Preet Bharara

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Bharara's tenure at the SDNY cemented the office's reputation as one of the most powerful prosecutorial bodies in the United States. His office prosecuted the Italian mafia, securing convictions against members of organized crime families in New York. Bharara similarly headed various counter-terrorism probes and cases, particularly against Al-Qaeda. His office used a variety of unconventional tactics such as wiretapping and asset seizure; he prosecuted nearly 100 Wall Street executives for insider trading and securities fraud using these legal methods. Under his leadership, the SDNY reached major settlements with several large financial institutions and shut down multiple hedge funds. Known for his technocratic approach to prosecution, he convicted a number of Democratic and Republican politicians on public corruption charges. Bharara occasionally pursued criminals extraterritorially. In response to his prosecution of Viktor Bout and his role in the Magnitsky Act, Russian officials permanently banned him from entering Russia. The prosecution of Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade by his office in 2013 led to a strain in India–United States relations. On March 11, 2017, during the administration of President Donald Trump, Bharara was dismissed after refusing to submit his resignation.

In Their Own Story

In 2012, Bharara was featured on a cover of Time magazine entitled 'This Man is Busting Wall Street' for his office's prosecutions of insider trading and other financial fraud on Wall Street. From 2009 to 2012, Bharara's office oversaw the Galleon Group insider trading investigation against Raj Rajaratnam, Rajat Gupta, Anil Kumar and more than 60 others. Rajaratnam was convicted at trial on 14 counts related to insider trading. In 2013, Bharara announced criminal and civil charges against one of the largest and most successful hedge-fund firms in the United States, SAC Capital Advisors LP, and its founder Steven A. Cohen. At USD$1.8 billion, it was the largest settlement ever for insider trading, and the firm also agreed to close down. After 85 straight convictions for insider-trading cases, he finally lost one on July 17, 2014, when a jury acquitted Rajaratnam's younger brother, Rengan, of such charges. On October 22, 2015, Bharara dropped seven insider-trading cases two weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court refused to a review a lower court decision that would make it harder to pursue wrongful-trading cases.

Reader's Guide

The character of Chuck Rhoades draws heavily from Bharara's reputation as a formidable prosecutor targeting white-collar crime within the Southern District of New York. In the show, Rhoades' relentless pursuit of hedge fund managers mirrors real-world investigations into financial misconduct that defined the SDNY during Bharara's leadership tenure. While fiction amplifies personal vendettas and dramatic betrayals for narrative stakes, the underlying tension between federal prosecutors and Wall Street elites reflects genuine industry dynamics. Bharara's high-profile cases against major figures established a precedent for aggressive enforcement depicted in the series, showcasing the power of the office to disrupt financial markets. The show also explores the fragility of political appointments within the Department of Justice. Rhoades' struggles with administration changes parallel Bharara's actual removal from office in 2017, highlighting how legal power can be subject to shifting political winds rather than just judicial merit or tenure security.

Did You Know?

• Bharara was born in 1968 in Firozpur, Punjab, India to a Sikh father and a Hindu mother, and immigrated to the United States in 1970, later becoming a naturalized U.S. citizen.
• He graduated as valedictorian from Ranney School in Tinton Falls, New Jersey in 1986.
• Bharara was named India Abroad's 2011 Person of the Year and was included in Time's 2012 'The 100 Most Influential People in the World'.
• His office prosecuted the Italian mafia, securing convictions against members of organized crime families in New York.
• Russian officials permanently banned him from entering Russia in response to his prosecution of Viktor Bout and his role in the Magnitsky Act.