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Legal Careers

Assistant United States Attorney (Asset Forfeiture)

Hiring Organization
USAO Southern District of Florida
Hiring Office
Southern District of Florida
Attorney Appointment Type
Attorney Permanent
Job ID
26-FLS AUSA-12997304-22
Location:
99 NE 4th street
Miami, FL 33132 - United States
Application Deadline:
About the Office

The mission of the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida (USAO-SDFL) is to uphold and defend the laws of the United States by prosecuting criminal cases brought by the Federal Government, handling civil cases in which the United States is involved, and collecting debts owed to the Federal Government that are deemed administratively uncollectible.

The United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida serves as the Chief Federal Law Enforcement Officer of the District. The Southern District of Florida covers a geographic area of approximately 15,197 square miles, extending south to Key West, north to Sebastian, and west to Sebring. It is home to over seven million residents and spans nine counties including: Monroe, Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River, Okeechobee, and Highlands.

Job Description

If selected, you will be part of a team responsible for enforcing Federal asset forfeiture criminal and civil laws to further the mission of the Department of Justice's Asset Forfeiture Program, including punishing and deterring criminal activity by depriving criminals of property used in or acquired through illegal activities. You will be working with Criminal Division AUSAs on forfeiture-related issues in criminal prosecutions and have overall responsibility for all asset forfeiture matters, including financial investigations, seizures, and final disposition of assets. You will also handle civil forfeiture matters, filing and litigating civil forfeiture cases in the district.

Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress.

Qualifications

Prior experience in asset forfeiture investigations and prosecutions, or white-collar fraud litigation is preferred. Applicants should possess superior oral and written communication skills, strong interpersonal skills, and the capacity to function in a highly demanding environment with minimal guidance. The successful candidate should have strong academic credentials and at least 3 years of post J.D. experience.

Applicants must possess a J.D. Degree and be an active member of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction).

United States citizenship is required.

Applications are accepted via USAJobs at: https://www.usajobs.gov/job/879654800

Application Process

You must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

- Required: Responses to the Online Occupational Questionnaire (This is completed automatically during the apply online process)

- Required: Cover Letter (In your cover letter, indicate which office location is most preferable to you.)
- Required: Resume cannot exceed two pages - you will be deemed ineligible and receive no further consideration if your resume exceeds two pages - see USAJOBS for formatting requirements. Include relevant employment history as outlined below for each job:

  • Official position title (if Federal, include series/grade),
  • Employer name and contact information,
  • Start and end dates (for full consideration you must include month, day, and year),
  • Indicate full-time or number of hours worked per week if part-time, and
  • A list of duties performed and accomplishments

- Required: A five-to-ten-page legal writing sample
- Required, if applicable: To get Veterans' Preference, you must indicate your preference in response to the appropriate question in your assessment questionnaire and you must submit the appropriate supporting documentation. See the "How you will be Evaluated" section for details regarding what is appropriate Veterans' Preference documentation. 

You are encouraged to apply online. Applying online will allow you to review and track the status of your application. However, should you not be able to apply online, please contact Southern District of Florida at (305)961-9026 or email at Melissa.Innocent@usdoj.gov prior to the closing date of this announcement to request an alternate method of applying.

Applicants should familiarize themselves and comply with the relevant rules of professional conduct regarding any possible conflicts of interest in connection with their applications. In particular, please notify this Office if you currently represent clients or adjudicate matters in which this Office is involved and/or you have a family member who is representing clients or adjudicating matters in which this Office is involved so that we can evaluate any potential conflicts of interest or disqualification issues that may need to be addressed under those circumstances.

Salary

Assistant United States Attorney's pay is administratively determined based, in part, on the number of years of professional attorney experience. The range of pay for AD 21-29 is $124,649.00 to $197,100.00 which includes 24.67% locality pay.
 

Number of Positions
Many. As needed, additional positions may be filled using this announcement.
Travel
May require travel, within and outside the district, as needed.
Relocation Expenses
Payment of authorized relocation expenses up to $15,000 may be approved.

Department Policies

The Department remains steadfast in its commitment to equal employment opportunity (EEO) and treating employees with fairness, dignity and compassion. We must ensure that no applicant for employment or employee of our Department is denied equal opportunity because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex – including pregnancy – or because of age, physical or mental disability, protected genetic information, parental status, marital status, political affiliation, or any other non-merit based factor and that all have the freedom to compete on a fair and level playing field. To learn more, please view the Department’s full Equal Employment Opportunity Policy Statement.  

This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify the agency.  Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.

The Department encourages qualified applicants with disabilities, including individuals with targeted/severe disabilities to apply in response to posted vacancy announcements.  Qualified applicants with targeted/severe disabilities may be eligible for direct hire, non-competitive appointment under Schedule A (5 C.F.R. § 213.3102(u)) hiring authority.  Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to contact one of the Department’s Disability Points of Contact (DPOC) to express an interest in being considered for a position. See list of DPOCs.   

Unless otherwise required by law, the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act prohibits employees of the U.S. Department of Justice or a federal contractor acting on its behalf from inquiring about an applicant's criminal history record, either in writing or orally, before that individual receives a conditional offer of employment. Applicants who believe they have been subjected to a violation of the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act, may submit a written complaint within 30 days of the date of the alleged non-compliance directly to the hiring office using the contact information listed in the announcement.

It is the policy of the Department to achieve a drug-free workplace and persons selected for employment will be required to pass a drug test which screens for illegal drug use prior to final appointment.  Employment is also contingent upon the completion and satisfactory adjudication of a background investigation. Congress generally prohibits agencies from employing non-citizens within the United States, except for a few narrow exceptions as set forth in the annual Appropriations Act (see, https://help.usajobs.gov/working-in-government/non-citizens). Pursuant to DOJ component policies, only U.S. citizens are eligible for employment with the Executive Office for Immigration Review, U.S. Trustee’s Offices, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Unless otherwise indicated in a particular job advertisement, qualifying non-U.S. citizens meeting immigration and appropriations law criteria may apply for employment with other DOJ organizations. However, please be advised that the appointment of non-U.S. citizens is extremely rare; such appointments would be possible only if necessary to accomplish the Department's mission and would be subject to strict security requirements. Applicants who hold dual citizenship in the U.S. and another country will be considered on a case-by-case basis. 

There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of Justice considers veterans' preference eligibility as a positive factor in attorney hiring. Applicants eligible for veterans' preference must include that information in their cover letter or resume and attach supporting documentation (e.g., the DD 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty and other supporting documentation) to their submissions. Although the "point" system is not used, per se, applicants eligible to claim 10-point preference must submit Standard Form (SF) 15, Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference, and submit the supporting documentation required for the specific type of preference claimed (visit the OPM website, www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/SF15.pdf for a copy of SF 15, which lists the types of 10-point preferences and the required supporting document(s). Applicants should note that SF 15 requires supporting documentation associated with service- connected disabilities or receipt of nonservice-connected disability pensions to be dated 1991 or later except in the case of service members submitting official statements or retirement orders from a branch of the Armed Forces showing that their retirement was due to a permanent service-connected disability or that they were transferred to the permanent disability retired list (the statement or retirement orders must indicate that the disability is 10% or more).

Assistant United States Attorneys must reside in the district to which appointed or within 25 miles thereof.  See 28 U.S.C. 545 for district specific information.

 

This and other vacancy announcements can be found under Attorney Vacancies and Volunteer Legal Internships. The Department of Justice cannot control further dissemination and/or posting of information contained in this vacancy announcement. Such posting and/or dissemination is not an endorsement by the Department of the organization or group disseminating and/or posting the information.

Updated August 7, 2026