# Former prosecuter of mobsters and terrorists to head SEC **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 25, 2013, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-prosecuter-of-mobsters-and-terrorists-to-head-sec/648276 "2013-01-25T00:45:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![deltasigma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e5b9ba/32.png) [@deltasigma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/deltasigma)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2013, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-prosecuter-of-mobsters-and-terrorists-to-head-sec/648276/1 "2013-01-25T00:45:38Z")
How appropriate. A little late, but hey, let’s get some CSI techs in here to photograph the dismembered portfolios and see if we can’t track down the killers. :rolleyes: [Story](http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-250_162-57565707/obama-taps-mary-jo-white-to-lead-sec/) > [@](#): > > Signaling the possibility of an aggressive new strategy for regulating Wall Street, President Obama today nominated Mary Jo White, a former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York and high-profile prosecutor, to head up the Securities and Exchange Commission. > > Mr. Obama, in remarks announcing the nomination this afternoon, lauded White for her career accomplishments – which include prosecuting both mafia boss John Gotti and the mastermind behind the 1993 World Trade Center bombing – and expressed confidence in her abilities to help the administration keep Wall Street in check. > > “You don’t want to mess with Mary Jo,” Mr. Obama said. “Mary Jo does not intimidate easily, and that’s important because she has a big job ahead of her.” ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2013, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-prosecuter-of-mobsters-and-terrorists-to-head-sec/648276/2 "2013-01-25T12:37:05Z")
Rudy Guiliani (ex-Mayor of NYC, for those who don’t know) made his career as a prosecutor of the Mafia. It is often remarked that his father was a Mafioso (which is true), and Guiliani’s earnestness in that area was a result. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2013, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-prosecuter-of-mobsters-and-terrorists-to-head-sec/648276/3 "2013-01-25T13:11:12Z")
What’s with the rolleyes? The Wall Street types always portray themselves as tough and intimidating types to cross. You’re saying they’re not? ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2013, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-prosecuter-of-mobsters-and-terrorists-to-head-sec/648276/4 "2013-01-25T13:35:13Z")
So you find it surprising that someone with a career in pursuing criminals has been put in charge of an enforcement agency? Can you explain why? ---
**Author:** ![deltasigma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e5b9ba/32.png) [@deltasigma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/deltasigma)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2013, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-prosecuter-of-mobsters-and-terrorists-to-head-sec/648276/5 "2013-01-25T18:48:50Z")
If you read some of the articles, the general feeling is that this should have been done 4 years ago. IOW, it is simply beyond the pale that no one was ever held accountable for the financial collapse. Maybe that was because there was so much blame to go around. Or maybe, like in the case of HSBC, many of the players were just ‘too big to prosecute.’ IDK. What I do know is that this hopefully sends a signal to the banksters and that signal is something other than ‘carry on.’ ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2013, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-prosecuter-of-mobsters-and-terrorists-to-head-sec/648276/6 "2013-01-25T18:52:03Z")
It didn’t even dawn on me at first that it might be about _that_ SEC. I was sure this was football related.