U.S. Attorney William Hochul said he plans to get back into private practice after he leaves his position on October 28th. The U.S. Attorney for the Western District of New York wouldn't say if he had any specific plans in place after he ends his nearly 30 year career with the Department of Justice.
When asked, Hochul said his decision to retire had "nothing to do" with the ongoing federal investigation into people involved with the Buffalo Billion.
Hochul said he enjoyed his time as a U.S. Attorney, but that after his decades of work the time was "appropriate" to step down.
"As a lawyer in private practice you certainly work for the good," he said. "You work for your client. So as I go into private practice, who knows what the future will bring for me."
During his time in Western New York, Hochul said he prosecuted thousands of cases. He tackled issues ranging from criminal pollution, to the heroin and opioid crisis to trafficking ivory.
Hochul also earned a reputation for prosecuting high profile terrorism cases. He successfully led the prosecution for the Lackawanna Six, the first known group of Americans to travel and train with Al Qaeda. Hochul was the U.S. Attorney when a recruiter for ISIS was convicted.
"This office not only arrested the first ISIL recruiter captured anywhere in the world," he said. "We convicted him and we received the longest sentence for any terrorist recruiter of any criminal organization."
Hochul's last day will be Friday, October 28.
