping off family and associates, allowing them to sell shares before a public disclosure that caused a 92% stock drop and over $8 million in avoided losses. This prosecution demonstrated the office's focus on elite insider misconduct, with Berman emphasizing the betrayal of public trust in capital markets. Other notable actions included a 2020 guilty by a banker who accepted bribes to approve fraudulent loans and facilitate at a scheme targeting over $10 million in illicit transactions through U.S. banks. Additionally, in May 2018, the CEO and president of a New York were charged with embezzling over $9.1 million for personal use, including luxury purchases, underscoring SDNY's vigilance against institutional . These cases collectively recovered millions in penalties and reinforced deterrence against financial crimes integral to broader economic integrity.

National security and sanctions enforcement

Under Berman's leadership, the Southern District of New York (SDNY) pursued high-profile prosecutions enforcing U.S. sanctions regimes, particularly against Iran and Sudan, targeting financial institutions that facilitated prohibited transactions. These cases underscored SDNY's role in disrupting illicit finance networks tied to state sponsors of terrorism and proliferators, with penalties exceeding $1 billion in key resolutions. In November 2018, SDNY charged French bank S.A. with conspiring to violate the Trading with the Enemy Act and Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations by processing approximately $11.5 billion in transactions for sanctioned Cuban and Sudanese entities between 2001 and 2011, while concealing $2.4 billion in Sudan-related payments from U.S. regulators. admitted the violations and agreed to forfeit $586 million and pay a $654 million penalty to the U.S., contributing to a total resolution of over $1.34 billion including state and local forfeitures. This enforcement action highlighted systemic compliance failures in global banking that enabled sanctions evasion, with Berman emphasizing the bank's "willful" concealment over a decade. A landmark case involved the October 15, 2019, indictment of Türkiye Halk Bankası A.Ş. (Halkbank), a Turkish state-owned institution, for bank fraud, money laundering, and conspiracy to violate Iranian sanctions by laundering over $20 million as part of a multibillion-dollar scheme to access restricted Iranian oil revenues held in Turkish banks. Building on the 2017 conviction of Halkbank executive Mehmet Hakan Atilla—whose trial revealed the scheme's mechanics, including fictitious food and medicine exports—SDNY charged the bank with exploiting U.S. financial messaging systems to disguise sanctioned funds. The prosecution advanced despite jurisdictional challenges from the bank's sovereign immunity claims, which were rejected by the district court in 2020, affirming U.S. authority over foreign state-owned entities in sanctions cases. This effort reinforced the integrity of U.S. sanctions as a national security tool against Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programs. SDNY also addressed sanctions-related failures in Asian banking, as seen in the April 2020 charges against for violations stemming from inadequate anti-money laundering controls that facilitated transactions linked to sanctioned North Korean entities and proliferators. These prosecutions under Berman demonstrated SDNY's aggressive stance on enforcing economic restrictions integral to countering proliferation financing and state-sponsored illicit activities, yielding agreements and structural reforms in implicated institutions. During Geoffrey Berman's tenure as United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York (SDNY), the office prosecuted several cases involving political figures and potential election law violations, particularly those linked to the 2016 presidential campaign and subsequent political activities. One prominent case was the August 2018 guilty plea of Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump's former personal attorney, to charges including making unlawful campaign contributions exceeding federal limits. Cohen admitted to arranging $130,000 and $150,000 payments to women alleging affairs with Trump to suppress damaging information ahead of the 2016 election, actions prosecutors described as intended to influence the vote. The SDNY filing identified Trump as "Individual-1," though Berman had recused himself from direct oversight due to his prior pro bono work for the Trump inaugural committee. In October 2019, the SDNY indicted Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, associates of Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, for conspiring to violate campaign finance laws by routing foreign funds into U.S. elections. The charges alleged the pair funneled over $1 million from foreign sources, including Ukrainian oligarchs, through straw donors to Republican candidates and committees, aiming to influence federal and state races, such as a 2018 congressional bid in Florida. Parnas and Fruman were arrested at Dulles International Airport while attempting to flee the country with one-way tickets. These actions tied into broader efforts to pressure Ukraine for investigations into Trump's political rivals, though the indictment focused on finance violations rather than direct foreign influence on policy. Fruman later pleaded guilty in 2021 to one count, while Parnas was convicted on related charges in 2021. These probes underscored the SDNY's role in enforcing federal election laws against high-profile figures connected to the Trump orbit, amid reported tensions with Department of Justice leadership over case handling. For instance, main Justice Department officials sought to excise Trump references from Cohen's plea agreement and explored avenues to investigate Trump's critics, which Berman's office resisted. Critics from conservative outlets argued the investigations selectively targeted Republicans, citing a lack of parallel scrutiny into Democratic figures like those linked to the , though no formal probes into such matters advanced under Berman. The cases contributed to perceptions of SDNY independence but also fueled debates on politicization, as evidenced by Berman's later accounts of pressure to deploy resources against perceived enemies.

