Who is Damian Williams? US attorney breaks down indictment against Diddy, claims rapper is a danger to society

The US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Damian Williams, held a press conference on September 16 to answer questions about the arrest and indictment of Sean "Diddy" Combs. Williams shared that weapons and ammunition including a drum magazine, three AR-15s with tampered serial numbers, and other firearms were reportedly seized from the rapper’s Miami and Los Angeles homes.

The district attorney said that photo and video evidence of the music executive's “Freak Offs” were reportedly seized during the raids, adding that the authorities are not done with their investigation as of yet. He further described Diddy as a "danger to society".

When asked about Diddy's exact number of victims, Williams just said that there were “multiple”.

Damian Williams is the head of the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York. He is a graduate of Yale Law School, Cambridge University, and Harvard University. He also served as a law clerk for Judge Merrick B. Garland of the US Court of Appeals and Justice John Paul Stevens of the US Supreme Court.

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Damian Williams is associated with many high-profile cases

Damian Williams is the Southern District of New York's first Black US attorney. He was recommended by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer in March 2021, and nominated by President Biden in August 2021, before becoming the District's chief federal law enforcement officer.

In his role as a district attorney, Damian Williams oversees the investigation and prosecution of all federal offenses as well as the litigation of all civil cases in which the US has a stake.

In addition, Williams chairs the Attorney General's Advisory Committee (AGAC), which is a small group of US Attorneys that counsels the Attorney General on issues of administration, process, and policy.

From 2007 to 2008, Damian worked as Judge Merrick Garland's law clerk at the United States Court of Appeals. After that from 2008 to 2009, he worked as a legal clerk for US Supreme Court Justice Stevens. He also worked as a litigation associate at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison from 2009 to 2012.

From 2012 to 2021, he served as an assistant United States attorney (AUSA) in the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York. During this role, he headed the securities and commodities fraud task force.

Williams has been engaged in several high-profile cases in the past, including the cases of crypto hedge fund CEO Sam Bankman-Fried and socialite Ghislaine Maxwell. Sheldon Silver, the former speaker of the New York State Assembly, who was convicted of corruption, was found guilty in 2018 thanks to Williams' assistance. Several other well-known figures, such as Bob Menendez have been prosecuted by him.