Born in Nigeria, Manny Nneji immigrated to America and worked his way through SUNY New Paltz and University of Buffalo Law School. Driven by a deep commitment to fairness and justice, he has served as a prosecutor for 32 years under both Democratic and Republican leadership, as an Assistant District Attorney in Ulster County and an Assistant New York State Attorney General. In 2021, Manny was appointed Ulster County's Chief Assistant DA.
Known as "Coach Manny" for decades to local youth soccer teams, he has guided and taught hundreds of Ulster County young people the values of teamwork and self-discipline.
Manny’s Story
A childhood steeped in community and justice
I was brought up as one of six children during the Nigeria-Biafra Civil War. My late father was a taxi-driver; my mother sold assorted food ingredients in an open market.
At age 10, my grandfather gave me the singular experience that is the fabric of my strength as a prosecutor. I sat next to him as he heard a land dispute between two of his fellow villagers: one was his best friend, my godfather, and the other another community member. My grandfather ruled against my Godfather, much to my surprise. Immediately following the decision, everyone gathered in our community square to share kola nuts and palm wine. This formative experience showed me that when justice is properly served without bias, the community can keep faith in the system and thrive.
America-bound:
SUNY New Paltz Hawk
After graduating high school in Nigeria, I came to the US, landing right here in Ulster County as a college student and soccer player at SUNY New Paltz. I worked as a dishwasher and dormitory cleaner to earn money to pay my school fees. The work was hard, but it gave me a sense of pride and dignity because it enabled my education. I majored in political science and economics, and was determined to go on to study law.
After college I worked for two years at McDonald’s on Main Street in New Paltz, doing every little job—cooking, cleaning, janitorial services, crew chief, and assistant manager—and saved enough to pay for my first semester of law school. I had no idea how I would pay for the rest.
On to law school
I loved my classes that first semester at SUNY Buffalo, but I could not afford to continue. After telling school administrators and friends that I had to drop out, my community showed up for me: three professors signed a commitment to pay my fees for the semester if I was not able to pay it, and then the parents of my best friend from my dishwashing years in college sent me a check. I am forever grateful for their generosity.
I did well academically, making the Law Review, finishing as a national finalist in the Moot Court Competition held by the National Black Law Students’ Association’s Northeast Chapter. I worked in the Law Library and was appointed a teaching assistant for first-year law students and was able to pay for my remaining two years of law school.
A national law journal, In The Public Interest Journal, published my article “Breaking Through the Cocoon of the Cigarette Industry” about product liability claims against tobacco companies, which I wrote while still a student.
Finding my calling as a prosecutor
After graduation, I returned to Ulster County to work for Mid-Hudson Legal Services assisting indigent citizens with civil matters including evictions. Then, in the fall of 1990, I volunteered as a law intern for the Ulster County DA’s Office. At the end of that internship, District Attorney E. Michael Kavanagh let me know he and the staff were impressed with my work and he offered me a job as a prosecutor.
In the decades since, it has been my great honor to serve the people of Ulster County as Assistant DA under four elected District Attorneys of differing political ideologies, each entrusted by the voters of Ulster County to do justice. I prosecuted hundreds of cases, including the toughest cases some ADAs avoided. I also had the honor of serving as Assistant New York State Attorney General between 2007-2014, leading investigations and prosecutions of assigned white collar cases in the Criminal Prosecutions Bureau.
In every case I have reviewed, whether prosecuted to trial, dismissed, or resolved through some other way, the ultimate aim has always been to do the right thing and provide justice—for the victims, for the accused, and for the community.
Sampling of Cases
A commitment to serve
For most of my time in the Ulster County District Attorney’s Office, no matter who the DA was after elections, everyone stayed and served the people of Ulster County. Serving the people of this county is what we should expect, rather than acting out of political motivation.
That all changed in 2019, when a Democrat was elected Ulster County DA for the first time in more than a century. Four experienced Assistant DAs promptly resigned in protest—a lot in a very small office—then new laws went into effect imposing heavy burdens for prosecutors, which turned every DA’s Office in New York State into chaos. Already a perfect storm, then the pandemic hit. Those of us who stuck in there, and the smart young ADAs we have brought in over the last year and a half, have overcome that perfect storm.
Serving with integrity
Sometimes serving justice requires extraordinary measures. Last year I was faced with an unprecedented situation when I took over a case where a mistake had been made in providing critical evidence to the defendant in the time frame required. It was a murder trial, and the judge had the discretion to delay the start for a few weeks to give the defendant time to review the evidence. Instead, the judge threw out the evidence, making a conviction impossible.
The day the trial was scheduled to begin, I did not appear in court. It was the right thing to do for two reasons. First, it would be unethical to move forward and prosecute a case without enough evidence to prove guilt. Second, not appearing in court gave the Ulster County DA's Office its best chance to avoid "double jeopardy" and preserve the victim's rights to have the case heard in the future. Our office filed a lawsuit against the judge earlier this year in which we seek to nullify his decisions and orders based on his actions and conduct. The lawsuit is currently pending in a higher court in Albany.
Navigating life’s challenges
Like all of us, I have experienced struggles over the years. I went through a difficult divorce that resulted in significant financial challenges and like many parents, my ex-wife and I don’t always agree on parenting decisions. This is the reality in many families.
Although I am a first-time candidate, I am not naive to the realities of campaigning, which often include opponents trying to capitalize on a person's personal life history and family incidents. I believe families should be kept out of campaigns.
Running for office definitely puts me in the public eye in a way that being a public servant for the last 30 years has not. I have braced myself for the inevitable false and misleading information about me that will be spread during this campaign, and am prepared to counter with the truth. The FACT CHECK section of my website is a good resource.
Coaching our future
For as long as I have been a prosecutor, whose workload has resulted in regular late nights in the office, I have committed my personal time to serving Ulster County youth as a volunteer soccer coach. As a father of two boys, it has been, and continues to be, an incredible honor and privilege to be entrusted by parents to coach and guide their children. The commitment I bring to coaching, teaching, and guiding these teams is the same dedication I bring to my work as an Assistant DA. On the soccer field we play fair and tough but not rough; this philosophy is the same in court, especially for a prosecutor.
Over the years, I have also visited many classrooms across the county at the request of teachers and students, speaking with youth about the consequences of getting involved with guns and gangs. I also mentored kids at the Boys & Girls Club in Kingston. I care deeply about our young people and their future, and as DA I will continue to educate youth through a new "One Life Only" program, promoting understanding of the finality associated with gun violence.