On the evening before

A former prosecutor himself, Mr. Lawsky wanted to give the district attorney, Cyrus R. Vance Jr., a warning: his actions could be explosive. Even though Mr. Vance’s office and several federal authorities, including the Justice Department and the Federal Reserve, had been investigating the bank, Standard Chartered, Mr. Lawsky was not willing to wait and would go on the offensive alone, according to people briefed on the conversation.

In making his solo claims that the bank covered up $250 billion in transactions involving Iran, Mr. Lawsky has been likened to Eliot Spitzer, who drew high praise and harsh criticism as New York’s top prosecutor for his aggressive tactics on Wall Street and tendency to muscle federal authorities aside.

Mr. Lawsky has also been compared to his former boss, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, who as the state’s attorney general made headline-grabbing cases with Mr. Lawsky as a lieutenant.

New York’s top banking regulator, issued highly charged money laundering claims against a British bank, he spoke with the Manhattan district attorney.

A former prosecutor himself, Mr. Lawsky wanted to give the district attorney, Cyrus R. Vance Jr., a warning: his actions could be explosive. Even though Mr. Vance’s office and several federal authorities, including the Justice Department and the Federal Reserve, had been investigating the bank, Standard Chartered, Mr. Lawsky was not willing to wait and would go on the offensive alone, according to people briefed on the conversation.

In making his solo claims that the bank covered up $250 billion in transactions involving Iran, Mr. Lawsky has been likened to Eliot Spitzer, who drew high praise and harsh criticism as New York’s top prosecutor for his aggressive tactics on Wall Street and tendency to muscle federal authorities aside.

Mr. Lawsky has also been compared to his former boss, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, who as the state’s attorney general made headline-grabbing cases with Mr. Lawsky as a lieutenant.

Source: NYtimes