The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York — who oversaw high-profile convictions in the “El Chapo” and Nxivm cases — is stepping down to take a top job with the Department of Justice, his office confirmed Thursday evening.
Richard Donoghue is leaving the Eastern District, which includes Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island, to serve as Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General, the top deputy to Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen.
After he was appointed to the job in 2018, Donoghue oversaw convictions in the trials of drug trafficker Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzman and Nxivm sex cult founder Keith Raniere.
In his new role at the Justice Department, Donoghue is expected to help facilitate communications between all U.S. attorneys.
The Eastern District did not announce a replacement as of this writing.
Donoghue’s resignation comes about two weeks after Geoffrey Berman, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, was fired after refusing Attorney General William Barr’s order to step down.