Lead federal prosecutor in James Comey seashells photo case steps aside

BREAKING NEWSMay. 29, 2026, 11:14 PM UTCJustice DepartmentJustice DepartmentLead federal prosecutor in James Comey seashells photo case steps asideMatthew Petracca, a former Republican county committeeman, was the rookie federal prosecutor who brought the highly criticized case to a federal grand jury.A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging former FBI Director James Comey over an Instagram photo he posted of seashells spelling out a message about President Donald Trump last year.@comey via Instagram; Getty ImagesShareAdd NBC News to GoogleBy Ryan J. ReillyA rookie federal prosecutor who brought a case accusing former FBI Director James Comey of threatening President Donald Trump’s life by posting a photo of seashells on Instagram has stepped off the case.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.Matthew Petracca, who was had been recently hired as an assistant U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of North Carolina, is no longer on the Comey case, according to a court filing. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Severo is now heading the case. Petracca did not respond to a prior message seeking comment on his status at the Justice Department. Petracca did not handle a recent interaction with Comey’s defense team, which instead communicated with First Assistant U.S. Attorney Phil Aubart.U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina W. Ellis Boyle oversaw the highly-criticized case, which will go to trial in October if it manages to survive legal challenges. Petracca also dropped off of other criminal cases in the Eastern District of North Carolina in recent days, according to court filings. Petracca is a former Republican county committeeman in New Jersey whom Boyle hired months ago, NBC News has reported.A two-count indictment, was brought late last month and suggested that a reasonable person would interpret the image of the shells, arranged to spell out “86 47,” as “a serious expressi...