David N. Kelley ( born December 1 , 1959 ) is an American attorney and a former United States Attorney and Deputy U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York ( SDNY ) . He was also a co-chair of the United States Justice Department ’s nationwide investigation into the September 11 attacks . Kelley , who served as chief of the organized crime and terrorism unit in the U.S. Attorney 's Office for the SDNY , is noted for leading the investigations of the 2000 millennium attack plots and the October 2000 attack on the USS '' Cole '' in Yemen , and for prosecuting Ramzi Yousef for his role in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing . He was named Special Assistant United States Attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia acting as co-lead prosecutor of John Walker Lindh . Kelley is also noted for obtaining convictions of WorldCom CEO Bernie Ebbers in his prosecution for accounting fraud and Martha Stewart in the ImClone stock trading case . Kelley was raised in East Hampton , NY , and has lived in the New York metropolitan area for most of his life . He earned his undergraduate degree from The College of William & Mary and law degree in 1986 from New York Law School . Kelley was a policeman and a fireman while attending law school . After leaving the U.S. Attorney 's office in 2005 , Kelley joined Wall Street law firm Cahill Gordon & Reindel as a partner in its litigation and corporate investigations practice . He is currently a partner and co-leader in the White Collar and Securities Litigation practice group at Dechert
1993 World Trade Center bombing
1993 World Trade Center bombing
David N. Kelley