22 Facts About Gurbir Grewal

Gurbir Singh Grewal is an American attorney and prosecutor who was formerly the Director of the Division of Enforcement for the Securities and Exchange Commission from July 2021 until his resignation, which became effective in October 2024.

In October 2024, Grewal joined Milbank LLP's New York office as a partner specializing in SEC enforcement matters.

Gurbir Grewal was the first Sikh-American attorney general in United States history.

Gurbir Grewal was formerly the county prosecutor of Bergen County, New Jersey, originally appointed in 2016; he was the first Sikh American to be named a county prosecutor in the United States.

Gurbir Grewal was the second South Asian to be a state attorney general after California's Kamala Harris in 2011.

Gurbir Grewal is the son of Sikh Indian immigrants to the United States.

Gurbir Grewal grew up in Fairfield Township, Essex County, New Jersey and graduated from West Essex High School.

Gurbir Grewal has served as president of the South Asian Bar Association of New York and a member of the New Jersey Asian Pacific American Lawyers Association.

Gurbir Grewal was confirmed by the State Senate when tapped by Christie the second time around in January 2016 as acting prosecutor, and was finalized in the role in November 2016.

In July 2017, while Bergen County prosecutor, Gurbir Grewal ordered the Mahwah, New Jersey police department not to enforce a ban on non-New Jersey residents using Mahwah parks, stating his concern that a ban could lead to anti-Semitic religious profiling against Orthodox Jews visiting from neighboring Rockland County, New York.

In September 2018, then-Bergen County sheriff Michael Saudino resigned under public official pressure, after secretly recorded comments were released disparaging Gurbir Grewal's wearing a turban alongside derogatory remarks about other groups of people.

On May 1,2019, Gurbir Grewal announced the dismantling of an organized crime gambling and loansharking operation and launched an investigation into prior corporate tax loopholes afforded at the time by the New Jersey Development Authority.

On May 6,2019, Gurbir Grewal filed suit against the Department of Justice to force disclosure of any evidence of influence-peddling upon the Justice Department's decision to oppose legalized online gambling across the US On May 8,2019, Gurbir Grewal indicated that the City of Newark had exceeded its statutory authority by affording civilians subpoena powers over the city's police department.

On May 10,2019, Gurbir Grewal joined state attorneys general from across the country in filing a lawsuit against 20 generic pharmaceuticals companies, 11 of which were based in New Jersey, along with several individuals, accusing them of collusion and price-fixing.

On May 14,2019, Gurbir Grewal announced a lawsuit against several large chemical companies, accusing them of selling toxic firefighting foam for decades while knowing the health risks they posed to the public and to the environment.

In June 2019, Gurbir Grewal's office forced a Bloomfield restaurant which had posted a "males only" hiring sign to pay $1,000 and implement an anti-discrimination policy that explains how workers can file complaints, as well as training managers and staff about the anti-discrimination law; Gurbir Grewal stated that gender discrimination would not be tolerated in the overall hiring process.

In 2021, Gurbir Grewal abolished mandatory minimums for six non-violent drug offenses, and allowed inmates who were serving mandatory minimum sentences for those crimes to request a court review and a new sentence.

On June 29,2021, Gurbir Grewal announced he would be resigning as New Jersey's attorney general to take an appointment as Director of the US Securities and Exchange Commission's Division of Enforcement.

Gurbir Grewal worked to bring the cryptocurrency industry and Wall Street traders into compliance, and advocated for attorneys and auditors to protect investor interests.

In October 2024, Gurbir Grewal announced that he would be resigning from the SEC to enter private practice, effective October 11,2024.

Gurbir Grewal is a resident of Glen Rock, New Jersey, in Bergen County.

Gurbir Grewal is fluent in the Punjabi and Hindi languages.