Gonzalez became the acting district attorney in October 2016 after his predecessor Kenneth P. Thompson, died shortly after announcing that he was stepping down to be treated for cancer.

He attended John Dewey High School in Coney Island and graduated from Cornell University in 1992 with a bachelor's in government and history.

Gonzalez was promoted to supervisory positions in the Green Trial Zone, which consists of the 60th, 61st, 70th, 71st, and 72nd precincts in Brooklyn.

[5] On October 4, 2016, Thompson announced that he had been suffering from an undisclosed type of cancer and that he was selecting Gonzalez to serve as acting district attorney while he sought treatment.

[9] On October 17, New York governor Andrew Cuomo announced that he was not appointing an interim district attorney or calling a special election despite a push to replace Gonzalez with Public Advocate Letitia James,[10] stating his desire that "[the district attorney's] work [continue] without interruption or delay.