Post-tenure career and contributions

Following his removal from the United States Attorney position for the Southern District of New York on June 20, 2020, Geoffrey Berman returned to private legal practice by joining the Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson as a partner on December 1, 2020. In this capacity, he assumed leadership of the firm's White Collar Defense, Regulatory Enforcement, and Investigations Practice, focusing on representing clients in high-stakes matters such as Department of Justice and Securities and Exchange Commission probes, congressional inquiries, and internal corporate investigations. Berman also serves as Global Chair of the firm's Litigation Department, drawing on his prior experience as a prosecutor to advise on complex commercial litigation and defense strategies in white-collar cases. Examples of his work include counseling a Fortune 500 medical technology company during an SEC investigation, assisting a global financial institution in a DOJ inquiry, and representing the former president of Signature Bank in connection with congressional hearings related to the bank's collapse. His expertise has earned recognition from Chambers USA and The Legal 500 for white-collar crime and government investigations. As of 2025, Berman remains affiliated with Fried Frank in these leadership roles.

Academic roles and publications

Following his tenure as United States Attorney, Berman served as a visiting professor of law at for the fall 2020 quarter, teaching a course on federal criminal law. This role leveraged his extensive prosecutorial experience, including prior service as an in the Southern District of New York handling complex and public cases. No subsequent or ongoing academic appointments at Stanford or other institutions have been reported. Berman's primary publication is the 2022 memoir Holding the Line: Inside the Nation's Preeminent U.S. Attorney's Office and Its Battle with the Trump Department, published by Penguin Press. The book provides an insider account of high-profile investigations under his leadership, such as those involving and Michael Cohen, alongside alleged pressures from Department of Justice officials during the Trump administration. It draws on his firsthand observations but has drawn mixed evaluations, with some legal analysts questioning its selective emphasis on conflicts with political leadership while defending the office's independence. Prior to this, Berman contributed as note editor to the Stanford Law Review during his time as a student in the early , though no additional scholarly articles or peer-reviewed works in legal journals are documented.

Controversies and differing interpretations

Allegations of political interference in prosecutions

Geoffrey Berman, in his 2022 memoir Holding the Line, alleged that and senior Department of Justice (DOJ) officials exerted pressure on the Southern District of New York (SDNY) to initiate or alter prosecutions for political purposes during the Trump administration. Berman claimed this interference aimed to target Trump's perceived adversaries, such as former FBI Director , former Deputy Director , former Secretary of State , and cybersecurity lawyer , while seeking leniency for Trump associates. He described these efforts as unprecedented attempts to weaponize federal prosecutions, asserting that Barr personally directed him to pursue cases lacking sufficient evidence to satisfy SDNY's independent standards. Specific instances cited by Berman include the Michael Cohen prosecution, where Barr allegedly intervened to soften the SDNY's sentencing recommendation after Cohen cooperated against Trump, prompting Berman to proceed without DOJ approval to avoid perceived favoritism. In the Roger Stone case, Berman alleged pressure from Barr to reduce recommended sentencing for the Trump advisor convicted of lying to about WikiLeaks contacts. Regarding the investigation into sanctions evasion on behalf of , Berman claimed Barr ordered him to un-recuse the office following a December 2018 phone call between Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, pushing for a agreement that Berman viewed as unduly favorable to Turkey's state-owned bank. The SDNY indicted in October 2019 despite these overtures. These allegations prompted the Senate Judiciary Committee, under Democratic leadership, to launch an investigation on September 12, 2022, into potential political meddling in DOJ processes, requesting documents related to the cited cases. Berman linked the pressures to his abrupt removal from office on June 20, 2020, after he publicly refused to resign amid ongoing SDNY probes into Trump associates like . Barr and Trump administration officials denied the claims of improper interference, characterizing Barr's involvement as standard oversight of U.S. Attorneys by the . Barr described Berman's firing as his own decision, unrelated to specific cases, and dismissed post-tenure accounts like Berman's book as self-serving distortions of routine supervisory actions. Trump, who had publicly criticized SDNY as politically biased against him, asserted the office pursued investigations into his circle without merit, though no formal allegations of by Berman were substantiated in court or congressional findings. No independent probes have confirmed Berman's assertions of systemic interference, with DOJ policies permitting review of high-profile matters.

