DOJ Reassigns Top Criminal Division Leaders in Latest Shakeup

A former federal prosecutor in New York is replacing Antoinette “Toni” Bacon in overseeing the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, in the latest leadership shakeup inside the agency during the Trump administration.

Matthew Galeotti, who was until recently an assistant US attorney in the Eastern District of New York, informed staff that he’s joining the Criminal Division as a supervisory official, according to an email seen by Bloomberg Law.

The move came as Glenn Leon, the fraud section chief, also got reassigned to a detail in the Office of Deputy Attorney General, according to three people familiar with the matter.

The Senate on Wednesday confirmed Todd Blanche, a former Trump criminal defense attorney, as deputy attorney general, which serves as second-in-command in the department.

The DOJ didn’t immediately return a request for comment.

Bacon, a veteran federal prosecutor who in January became acting head of the criminal unit, was “asked to work on a department priority” but will help Galeotti in the transition, according to the email.

“In the coming weeks, I’ll meet with each section to talk about priorities, how we can adapt to meet evolving threats, and how to put ourselves in the best position to succeed,” Galeotti said. “There will be challenges, but we will meet them together.”

Bacon was among the lawyers to file a federal court motion to drop a corruption case against New York Mayor Eric Adams, after several lawyers in Manhattan and Washington resigned instead of complying with an order from Acting US Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove.

Trump has yet to announce a nominee for the criminal division’s assistant attorney general.

The Criminal Division includes about 1,500 lawyers and support staff pursuing white collar and violent crime cases. The fraud section tackles such areas as foreign bribery and healthcare fraud.

Several DOJ officials have gotten reassigned as part of the Trump administration’s push to overhaul law enforcement and devote more resources to immigration. It remains unclear, however, what responsibilities Bacon and Leon will have in their new roles.