Attorney behind Adani's bribery charges to resign before Trump's inauguration
What's the story
Breon Peace, the Brooklyn US attorney who spearheaded the case against Indian billionaire Gautam Adani over alleged bribery charges, has announced his resignation effective from January 10. Calling his tenure "the honor of a lifetime," Peace will resign before President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration on January 20. Carolyn Pokorny, First Assistant US Attorney, will succeed him as head of the Eastern District of New York.
Legal victories
Peace's tenure marked by high-profile convictions
During his tenure, Peace handled several high-profile cases, such as singer R Kelly's trial and conviction for sex trafficking. Kelly was sentenced to 30 years in prison in 2022. Under Peace's leadership, former US Representative George Santos pleaded guilty to misusing campaign funds. Other notable trial victories include the sentencing of Mexico's former top public security official, Genaro Garcia Luna, to over 38 years in prison for aiding "El Chapo" and the Sinaloa cartel.
Bribery cases
Major foreign bribery convictions and corporate penalties
Peace's office also won major foreign bribery convictions. These included Roger Ng, a former Goldman Sachs banker involved in the 1MDB scandal, and Manuel Chang, former Mozambique finance minister implicated in a $2 billion fraud. Javier Aguilar, a former Vitol Group oil trader, was convicted for bribing Mexican and Ecuadorian officials. Further, major financial penalties were imposed on corporations like Gunvor Group Ltd., RTX Corp., and UBS Group AG under Peace's leadership.
Career trajectory
Adani's indictment and Peace's career overview
Notably, in November, Adani was indicted by Peace's office for allegedly defrauding US investors by concealing a bribery scheme to obtain Indian government contracts. Adani has since maintained he is working through the legal process to prove compliance. Before his US Attorney appointment, Peace was a federal prosecutor from 2000 to 2002 and then joined Cleary Gottlieb as a partner in white-collar criminal defense.