Nicholas McQuaid, the second-in-command at the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, plans to leave at the end of this week, a department spokesman said.
During nearly 20 months at DOJ, he led the criminal division on an acting basis through July 2021 and then as its permanent deputy. McQuaid played a significant role in developing new white-collar enforcement policies, and created and supervised a team dedicated to investigating and prosecuting cryptocurrency schemes.
Criminal Division Chief Kenneth Polite said he was fortunate to have McQuaid’s “wise counsel” in both positions. “I have benefited from his great judgment, strategic vision, integrity and commitment to our work,” he said.
McQuaid’s exit leaves a senior vacancy for Polite at a moment when department leadership is readying to unveil further corporate crime policies on Sept. 15.
A White House aide to former President Barack Obama, McQuaid is expected to return to Latham & Watkins, where he was a partner in New York. But a final decision on his next destination has not been made, according to a source familiar with the move.
A Latham & Watkins spokeswoman didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
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