Sean P. Costello

Sean P. Costello was appointed to be United States Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama by Acting Attorney General Monty Wilkinson on February 27, 2021. The appointment is for a term of 120 days, or until a Presidential appointee qualifies under 28 U.S.C. 541.

As U.S. Attorney, Costello is the chief federal law enforcement officer in the Southern District of Alabama and is responsible for federal criminal prosecutions as well as civil litigation involving the United States. He supervises an office of approximately 27 Assistant United States Attorneys, 27 support staff, and 7 contract support staff, all of whom are responsible for prosecuting federal crimes affecting the district, including narcotics and firearms cases, gang violence, human trafficking, white-collar crime, securities fraud, public corruption, terrorism, and civil rights violations. The office also pursues civil enforcement of federal laws, defends the United States in civil cases, and collects debts owed to the United States. The U.S. Attorney’s Office has offices in Mobile and Selma.

Before becoming U.S. Attorney, Costello served as the office’s Criminal Chief, supervising the investigation and prosecution of all criminal cases in the 13 counties comprising the Southern District. A native of Mobile, Costello has served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Mobile since 2003, prosecuting a variety of crimes while focusing on cybercrime, child exploitation, and national security matters, particularly those involving digital evidence.  Costello served as the District’s Project Safe Childhood (PSC) coordinator, the Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property (CHIP) coordinator, and the National Security Cyber Specialist. He has tried approximately twenty-five jury trials in his career.

Prior to joining the US Attorney’s office, Costello served at Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs and was a Counsel to the United States Senate Judiciary Committee.  Costello is a graduate Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and the University of Alabama School of Law.