David M. DeVillers sworn in as U.S. Attorney

COLUMBUS, Ohio – David M. DeVillers was sworn in today as United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio. Chief U.S. District Judge Algenon L. Marbley administered the oath of office. President Trump nominated DeVillers for U.S. Attorney on Sept. 9, and the United States Senate approved his confirmation on Oct. 28.

DeVillers has been an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio since July 2002.

Prior to that, he was an Assistant Franklin County Prosecutor for a decade, trying dozens of felony trials that resulted in more than 30 murder prosecutions. DeVillers also served as Director of the Organized Crime/Gang Unit for the Franklin County Prosecutor’s Office.

Since 2002, DeVillers’ work as a federal prosecutor has included leading numerous task forces involving the FBI, ATF, DEA, IRS and Columbus Division of Police in investigating and prosecuting organized crime.

In 2016, DeVillers helped lead the prosecution team that prosecuted the largest federal murder case in Ohio’s history, charging 20 members of the Short North Posse in a racketeering conspiracy involving 14 separate murders. After a two-and-half month trial, each defendant was convicted of all counts. An additional 18 gang members were convicted of drug and firearm crimes.

In 2004, DeVillers brought about a federal death sentence for Daryl Lawrence, for the murder of Officer Bryan Hurst of the Columbus Division of Police.

DeVillers served as a Prosecutor Advisor to the Iraqi High Tribunal during the trial of Saddam Hussein and other members of the former Iraqi Regime in 2006 and 2007. He had also worked on behalf of the Department of Justice in Iraq in 2004, when he investigated a foreign terrorist organization.

DeVillers continued his work overseas, most notably as the Department of Justice’s Resident Legal Advisor to the Republic of Georgia, living in the capital city of Tbilisi from 2010 to 2012 to combat transnational crime, corruption and international money laundering. DeVillers completed similar work for the Department in the Ukraine, Albania, Bangladesh, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan and Romania.

Last year, DeVillers received the Mark Losey Distinguished Law Enforcement Service Award from then Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine. DeVillers was awarded the J. Michael Bradford Memorial Award for the Nation’s Most Outstanding Assistant United States Attorney in 2008 and voted the Outstanding Assistant Prosecutor of the Year for 1999 by the Ohio Prosecuting Attorney’s Association.

DeVillers received his B.A. from the State University of New York, Oswego, and his J.D. from Capital University.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office, with a staff of 115, represents more than five million people in 48 of Ohio’s 88 counties. The Southern District of Ohio includes the metropolitan areas of Cincinnati, Columbus and Dayton.

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