About 300 well wishers gathered to honor retiring U.S. Marshal for the Southern District, Joseph Guccione, second from left, Thursday at the Daniel Patrick Moynihan U.S. courthouse. Among the speakers at the celebration were, left to right: Southern District Judge Loretta Preska, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, Southern District U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, former U.S. Senator Alfonse D’Amato, and former FBI director Louis Freeh.

Guccione—­known to colleagues as ‘Gooch’—was appointed U.S. Marshal in 2002 by President George W. Bush and has overseen the complex security operations for more than 1,500 Southern District court employees. "Joe has been not just a protector, but a friend and confidante,” Scalia told the crowd.