U.S. Attorney Michael Bailey Announces Resignation

PHOENIX, Ariz. – U.S. Attorney Michael Bailey announced his resignation as the chief federal law enforcement officer in Arizona, effective at 11:59 p.m. on February 28, 2021.

“It has been a true privilege to serve this great country and the people of Arizona as United States Attorney,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Bailey, “this office’s responsibilities, like Arizona itself, are vast and unique. I am proud of our efforts to keep the border secure, to fight violent crime on tribal lands, to safeguard our national security, to combat the international drug trade, and to protect every Arizonan from those who would defraud them.”

Under Bailey’s leadership, the District of Arizona redoubled its efforts to secure the border. Bailey supplemented the office’s border enforcement resources and expanded felony prosecutions of individuals who reenter the country illegally after deportation. Bailey was the first U.S. Attorney to publicly report the monthly numbers of criminal immigration prosecutions and the collective criminal history of those being prosecuted.

Bailey also worked closely with Arizona’s 22 federally recognized tribes to fight violent crime on tribal lands. To focus on solving the problem of missing and murdered indigenous persons cases confronting many of our Native American communities, Bailey hired a specialist to coordinate intergovernmental cooperation, with the goal of resolving the longstanding case backlog across the state.   

On the national security front, Bailey’s office prosecuted a variety of threats to our national security, including a radiological threat to the Scottsdale Fashion Square mall, the illegal export of defense articles and other sensitive technology to China, and multiple cases of defendants offering support to ISIS or al-Qaeda. 

To combat the increased risk of fraud during the coronavirus pandemic, Bailey appointed a COVID-19 Fraud Coordinator and joined with Arizona Attorney General Brnovich and the FBI to launch a federal, state, and local task force to combat coronavirus-related fraud. The office also continued its elder justice efforts, advocating on behalf of seniors who were defrauded by caregivers or scammers. Those efforts included the prosecution of foreign lottery schemes that victimized seniors across the country.

In addition to targeting international cartels with prosecutions for drug trafficking and money laundering, Bailey’s office confronted fentanyl overdoses by holding individual dealers accountable for overdose deaths resulting from their sale of drugs. 

"U.S. Attorney Bailey has been an incredible partner in our mission to protect the American public," said Sean Kaul, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Phoenix field office. "Throughout his time as U.S. Attorney, Mr. Bailey has been dedicated to ensuring the safety of the citizens in our community and relentless in his pursuit of justice for victims of crime. There is no doubt his work has made a positive impact on our community. It's been a privilege to work with U.S. Attorney Bailey and we thank him for his service."

“Throughout my years of working with Mike, not only as our federal chief prosecutor in Arizona, but as someone I relied on for counsel and guidance, he consistently demonstrated his commitment to HSI’s public safety and national security mission as he prioritized community safety and championed the rights of crime victims.” said Scott Brown, special agent in charge for HSI in Arizona. “It’s been an absolute pleasure to have worked alongside such an accomplished and well-respected United States Attorney.”

Bailey was nominated to serve as the United States Attorney for the District of Arizona on February 12, 2019, and was unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate on May 23, 2019. Before his appointment, Bailey served for four-and-a-half years as the Chief Deputy to Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich. Bailey thanks AG Brnovich, whose support and friendship made this appointment possible. Bailey also thanks United States Senators Flake and Kyl for expediting the appointment process, and Senators McSally and Sinema for their support of his nomination and/or confirmation.

“With truly impressive leaders at the helm of each of our federal law enforcement agency partners, and with a U.S. Attorney’s Office staff of 325 men and women who are fully committed to the rule of law and the pursuit of justice,” said United States Attorney Bailey, “I depart confident that my successor will hit the ground running. Arizona’s future is bright.”

RELEASE NUMBER:    2021-007_USA Bailey Resignation

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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/ 
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