'Disbarment would be appropriate': Bar complaint filed against Trump's top prosecutor in upstate New York over 'alleged dishonesty' and First Amendment concerns

A postulation of ineligible and property state nonprofits precocious filed a bar complaint against Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of New York John Sarcone III implicit allegations helium whitethorn person "engaged successful dishonest and unethical behaviour warranting discipline."

The five-page complaint comes aft a bid of captious reports from the Times Union, the large regular paper for the Albany region.

One of those reports details however President Donald Trump's antheral successful upstate New York is allegedly utilizing a fake code successful bid to comply with residency rules that necessitate the apical national authoritative for immoderate fixed territory to really unrecorded successful the territory they represent.

The ailment does not mince words and describes the purported residence arsenic a "boarded up, uninhabitable Albany property" which "conveniently appears intended to beryllium his compliance with residency requirements for U.S. Attorneys provided by national law."

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The ailment notes that successful 2024, Sarcone mounted an "unsuccessful" run for the bureau of Westchester County District Attorney "which is much than 100 miles from Albany and wherever his superior residence of the municipality of Cortlandt is located."

"That's the residence that I person — that I established erstwhile I got here," the authoritative told the newspaper, referring to the Albany building.

The barroom ailment goes connected to item further incidents of "alleged egregious dishonesty" involving the interim national prosecutor.

"He reportedly falsely told the property that a sheet of national judges had voted to widen his interim tenure arsenic U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of New York beyond its 120-day term," the ailment goes on, citing another Times Union story.

In yet different allegation, the barroom ailment takes Sarcone to task for allegedly pressuring instrumentality enforcement to complaint an alleged knife-brandishing antheral with attempted execution aft being told the transgression suspect could lone beryllium charged with menacing. In that case, the antheral successful question was charged by the section sheriff's office with attempted murder, but the section territory attorney's bureau yet downgraded the charge.

"Of course, a licensed lawyer and an serviceman of the tribunal making misleading nationalist statements and pressing for unwarranted transgression charges are each grounds for disciplinary action, arsenic is filing mendacious affidavits and making mendacious statements to circumvent residency requirements to service arsenic a national prosecutor," the ailment reads. "Sarcone should beryllium disciplined for that misconduct if the Committee's probe confirms the allegations, particularly fixed the betrayal of spot reflected successful immoderate alleged attempts by Sarcone to mislead the nationalist successful bid to service successful a presumption for which helium arguably was not eligible."

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The organizations, however, importune each those claims are a prelude to the main crushed they privation Sarcone investigated by an morals panel.

And here, the Times Union is undeniably portion of the story.

The organizations – Reinvent Albany, Demand Progress Education Fund and Freedom of the Press Foundation – allege the authoritative retaliated against the paper for its reporting connected "the residency issue." Again, the ailment references a Times Union story.

"The Times Union reported connected July 9, 2025 that Sarcone directed his unit to region the Times Union and its unit members from his U.S. Attorney's office's media organisation database pursuing its June 27 reporting," the ailment goes on. "He reportedly sent an email to each of his adjunct U.S. attorneys seeking to corroborate that the Times Union had been removed from the list."

In that story, which cites anonymous sources, Sarcone is described arsenic "incensed by the article" astir the residency requirement.

"Maybe so, but it is simply a classical usurpation of the First Amendment for nationalist officials to retaliate against media outlets that knock oregon analyse them, including by removing them from property lists," the ailment continues earlier referencing a 2019 U.S. Supreme Court ruling astir authorities retaliation. "It is well-established that the First Amendment 'prohibits authorities officials from subjecting an idiosyncratic to retaliatory actions for engaging successful protected speech.'"

The ailment elaborates connected the First Amendment issue, astatine length:

Sarcone's reported alleged dishonesty with respect to his idiosyncratic affairs unsocial warrants probe and subject if the allegations are confirmed, but his disregard for the First Amendment has acold greater interaction connected the residents of his district. Like each Americans, they are entitled to perceive and work disapproval of section officials from a escaped property unrestrained by the menace of unconstitutional retaliation from authorities officials who should cognize better. We are besides gravely acrophobic that allowing enormously almighty prosecutors to punish protected criticisms with impunity volition yet intimidate those New York residents into silence.

Citing the New York Rules of Professional Conduct, the ailment suggests Sarcone abused his bureau and whitethorn beryllium incapable to fulfill his nonrecreational relation arsenic a lawyer. To that end, the ailment highlights 4 rules "that whitethorn person been violated" arsenic the ground for an investigation.

The organizations constituent barroom authorities to the regularisation requiring competent representation, the regularisation barring lawyers from making statements apt to origin worldly prejudice successful a substance they are involved, the regularisation prohibiting attorneys from engaging successful behaviour involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit oregon misrepresentation, and the regularisation prohibiting behaviour prejudicial to the medication of justice.

"We respectfully petition that the Committee unfastened an probe to find whether Sarcone's behaviour described supra violates the Rules of Professional Conduct, and enforce due sanctions," the ailment concludes. "Given the value of Sarcone's relation arsenic U.S. Attorney, and the level of competence and integrity that the nationalist is entitled to expect from idiosyncratic successful that position, complainants judge suspension oregon disbarment would beryllium appropriate."

Law&Crime reached retired to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of New York for remark connected this story, but nary effect was instantly forthcoming astatine the clip of publication.

This is the 2nd barroom ailment filed against Sarcone since helium assumed his station successful the 2nd Trump administration's Department of Justice. Earlier this month, the Campaign for Accountability, a nonprofit authorities watchdog, filed a ailment citing six of the rules governing lawyer behaviour successful the Empire State.