White-Collar Prosecutions ‘Reset’ in Brooklyn: New York Brief

A top Brooklyn prosecutor signaled white-collar enforcement would ramp up but that the focus is shifting from traditional areas like securities cases.

“If you have fewer people, you can bring fewer cases,” said Alixandra Smith, chief of the criminal division for the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, citing a hiring freeze and the government shutdown as impacting enforcement.

“This year was a bit of a reset. We’ve now hired a bunch of new people we’re getting in the door.”

Still, she said, there’s been “a shift in resources” under the Trump administration. “There’s a real ...