United States Attorney Services

The United States Attorney’s Office (USAO) is responsible for the prosecution of federal crimes in the Northern District of Ohio. The USAO is composed of attorneys who are experts in a variety of legal disciplines, including criminal law, civil rights, environmental law, and civil litigation. The office also employs special agents and other support staff to assist in the investigation of cases and the preparation of cases for trial. The U.S. Attorney's Office is located in the historic Justice Center building in downtown Cleveland.

During their time as Assistant United States Attorneys, attorneys in the USAO are appointed to a number of different divisions within the office based on their areas of expertise. Each division has a specific set of responsibilities that focus on a particular issue or group of issues. Attorneys assigned to particular divisions handle cases that are directly related to those matters. Some divisions have exclusive jurisdiction over certain types of cases while others do not. In the Northern District of Ohio, some of the divisions in the USAO include: Civil Litigation; Criminal Division; Economic Crimes Unit; Environmental & Natural Resources; Government Fraud; General Crimes Section; Health Care Fraud Task Force; Human Resources Branch; International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Task Force; Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force; Public Integrity Section; Securities & Commodities Fraud Task Force; Special Operations Group; and Victim/Witness Assistance.

Examples of cases that are commonly handled by the USAO include: Crimes against children; violent crimes such as assault, robbery, homicide, and human trafficking; crimes against the elderly; drug crimes such as drug trafficking, sales, manufacturing, and conspiracy; hate crimes; embezzlement and fraud; environmental crimes such as illegal dumping of toxic waste and air and water pollution; corruption in government and business; public corruption; alien smuggling; immigration and naturalization violations; complex white collar crime investigations involving financial fraud, bribery, tax violations, money laundering, identity theft, cybercrimes, and environmental crimes; and civil forfeitures.

Attorneys who work at the USAO go through a rigorous application process that includes several interviews followed by an intensive training period before they can be appointed to a position in the Office. The application process is very competitive and only the most qualified applicants are accepted into this program. Once they are assigned a position in the office, each attorney must undergo regular performance reviews to ensure that they are meeting their requirements and developing the necessary skills to become successful lawyers.

The duties of each division at the USAO vary greatly depending on their specific responsibilities and jurisdiction. The prosecutors at the USAO are usually assigned to one division and they work closely with other attorneys within the office to obtain the best results for their clients. Some attorneys work at the USAO part-time while others have full-time positions. Those who work part-time may have different schedules from those who are working full-time. This allows them to balance their work and personal commitments more effectively.

In general, a criminal lawyer in the USAO is required to follow the same rules and regulations as other lawyers who represent their clients in criminal cases. This includes advising their clients about the nature of their case and the risks involved with entering a plea or going to trial.