Debates over prosecutorial independence

Geoffrey Berman's tenure as acting for the Southern District of New York (SDNY), from January 2018 to June 2020, became a focal point for debates on prosecutorial , particularly following his abrupt removal from office. Appointed on an interim basis by President , Berman oversaw high-profile investigations into Trump associates, including the prosecution of Michael Cohen in 2018 for campaign finance violations and referrals related to . Critics from the Trump administration argued that Berman's office demonstrated selective enforcement, aggressively pursuing cases against Republican figures while allegedly delaying or ignoring probes into Democratic targets, such as the or Governor Andrew Cuomo's handling of nursing home deaths during the . William , in defending the decision to seek Berman's , emphasized that Berman had served over two years without confirmation, justifying the push for a permanent appointee rather than any erosion of . Berman, in his 2022 memoir Holding the Line, asserted that the Department of Justice (DOJ) under Barr exerted unprecedented political pressure on the SDNY to initiate investigations against Trump's perceived adversaries, including former and Cuomo, while seeking to curtail probes into Trump allies like . He described instances where Barr summoned him to meetings to demand action on politically motivated cases, framing his resistance—including refusal to reassign Giuliani-related investigations—as a defense of the office's historic . Supporters of this view, including congressional Democrats, cited Berman's March 2020 public statement affirming the SDNY's independence from political influence amid the sentencing, portraying his ouster as retaliation for upholding non-partisan standards. However, these claims rely heavily on Berman's personal account, which lacks independent corroboration in and has been contested by Barr, who denied any improper interference and attributed tensions to routine oversight of a powerful U.S. Attorney's office. The June 20, 2020, firing—precipitated by Berman's refusal to resign after Barr announced corporate lawyer Jay Clayton as his replacement—intensified partisan divides. Trump publicly stated he had fired Berman personally, later clarifying he deferred to Barr, while Republican senators like defended the president's authority over appointees without evidence of misconduct. Detractors, including legal scholars at , argued the episode exemplified executive overreach, noting the SDNY's tradition of relative insulation from Washington politics, as evidenced by its handling of cases like the 1MDB Malaysian corruption scandal under Berman. Conversely, analyses from conservative perspectives highlighted Berman's interim status and the DOJ's legitimate role in ensuring alignment with departmental priorities, questioning whether his office's focus on Trump-related matters reflected institutional bias rather than pure independence. Empirical data on case outcomes shows the SDNY secured over 3,000 convictions during Berman's tenure, including non-political matters like prosecutions, but debates persist over whether political considerations influenced prioritization. These contentions underscore broader tensions in U.S. federal prosecution: the balance between a U.S. Attorney's operational and to the executive branch. While Berman's post-firing before in 2020 reinforced narratives of DOJ politicization, Barr's congressional appearances maintained that no directives violated norms, attributing friction to Berman's prolonged interim role amid priorities. coverage, often aligned with critiques of the Trump administration, amplified Berman's perspective, potentially overlooking prior SDNY actions under Democratic appointees that similarly targeted opponents, thus warranting scrutiny of source incentives in evaluating claims of interference.

