Jamaican, Damian Williams Tapped to Head U.S. Attorney’s Office in New York

by Howard Campbell

[NEW YORK] – Another American official with Caribbean heritage has been earmarked for a high-ranking  position. The latest is New York prosecutor Damian Williams.

Tapped to head the influential U. S. Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of New York, he has strong Jamaican roots. His father is from Westmoreland parish and his mother from Clarendon parish.

Two weeks ago, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer recommended the Brooklyn, New York-born Williams for a post once held by Rudy Giuliani and James Comey.

Williams heads the Securities and Commodities Task Force in the U. S. Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of New York. If confirmed, he would be the first black person to serve as Manhattan’s U S Attorney.

NYU Law School

“Damian Williams has tremendous legal acumen, is deeply experienced in the Southern District, has tried significant cases and has a strong commitment to equal justice and civil rights under the law. He is ready to take the helm to steer the Southern District forward into a bright future,” said Schumer.

Williams, 40, is a graduate of Yale University who clerked for current U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland.

Family Heritage

His parents met while medical and nursing students at Howard University in the early 1970’s. The Williams family is from Frome, a sugar producing region in Westmoreland, a rural parish where some of Jamaica’s most famous tourist hotels are located.

His father, Andre Williams, is one of five brothers who are physicians,  dentists and one brother manages a flooring business.

Damian Williams oversees a team of prosecutors that works with law enforcement agencies to investigate white-collar crimes. He served as an assistant U. S. attorney in the Southern District until 2018.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York has prosecuted well-known figures such as junk bond king Michael Milken and culinary queen Martha Stewart.

Susan Rice, Director of the United States Domestic Policy Council, also has Jamaican roots. Karine Jean-Pierre, Deputy White House Press Secretary, was born in Martinique to Haitian parents.