That Williams' office has managed to bring two cases of this magnitude so close in time probably won't surprise anyone who's traced his "compelling biography." His resume is one of legend: Born to Jamaican parents in Brooklyn before moving to Atlanta, Williams attended Harvard, Cambridge and Yale Law School. And then he began his ascent to the tippy-top of the legal elite: clerkships for now-Attorney General Merrick Garland, who was a federal appeals court judge at the time, and for then-Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens; a stint at Paul Weiss, one of the country's most prestigious - and liberal-leaning - law firms; and a coveted position as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Southern District of New York, which encompasses Manhattan and the Bronx, along with six suburban and even exurban upstate counties.

SDNY, as the office is known, is also occasionally referred to as the "Sovereign District" for its historic independence, as well as its size (Williams supervises around 220 lawyers), the quality of its lawyers, and the sophistication of its cases. But even in the nation's premier U.S. attorney's office, Williams distinguished himself, focusing on "white collar cases involving corruption in financial markets and politics" before becoming the chief of the securities unit. And he was still holding that civil-service role - as opposed to retreating to a cushy law firm partnership - when President Joe Biden nominated him to be U.S. attorney. Upon his confirmation, he became the first Black person in SDNY's then-234-year history to lead the office.