Honorable William J. Hochul, Jr., United States Attorney for the Western District of New York presented at a P.A.T.H. Coalition Night on the prosecution’s role in bringing traffickers to justice and gave local case examples. He spoke of the impact of social media and how perpetrators use the internet to recruit victims.
William J. Hochul, Jr. has worked as a federal prosecutor for well over twenty five years. From the District of Columbia to Western New York, Mr. Hochul has prosecuted virtually every type of criminal case, ranging from white collar to violent crime, and was among the first to use the federal racketeering laws to dismantle street gangs.
Following the events of September 11, 2001, Mr. Hochul focused on counter-terrorism, and served as lead prosecutor in several high-profile international terrorism cases. This included the prosecution of the “Lackawanna Six” – the first known instance of Americans training with al Qaeda – for which Mr. Hochul and others received the Department of Justice’s highest honor, the Attorney General’s Award for Exceptional Service.
In addition to serving as the Chief federal law enforcement officer for the area, Mr. Hochul also supervises all federal civil cases in which the Government is a party.
Mr. Hochul is married to New York State Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul. Mr. Hochul is the father of William III, an attorney practicing in Miami, and Caitlin, who works in Virginia.
Mr. Hochul has stated, “One of the most rewarding aspects of this job is meeting with ordinary citizens and community groups, and targeting resources where they can be best used. People need to know someone will stand up for them when they have been wronged – my commitment to the community is that our entire staff will do just that each and every day.”