Staff Reports
The United States Senate, in a vote taken Thursday morning, has unanimously confirmed the appointment of William Hochul Jr. to be the United States Attorney for the Western District of New York.
Hochul will be officially sworn in sometime this week.
“I am extremely honored to have been recommended by Sen. Charles Schumer and nominated by the president to serve as United States attorney for the 17 counties of Western New York,” Hochul said after the confirmation vote.
“While there are many challenges facing us, I will draw on my 23 years of experience as a federal prosecutor to protect our community and to ensure the fair administration of justice.”
Hochul is a career federal prosecutor who has handled numerous high profile cases over the past two decades involving violent street gangs, organized crime groups, fraud and terrorism. One of Hochul's highest profile terrorism cases involved the prosecution of the Lackawanna Six.
The case involved six men from Lackawanna who trained at an al Qaeda, camp in Afghanistan.
Since 2002, Hochul has supervised all international and domestic terrorism investigations conducted in this area of the country, and for the past several years, has also supervised all organized crime, human trafficking, and other sensitive national security matters.
He is also known in the Niagara County area for his role as the lead prosecutor in the Laborers Local 91 corruption investigation.
Hochul is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and the University at Buffalo Law School. He began his legal career clerking for a judge on the Maryland Court of Appeals, and as an associate at a large Washington, D.C. law firm.
In 1987, Hochul joined the United States Attorney's Office in the District of Columbia, where he prosecuted a large number of violent crime, fraud, narcotics, and other cases. He later specialized in the prosecution of first degree murder cases.
Among the honors Hochul has received are the United States Attorney General's Award for Exceptional Service, the highest award conferred by the United States Department of Justice. Hochul has also been given a Service to America Award and the Federal Law Foundation's Investigator of the Year Award.
He was also recognized by McGraw-Hill Engineer News-Record magazine as a Top 25 Newsmaker for his work on the Local 91 cases.
Hochul is the husband of Erie County Clerk Kathy Hochul.
