Senate confirms Mary Jo White as head of SEC

The US Senate confirmed veteran prosecutor Mary Jo White to lead the Securities and Exchange Commission on Monday, placing her in charge of implementing President Barack Obama’s Wall Street reforms. With little fanfare, the Senate approved White by unanimous consent, after her nomination cleared the Senate Banking Committee last month by a 21-1 vote. She replaces Mary Schapiro, who resigned as chair of the nation’s primary market in December. White’s record includes prosecuting cases related to the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and the bombings of US embassies in Africa in 1998. She also won high-profile fraud cases in New York, and famously brought down mafia kingpin John Gotti, who headed the Gambino crime syndicate. “She brought to justice the terrorists responsible for bombing the World Trade Center and the American embassies in Africa,” Obama said upon announcing his nominee in January. “So I’d say that’s a pretty good run. You don’t want to mess with Mary Jo.” The SEC is the chief governmental agency charged with regulating the US markets and securities and protecting investment.