Evaluations of tenure's legacy

Berman's tenure as for the Southern District of New York (SDNY) from January 2018 to June 2020 has been assessed by legal analysts as strengthening the office's tradition of aggressive pursuit of complex financial crimes, corruption, and national security violations, with over 100 convictions in major fraud and bribery schemes during that period. Key achievements included the July 6, 2019, sex-trafficking indictment of financier , which exposed systemic failures in prior handling of similar allegations, and the October 10, 2019, charges against and Igor Fruman for illegal foreign donations tied to political influence efforts. The office also secured insider trading and obstruction convictions against Republican Congressman in 2019, demonstrating willingness to target figures across party lines. Former FBI Director James Comey praised Berman's refusal to quietly resign amid removal pressure, stating it upheld "the finest tradition of the office" by prioritizing institutional norms over personal accommodation. In his 2022 memoir Holding the Line, Berman recounted resisting Justice Department directives to prioritize investigations into political adversaries like Andrew Cuomo and the Clinton Foundation while deprioritizing probes into Trump associates, framing such episodes as evidence of his commitment to apolitical enforcement. Legal reviews of the book, including from Lawfare, describe Berman's account as underscoring broader risks of executive interference in federal prosecutions, thereby elevating his legacy as a guardian of SDNY autonomy despite operating under a politically aligned administration. Critics, particularly from Trump administration supporters, contend that Berman's focus on investigations involving and other allies reflected selective zeal, potentially influenced by the office's historical reputation for independence that sometimes veered into adversarial posturing against the executive. , a former SDNY U.S. Attorney, suggested in June 2020 that Berman's ouster on June 20 stemmed from frustration over "bullsh--" probes lacking merit, implying inefficiency or overreach in politically sensitive matters. Conservative commentator Andy McCarthy dismissed widespread outrage over the firing as overstated, arguing it affirmed the president's constitutional authority to remove at-will appointees like U.S. Attorneys, and questioned narratives portraying Berman as uniquely victimized by political retribution. , who requested the removal, had earlier commended Berman's leadership of "one of our nation's most significant U.S. Attorney’s Offices" but cited performance issues in high-level cases as justification. These divergent views reflect underlying debates on : mainstream legal commentary, often from outlets critical of Trump-era DOJ dynamics, emphasizes Berman's resistance to interference as a model for insulating from partisanship, while conservative perspectives highlight executive prerogative and potential institutional biases in SDNY's case selection under his watch. Empirical outcomes—such as sustained conviction rates and no substantiated claims of —support a legacy of effective enforcement, though his tenure amplified scrutiny on the balance between and in federal offices.

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  79. https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2022/09/09/former-us-attorney-dishes-how-he-held-line-against-trump-white-house/
  80. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/29/us/politics/trump-erdogan-halkbank.html
  81. https://www.durbin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/senate-judiciary-committee-to-investigate-new-reports-of-political-interference-during-trump-presidency
  82. https://www.politico.com/news/2020/06/19/trump-nominate-sec-chair-clayton-us-attorney-southern-district-330039
  83. https://www.npr.org/2020/06/25/883278573/attorney-general-barr-says-doj-acts-independent-of-trump-interests
  84. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/former-ag-barr-says-wouldnt-prosecuted-trump-jan-6-taking-classified-d-rcna18330
  85. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/19/nyregion/us-attorney-manhattan-trump.html
  86. https://ir.lawnet.fordham.edu/context/faculty_scholarship/article/2356/viewcontent/Green___Depoliticizing.pdf
  87. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/20/nyregion/trump-geoffrey-berman-fired-sdny.html
  88. https://www.foxnews.com/politics/william-barr-trump-fired-sdny-federal-prosector
  89. https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/09/politics/berman-independence-doj
  90. https://law.stanford.edu/2020/06/20/stanford-criminal-law-experts-on-firing-of-geoffrey-berman-u-s-attorney-for-southern-district-of-new-york/
  91. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-06-20/prosecutor-berman-surprised-staff-with-independence-from-trump
  92. https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/21/opinions/independent-ny-prosecutors-wont-be-cowed-rodgers-honig
  93. https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/video/us-attorney-geoffrey-s-berman-announces-charges-against-lev-parnas-and-igor-fruman
  94. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/06/20/james-comey-something-stinks/
  95. https://www.foxnews.com/politics/rudy-giuliani-says-trump-may-have-fired-us-attorney-over-bullsh-investigations-report
  96. https://www.foxnews.com/media/andy-mccarthy-firing-us-attorney-trump-berman
  97. https://www.wsj.com/articles/manhattan-u-s-attorney-geoffrey-berman-stepping-down-from-post-11592618520
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