The Manhattan U.S. Attorney’s Office appointed a new head of its appeals unit on Thursday following the confirmation of Katherine Failla, the division’s prior chief, as a federal judge. Michael Levy, who had been a member of the office’s securities and commodities fraud task force, will take over the unit, which handles cases before the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Levy joined the office in 2002. He was part of the team that prosecuted former Mayer Brown partner Joseph Collins for his alleged participation in the $2.4 billion fraud at commodities broker Refco. A jury convicted Collins in November at his second trial. Levy also prosecuted former New York State Sen. Efrain Gonzalez, who was sentenced in 2010 to seven years in prison for using two non-profits to pay for his personal expenses. More on Reuters here.
