Attorney General Appoints Zachary Terwilliger Interim U.S. Attorney

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced today the appointment of G. Zachary Terwilliger as Interim United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 546, effective May 25.

“Zach Terwilliger has a strong record that any prosecutor would be proud of,” Attorney General Sessions said. “He rose through the ranks in the Eastern District of Virginia, from summer intern to Assistant United States Attorney who made a name for himself successfully prosecuting MS-13 members, Bloods members, and firearm offenders and putting them behind bars. He has excelled both in the courtroom and now in some of the highest leadership roles at the Department of Justice. I am confident that he will continue to serve with distinction in this important new role.”

As the chief federal law enforcement officer in the Eastern District of Virginia (EDVA), Terwilliger will supervise the prosecution of all federal crimes and the litigation of all civil matters in which the United States has an interest. Additionally, Terwilliger will lead a staff of over 250 prosecutors, civil litigators, and support personnel located in Alexandria, Newport News, Norfolk, and Richmond.

Terwilliger began his career at EDVA as an intern in 1999, and returned in 2005 to serve as a summer law clerk. In 2008, after serving as a law clerk for the Honorable K. Michael Moore in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, Terwilliger was appointed as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney through a partnership with the Virginia Attorney General’s Office, where he was an integral member of the Alexandria Division’s Project Safe Neighborhood initiative that focused on removing the most violent criminals from the community. Terwilliger was hired as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in 2010 and assigned to the Major Crimes Unit, where he prosecuted numerous violent crime, fraud, organized crime, and human trafficking cases, and managed law enforcement task forces focusing on human trafficking and firearms. In addition to his prosecutorial duties, Terwilliger served as a counselor to former U.S. Attorney Neil H. MacBride, providing advice on legal, ethical, and personnel issues, and served as a spokesperson for EDVA.

Since January 2017, Terwilliger has served on detail as an Associate Deputy Attorney General. In December 2017, he added the role of Chief of Staff in the Office of the Deputy Attorney General.  In these roles, he has been a principal advisor to the Department of Justice leadership in areas such as corporate compliance, federal, state and local law enforcement cooperation, violent crime reduction, and other critical matters.

Terwilliger earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Government and Foreign Affairs from the University of Virginia, and graduated with the highest honors from the William & Mary School of Law. 

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.