Hagan Scotten

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Hagan Scotten
Personal details
Born
Long Island, New York, U.S.
PartyRepublican
Education
Military service
AllegianceFile:Flag of the United States.svg United States
Branch/serviceFile:Flag of the United States Army.svg United States Army
RankCaptain
UnitUnited States Army Special Forces
 • 5th Special Forces Group
Commands5th Special Forces Group
Battles/warsIraq War
AwardsBronze Star (2)

Hagan Scotten is an American attorney who was an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York until his resignation in February 2025. He is a currently a partner at Hueston Hennigan.[1]

Early life and military service

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Scotten was born on Long Island, New York.[2]

Scotten served in the US Army for nine years.[3] He served three combat tours in Iraq during the Iraq War as a captain in the United States Army Special Forces.[4] He earned two Bronze Star Medals as a troop commander in the Fifth Special Forces Group.[5] He was honorably discharged from the military in 2007.[5]

Education

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In the late 1990s, Scotten studied history at Georgetown University.[6] In 2010, Scotten graduated from Harvard Law School summa cum laude, earning a Fay Diploma given to valedictorians. While at Harvard Law School, Scotten worked on the Harvard Law Review and was named best oralist in the Ames Moot Court Competition in the fall of 2009.[5]

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Upon graduating from Harvard Law School, Scotten served as a law clerk for Brett Kavanaugh, then a judge of the US Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit before Kavanaugh's elevation to the U.S. Supreme Court. Scotten subsequently clerked for another conservative jurist, Chief Justice John Roberts of the U.S. Supreme Court.[5][7][8]

After clerking, Scotten entered private practice as an associate for Hogan Lovells. Speaking on behalf of Supreme Court clerks, he said: "Most of us had $100,000 in law-school debt... Getting rid of that debt is a good way to start,” expressing a hope to return to government service.[9][10]

Assistant U.S. Attorney

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See also: 2025 Trump Justice Department Resignations

As an Assistant U.S. Attorney, Scotten initially handled organized crime and gang cases, including the largest gang take down in the history of New York City, and the conviction of the leadership of the Luchese Family of La Cosa Nostra—one of the New York Mafia’s “Five Families”—for murder, racketeering, and other crimes.[11][12] Scotten received the Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service for both cases.[13][14] Scotten also tried and convicted Scott Tucker, the owner of a fraudulent $3.5 billion payday lending business.[15]

Scotten later prosecuted public corruption offenses, including the conviction of former FBI Special Agent in Charge of Counterintelligence Charles McGonigal for violating U.S. sanctions against Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, the conviction of Lev Parnas for campaign finance and fraud crimes, and the conviction of bank CEO and chairman Stephen Calk for extending millions of dollars in risky loans in exchange for improper assistance in Calk’s attempt to become Secretary of the Army.[16][17][18]

Scotten became co-chief of appeals for the Southern District of New York U.S. Attorney’s Office along with Danielle Sassoon.[19]

As an Assistant US Attorney, Scotten handled corruption cases, securing a 9-year sentence against Lamor Whitehead for fraud in 2024.[20]

In the summer of 2021, Scotten initiated an investigation into New York City Mayor Eric Adams. In September 2024, a grand jury seated in the Southern District of New York indicted Adams on charges of conspiracy, wire fraud, and bribery from Turkish officials.

In February 2025, acting U.S. Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove instructed interim United States attorney Danielle Sassoon, to whom Scotten reported, to have Scotten dismiss the charges against Adams without prejudice. Refusing to do so, Sassoon resigned on February 13, 2025, and in a letter criticized Bove's explicitly political motivations.[21]

File:Hagan Scotten Resignation Letter.pdf
Hagan Scotten resignation letter

The following day, Scotten also resigned, writing that:[20][21][22][23]

Any assistant U.S. attorney would know that our laws and traditions do not allow using the prosecutorial power to influence other citizens, much less elected officials. If no lawyer within earshot of the President is willing to give him that advice, then I expect you will eventually find someone who is enough of a fool, or enough of a coward, to file your motion. But it was never going to be me.

References

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  1. ^ https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/doj-lawyer-who-quit-over-adams-case-joins-law-firm-hueston-hennigan-2025-06-02/
  2. ^ Ireland, Corydon (February 8, 2010). "Harvard veterans talk about combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, and life at the University". The Harvard Gazette.
  3. ^ "Army Court of Criminal Appeals hears case at Harvard Law School," Harvard Law Today, February 13, 2009.
  4. ^ "HLS veterans defend Kagan from “anti-military” charges," Harvard Law Record, February 19, 2009.
  5. ^ a b c d "On their way to the next adventure: A look at five new graduates." Harvard Law Today, June 3, 2010.
  6. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  7. ^ Ross O'Keefe (February 14, 2025). "Eric Adams prosecutor resigns, says only a ‘fool’ would drop case in dramatic letter," The Gazette.
  8. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  9. ^ Artemus Ward, Christina Dwyer, Kiranjit Gill (2014). "Bonus Babies Escape Golden Handcuffs: How Money and Politics Has Transformed the Career Paths of Supreme Court Law Clerks," Marquette Law Review.
  10. ^ Bruce Love (July 14, 2021). "Signing Bonuses for Supreme Court Clerks Are Set for Another Jump," Law.com.
  11. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
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  22. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  23. ^ Ramey, Corinne, and Sadie Gurman, "Another Star U.S. Prosecutor Quits Over Eric Adams Case, Wall Street Journal, February 14, 2025. Retrieved 2025-02-14.(subscription required)
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