Queens' Top Federal Law Enforcement Officer Steps Down

QUEENS, NY — The top federal law enforcement officer in Queens will resign from his post later this month, officials announced Monday.

Seth DuCharme, who was appointed last year as the acting U.S. attorney for the district that includes the borough of Queens, plans to step down March 19 and transition into private practice, according to a news release.

He will be replaced by First Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark J. Lesko.

"I have enjoyed a long and rewarding career in the Department, from Deputy U.S. Marshal to Principal Deputy Associate Attorney General of the United States, to my current position," DuCharme said in a written statement. "At each stage of my career, I was blessed to be faced with worthy challenges on behalf of the American people."

Then-U.S. Attorney General William Barr appointed DuCharme to his post as the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York in July 2020. The district handles federal cases in Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and Nassau and Suffolk Counties on Long Island.

During his tenure, DuCharme created the Bank Integrity Task Force to investigate money laundering and expanded the office’s Rapid and Strategic Prosecution Initiative to more effectively use crime data to identify, investigate and prosecute violent armed criminal and organizations, according to a spokesperson.

DuCharme first joined the office in 2008.