ALBANY, NY, 2025-06-20 12:54:00
Knife Attack on U.S. Attorney
A previously deported migrant is facing attempted murder charges after allegedly attacking a U.S. attorney with a knife in Albany, New York.
- Saul Morales-Garcia, 40, charged at U.S. attorney John Sarcone on Tuesday night.
- Morales-Garcia was previously deported and had an extensive criminal history.
- The attack occurred outside a hotel in Albany.
What happened in Albany, New York, involving a U.S. attorney? A previously deported illegal migrant with a lengthy criminal record has been arrested on attempted murder charges after he pulled out a knife and lunged at the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of New York, John Sarcone, according to prosecutors.
Saul Morales-Garcia, 40, who is from El Salvador, allegedly charged at Sarcone on Tuesday night while he was outside a hotel. Sarcone, appointed in March, said he feared for his life during the incident.
U.S. attorney for the Northern District of New York John Sarcone, left, was allegedly chased by knife-wielding illegal immigrant Saul Morales-Garcia, right, who threatened to slit his throat on the streets of Albany Tuesday night, prosecutors said.
The migrant did not injure Sarcone, who fled into a hotel on Lodge Street and called Sheriff Craig Apple just before 10 p.m. Sarcone then went back outside and called Garcia-Morales to stop him from fleeing, fearing an innocent person would be harmed if he wasn’t apprehended.
Before law enforcement arrived, Morales-Garcia charged at Sarcone again, screaming and yelling while making a throat-slitting gesture with the knife, according to prosecutors. Sarcone ran back into the Hilton lobby, where Morales-Garcia stopped, turned, and began to walk away but was arrested when deputies arrived. Morales-Garcia was taken into custody and the knife was recovered.
“I felt an obligation to the public as the chief Federal law enforcement officer in the district that includes the city of Albany,” Sarcone said in a statement. “I feared for my life but I couldn’t let this individual harm and potentially kill others.”
The Albany County Sheriff’s Office posted a photo of the knife used in the alleged attack on U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of New York, John Sarcone III.
Morales-Garcia, who unlawfully reentered the United States in 2021, has been charged with attempted murder, felony weapons possession, and menacing. Police have stated the attack was random.
He was arraigned in Albany City Court and pleaded not guilty. He is currently being held without bail.
Sheriff Apple praised Sarcone, saying his “selfless actions likely saved lives.”
Sarcone, who is responsible for all federal criminal prosecutions and civil litigation in 32 counties in the Northern District of New York, requested his office be recused from prosecuting Morales-Garcia for illegally re-entering the United States, which is a felony. The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York will now be prosecuting the case. The FBI and Homeland Security Investigations are also involved in the investigation.
The Hilton Hotel in Albany where United States Attorney John Sarcone was allegedly lunged at by a knife-wielding illegal immigrant.
Morales-Garcia has a criminal record in at least three other states besides New York.
Morales-Garcia was convicted in Georgia in 2022 for driving under the influence and driving without a license. He currently has an active warrant in Forsyth County for failure to appear in court that year.
He was arrested in Virginia in 2023 by U.S. Park Police on federal property for disorderly conduct, and he was charged with retail theft in Philadelphia last year.
The incident in Albany underscores growing concerns about the intersection of immigration status and criminal activity, sparking a debate about border security and the consequences of illegal reentry. The fact that Morales-Garcia had been previously deported heightens the complexity of the case, raising questions about the effectiveness of existing deportation policies and the challenges of preventing repeat offenders. the varying legal jurisdictions involved, including multiple states and federal agencies, reflect the multifaceted nature of addressing a crime committed by an individual with a history of transience and repeated legal transgressions.
Legal and Political Ramifications
The attack’s political repercussions are likely to be broad, notably given the prominence of the victim and the defendant’s immigration status. It is highly probable that figures within the political arena will weaponize the incident. This may in turn further inflame existing tensions regarding immigration policy, border enforcement, sanctuary city protocols, and the prioritization of law enforcement resources.
The decision for a different U.S. Attorney’s office to prosecute Morales-Garcia for illegal reentry highlights the sensitivity of the case and seeks to avoid conflicts of interest; it also means the case may take on a politically relevant life of its own. Such a decision is not unusual, and its role is purely for the purposes of justice.
