United States Attorney Ronald C. Gathe, Jr. Announces the Passing of Deputy Chief Brian K. Frazier

Ronald C. Gathe, Jr. announces the untimely passing of Deputy Chief Brian K. Frazier.  Mr. Frazier has served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Middle District of Louisiana since 2018.  Before his passing, he served as the Deputy Chief of the Special Matters Unit.

Mr. Frazier’s dedicated service to the Department of Justice began in 1993 when he was selected for the Attorney General’s Honors Program.  After completing the program, Mr. Frazier clerked for United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit Judge Patrick E. Higginbotham.  He then went into the private sector as an associate attorney at prestigious law firms in his hometown of Nashville, Tennessee. 

Mr. Frazier returned to government service at the Southern District of Florida United States Attorney’s Office in January of 2000, where he began his career as an Assistant United States Attorney prosecuting major crimes with an emphasis on public integrity and national security.  He handled approximately thirty federal jury trials and eleven federal appellate arguments as a line prosecutor and began his focus on counterterrorism, where he reviewed actionable charges in the aftermath of the September 11^th attacks.  In 2008, Mr. Frazier was appointed Resident Legal Advisor for the United States Embassy, United Arab Emirates and Gulf Region, where he served as the Department of Justice’s legal attaché to eight Middle Eastern countries on money laundering, weapons proliferation, threat finance, and terrorism issues.

Mr. Frazier then returned to the Southern District of Florida office where he was tasked with establishing the first National Security Section in the district.  As Chief of this section, Mr. Frazier significantly increased counterterrorism prosecutions within the first five years of its establishment and coordinated federal prosecutions for the third largest Joint Terrorism Task Force in the country.  He supervised trial teams that convicted ISIS and al-Qaeda extremists and served as the lead prosecutor in cases against al-Shabaab financiers, recruiters, and travelers.  He also coordinated the district-wide efforts in prosecuting high-profiled domestic terrorism mass shootings at Ft. Lauderdale International Airport and Pulse Nightclub.  Mr. Frazier led the trial team that successfully prosecuted Jose Padilla, the U.S. citizen and designated enemy combatant who trained with al-Qaeda in Afghanistan.  Mr. Frazier was a nationally recognized skilled and knowledgeable national security prosecutor both within the Department and with federal and local partner agencies.

United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida Markenzy Lapointe stated the following on the passing of Mr. Frazier, “South Florida is very sad of Brian’s passing. He exemplified true commitment to public service and to excellence, as shown by his many years of service and the robust accomplishments both as a trial lawyer and later in management. Tremendous loss to the Department but I’m glad I got a chance to work with him 20 years ago as line prosecutor in Miami and will remember his very present personality.”

During his tenure here in the Middle District, Mr. Frazier served as the Criminal Chief from 2020 until 2022 where he was responsible for supervising Criminal Division prosecutors and staff.  He also maintained positive relationships with our federal investigative agencies as he coordinated with them the substantive development and management of all criminal prosecutions in the district.  He continued his work with the local Joint Terrorism Task Force by handling national security matters in the district and consulting with critical infrastructures.

United States Attorney for the Middle District of Louisiana Ronald Gathe, Jr. stated, “My deepest condolences go out to all of Brian’s family, friends and loved ones.  Words cannot express the tremendous impact he’s made in his 25 years of service here at the Department of Justice.  He will be deeply missed by many locally and nationally, and his presence will forever be felt at our office and in our hearts.”

Mr. Frazier is the recipient of multiple government honors, including the Justice Department’s highest award—The Attorney General’s Award for Exceptional Service—for the successful prosecution of Jose Padilla.  He was also awarded the National Intelligence Medallion by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the Law Enforcement Award for Transnational Security Threats by the Department of Treasury, the National Organized Crime/Drug Enforcement Task Force Award by the Department of Justice, and Federal Prosecutor of the Year by the Law Enforcement Officers’ Foundation and Miami-Dade County Association of Chiefs of Police to name a few.

Mr. Frazier obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree, summa cum laude, from Dartmouth College.  He further obtained a Master of Philosophy degree from the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom.  He concluded his studies at Yale Law School where he obtained his Juris Doctor. 

The Department of Justice suffers an immeasurable loss due to Mr. Frazier’s countless contributions in pursuing justice.  He was an example of a true government servant, and we will honor his legacy within our office by continuing to serve according to the ideals and mission of the Department of Justice.