The Suffolk County district attorney is reportedly facing scrutiny from federal officials after a lawyer's drug conviction was vacated and then reduced.

Robert Macedonio, a criminal defense attorney and former Suffolk County prosecutor, pleaded guilty in 2008 to felony cocaine possession and he lost his law license. A few years later, Macedonio's conviction was vacated and reduced to a misdemeanor, opening the door for him to regain his law license. 

According to Newsday, federal investigators have issued subpoenas to the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office that seek records about the case. However, most of those records are sealed, which some legal analysts say is unusual. Some sources question whether Macedonio received preferential treatment.

"I did not receive special, preferential treatment from the district attorney's office," said Macedonio. In an exclusive interview with News 12, he said after he pleaded guilty, the state started a program that allows convicted drug felons to change their pleas upon completion of rehab.

"Your plea is vacated and you are given a misdemeanor or, in some cases, a violation," said Macedonio. "That's opposed to having a felony conviction on your record."

A spokesperson for the district attorney vehemently denied that any preferential treatment was given. In a statement, the office said that 150 times during Thomas Spota's tenure, a defendant pleaded guilty to a felony and was later able to change the charge to a misdemeanor.

Suffolk County Legislator Kate Browning remains skeptical about the way the case was handled. "I'm not a lawyer, but it certainly seems a little odd that someone who was barred from being able to practice law can be reinstated," she said.

Macedonio's law license was reinstated after a process that was more than a year long, and he said the district attorney's office wasn't involved in that process.

Through his office, Spota declined a request for an interview about the case.