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Former United States Attorney Bobby Higdon

USA Higdon
USA Higdon

Robert J. Higdon, Jr.

Former United States Attorney

Robert J. Higdon, Jr. was nominated to be the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina by President Donald Trump on August 2, 2017.  He was confirmed by the United States Senate on September 28, 2017.   As U.S. Attorney, Mr. Higdon is the top-ranking federal law enforcement official in the Eastern District of North Carolina, which includes the 44 eastern most counties of North Carolina. He oversees a staff of 108 employees, including 51 attorneys and 57 non-attorney support personnel.  The office also partners with some 20 Special Assistant United States Attorneys from branches of the United States military, local District Attorneys offices and federal and state regulatory agencies. Each of these Special Assistants also works in federal court under the United States Attorney’s supervision. 

 

The office is responsible for prosecuting federal crimes affecting the district, including crimes related to terrorism, public corruption, child exploitation, firearms, and narcotics.  The office also defends the United States in civil cases and collects debts owed to the United States.

 

Mr. Higdon, a Greensboro native, spent nearly 24 years as a federal prosecutor, including serving as an Assistant United States Attorney in both the Western and Eastern Districts of North Carolina.  From 2002 until 2013, he served the Eastern District as Chief of the Criminal Division.  And, from 2013 until 2015 he  served as Senior Trial Counsel for the Justice Department’s Public Integrity Section.   He has supervised and prosecuted a wide range of criminal cases, including drug trafficking cases, white collar and public corruption matters, mail and wire fraud, bribery, false statements, Foreign Corrupt Practices, violations of the Federal Election Campaign Act, violations of import/export regulations, money laundering, theft of government property and violations involving government contracting and programs. 

 

Mr. Higdon has been involved in a number of high-profile cases including a number of international drug trafficking organizations, the criminal investigation that returned North Carolina's Original Copy of the Bill of Rights to the State more than 130 years after it was stolen by Federal Troops, the prosecution of numerous public officials in North Carolina and in other states and he was co-lead counsel in the prosecution of former United States Senator and former Presidential candidate John Edwards. 

 

Mr. Higdon received his J.D. in 1989 from the Wake Forest University School of Law and his B.A. in 1985 from Wake Forest University.  He is a member of the North Carolina State Bar and the State Bar of Georgia.  Prior to assuming his role as United States Attorney, Mr. Higdon was a partner with Williams, Mullen, Clark and Dobbins.  

 

(This page is no longer updated)

Updated March 5, 2021