MAYOR DE BLASIO NOMINATES MARGARET GARNETT TO SERVE AS COMMISSIONER OF THE DEPARTMENT OF INVESTIGATION

Veteran federal and state prosecutor to lead City watchdog agency

  Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that he has nominated Margaret Garnett to serve as Commissioner of the Department of Investigation. Garnett currently serves as Executive Deputy Attorney General for Criminal Justice in the Office of the New York State Attorney General, where she supervises more than 150 prosecutors and 130 criminal investigators while advising the Attorney General on criminal justice policy.

“Margaret has spent decades protecting the public’s interest, prosecuting criminals both inside and outside of government. She is fiercely dedicated to defending what’s right and will bring that independence and integrity to the Department of Investigation. I thank Mark Peters for his service and look forward to the City Council’s consideration of Ms. Garnett’s appointment,” said Mayor de Blasio.

Prior to her time with the New York State Attorney General, Garnett spent 12 years as a federal prosecutor in the office of the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, where she was responsible for prosecuting gang violence, racketeering, organized crime, violent crime, international terror and tax fraud.

As DOI Commissioner, Garnett will use her experience to protect New York City taxpayers and residents from fraud, waste and abuse.

“Nothing matters more than integrity in public service. As Commissioner for the Department of Investigation, I will make it my mission to ensure that everyone working for New York City adheres to the highest standard of ethics and is deserving of the public’s trust,” said Margaret Garnett. “I am honored and excited to lead this important, independent office, filled with distinguished professionals who carry out their mission with integrity and dedication every day. Throughout my career I have been an advocate for justice, cracking down on public corruption, organized crime and financial fraud. That unwavering commitment to doing what is right – often in the public eye – will only continue during my service at the Department of Investigation.”

In the interim, Leslie Brovner, formerly First Deputy Commissioner at the Department of Investigation, will serve as Acting Commissioner.

About Margaret Garnett

Margaret Garnett serves as the Executive Deputy Attorney General for Criminal Justice. Previously, Ms. Garnett was an Assistant United States Attorney in the Criminal Division in New York’s Southern District, where she served as Chief of Appeals and Chief of Violent and Organized Crime Unit, among other roles. She tried fifteen criminal cases to verdict, including the then largest tax fraud case in US history. In 2011, Ms. Garnett received the Director’s Award for Outstanding Performance as an Assistant United States Attorney, the second-highest award in the Department of Justice. In 2016, Ms. Garnett received the 2016 Stimson Medal, given annually by the Association for the Bar of the City of New York to one exceptional Assistant United States Attorney from each division of the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York. Ms. Garnett was previously an Associate at Watchell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz. Ms. Garnett has served as an adjunct professor at Columbia University Law and Brooklyn Law School, and clerked for the Honorable Gerard E. Lynch in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. She received her B.A. at the University of Notre Dame, her M.A. from Yale University, and her J.D. from Columbia University. Garnett lives in Brooklyn with her husband and their twins.