NEW YORK (AP) — The former interim U.S. attorney who resigned rather than comply with orders to drop a criminal case against New York Mayor Eric Adams defended her integrity during her testimony in Manhattan federal court on Thursday.
Danielle Sassoon testified for over an hour amidst a defense attorney's claims that she had suggested to the prosecutors that a woman connected to the FTX cryptocurrency scandal could avoid charges if her boyfriend accepted guilt. Sassoon firmly opposed this assertion, emphasizing that she had communicated clearly that no such agreement could exist.
I’m not in the business of gotcha or tricking people into pleading guilty, Sassoon stated while Judge George B. Daniels presided. Sassoon has since transitioned to private practice.
Formerly an aide to the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, Sassoon left her interim position as U.S. attorney earlier this year after rejecting a directive from the Justice Department to abandon corruption charges against Adams. Those charges were later dropped after prosecutors sought a judicial ruling.
The court hearing delved into the ongoing negotiation attempts by Michelle Bond's legal team, as they tried to convince the judge that prosecutors had reneged on promises related to her prosecution while pushing her boyfriend to plead guilty.
Testimony indicated that Bond was implicated through a supposed sham consulting agreement tied to her congressional campaign, funded via FTX cryptocurrency resources. The intricacies of the case continue to unravel, with future court dates set for continued testimonies.
