Morgenthau, Manhattan Prosecutor Since 1961, Won’t Run Again

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Morgenthau, Manhattan Prosecutor Since 1961, Won’t Run Again
By Karen Freifeld

Feb. 28 (Bloomberg) -- Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau, a New York prosecutor with criminal jurisdiction over much of the U.S. financial industry for almost five decades, announced he won’t run for another term.

“I never expected to be here this long,” Morgenthau said yesterday at a press conference. “Recently I figured that I’d served 25 years beyond the normal retirement age.”

Morgenthau, 89, first elected district attorney in 1974, was the U.S. attorney in Manhattan before that, having been appointed by President John F. Kennedy. He said yesterday he was in good health and would serve the remaining 10 months of his term.

“He was the first person to actively focus on misconduct in the securities industry, in the accounting profession, in the banking industry and among tax frauds,” John Moscow, an attorney who worked under Morgenthau for 30 years, said in a phone interview. “His prosecutions are based on a concept there should be one law for the rich and the poor alike.”

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Asked about advice for his successor, Morgenthau said “fly straight.” About his future plans, he said his older brother, 93, e-mailed him that “It’s a bad time to be looking for a job.” What cases was he was most proud of? “Every case is important to the victim,” he said.

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