ALBANY REDESIGNATED AS PRIMARY OFFICE OF THE U.S. ATTONERY’S OFFICE FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK

ALBANY, NEW YORK - The Executive Office for United States Attorneys, in coordination with the General Services Administration, has approved the redesignation of the Albany office as the primary headquarters location of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of New York.

By bringing the district's headquarters into closer alignment with the federal agencies whose largest regional presence is based in Albany, this transition creates a more unified and efficient operating landscape. The move positions our leadership within facilities that meet the modern demands of federal prosecution and support closer collaboration with the full range of federal partners. It strengthens routine coordination, enables a more effective All-of-Government approach, supports faster and more cohesive investigative work, and builds on the interagency cooperation that is critical to successful federal prosecution.

"The Northern District of New York continues to evolve in ways that honor our history and strengthen our future," said First Assistant U.S. Attorney John A. Sarcone III. "Returning the primary office to Albany enhances our ability to work side-by-side with the federal agencies that anchor law enforcement in this region. This is a significant achievement for our district, and I am proud of the collaborative effort that made it possible."

"Our mission remains steadfast: to uphold the law, protect the public, and serve the people of this district with fairness, integrity, and unwavering accountability," Sarcone continued. "This redesignation advances that mission by placing our primary office where it can most effectively support today's investigative demands and the long-term success of our district."

In the years following the opening of the James M. Hanley Federal Building in the late 1970s, the district's primary office designation transitioned to Syracuse, reflecting an administrative realignment responsive to the needs and priorities of that period. The decision to now place the district's primary office in Albany marks a return to a location that sits at the geographic and operational center of the Northern District's 32 counties. Albany offers a more balanced vantage point for managing the full breadth of our work-from the critical efforts carried out across the North Country by our Plattsburgh branch, to the wide range of cases arising in Central New York through Syracuse, and the matters handled along the corridor into the Southern Tier in Binghamton. This central location strengthens oversight, supports coordinated districtwide operations, and better aligns our leadership with the realities of serving a region that stretches from the Canadian border to the Southern Tier.

The Northern District of New York was created by Congress in 1814, with court initially convening in Utica, Canandaigua, and Salem. Congress designated Albany as a place of court in 1818, and early U.S. Attorneys-beginning with Roger Skinner, appointed by President James Madison-operated from the capital region as the district expanded across upstate New York. Although the district later established major court locations in Syracuse, Binghamton and Plattsburg, Albany remained central to its development, connected to the state's government, its civic institutions, and its longstanding federal presence.

This redesignation returns the district's primary office to its historical foundation, linking a 212-year legacy to the operational needs of the present day. By restoring Albany as the headquarters of the Northern District of New York, the office reaffirms both its history and its future.