Legal Careers
Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) (18 month term) - Threat Finance Unit
Washington, DC 20530 - United States
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia is unique in the size and the scope of its work. It serves as both the local and the federal prosecutor for the nation's capital. On the federal side, cases prosecuted by AUSAs assigned to the Criminal Division include, but are not limited to, drug trafficking; violent crime and firearm possession; cybercrimes; fraud and public corruption; and national security.
This position is located in Washington, District of Columbia.
Read more about the recruitment listed above at: https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/652295800
As the federal agency whose mission is to ensure the fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans, the Department of Justice is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment. To build and retain a workforce that reflects the diverse experiences and perspectives of the American people, we welcome applicants from the many communities, identities, races, ethnicities, backgrounds, abilities, religions, and cultures of the United States who share our commitment to public service.
The Threat Finance Unit (TFU) of the National Security Section of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia is seeking an experienced prosecutor to serve as an 18-month term Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA), with the possibility that the position will later be converted to a permanent position, to focus on work related to Russia sanctions. The TFU works closely with law enforcement, the intelligence community, and various regulators to use all tools - including criminal prosecutions, criminal forfeiture, civil forfeiture, economic sanctions and trade sanctions - to seize, forfeit, and disrupt funds and assets supporting sanctioned regimes, terrorists, and other individuals and groups that pose a threat to our national security. TFU AUSAs work closely with many federal law enforcement agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigations, the Department of Homeland Security, the Internal Revenue Service, and the U.S. Secret Service. The TFU coordinates its efforts with the Intelligence Community, the Department of Defense, the Department of the Treasury, the Department of State, various U.S. Embassies overseas, and our foreign counterparts in law enforcement and prosecution. TFU attorneys typically work on matters in coordination with attorneys from the Department of Justice's National Security Division and attorneys from the Department's Office of International Affairs.
AUSAs in the TFU are expected to:
- Be familiar with and have experience conducting complex financial investigations and prosecuting violations of related criminal offenses including money laundering;
- Possess experience pursuing and obtaining both criminal and civil forfeiture;
- Be familiar with all forms of federal criminal process and be able to obtain search warrants and other forms of criminal legal process in an efficient manner;
- Be familiar with the procedures of civil litigation and be able to obtain civil seizure warrants and forfeiture complaints in an efficient manner;
- Be familiar with the economic and trade sanctions imposed by the Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), particularly with respect to Russia, and other sanctions targeted at foreign countries and regimes, terrorists, those engaged in activities related to the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and other threats to the national security, foreign policy, or economy of the United States;
- Be familiar with the means by which criminal enterprises utilize the U.S. and international banking systems, as well as cryptocurrency, to conduct criminal activities;
- Advise federal law enforcement agents in the planning and execution of complex financial investigations, as well as more exigent matters;
- Conduct federal grand jury investigations;
- Draft charging documents, such as criminal complaints and indictments and civil forfeiture complaints, in cases that arise out of both long-term investigations and more exigent situations;
- Be able to lead and work well within a prosecution team that includes other prosecutors, law enforcement agents, intelligence analysts, and support staff;
- Coordinate with law enforcement partners, Department of Justice components, other Federal departments and agencies, the U.S. Intelligence Community, and foreign partners, as needed, throughout the investigation and prosecution of National Security cases and matters;
- Produce polished written products, including internal memoranda and court-filed briefs, often under tight time pressure, that effectively and persuasively summarize and analyze relevant facts and law;
- Effectively represent the United States in regular court appearances, including preliminary and detention hearings, motions hearings, trials, plea hearings, and sentencings;
- Be familiar with and comply with the government's discovery obligations in criminal and civil cases, as well as all ethical rules;
- Engage in effective negotiations with defense counsel, including to resolve cases through a plea disposition; and
- Regularly report to National Security Section and Criminal Division supervisors.
Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress.
Security Requirements: Initial appointment is conditioned upon a satisfactory preemployment adjudication. This includes fingerprint, credit and tax checks, and drug testing. In addition, continued employment is subject to a favorable adjudication of a background investigation.
Residency Requirements: Assistant United States Attorneys generally must reside in the district to which he or she is appointed or within 25 miles thereof. See 28 U.S.C. 545 for district-specific information.
Selective Service: If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. See www.sss.gov.
Required Qualifications:
Applicants must possess a J.D. degree; be an active member of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction); and have at least 3 years post-J.D. legal experience.
Applicants must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of the announcement.
Applicants must be able to obtain and maintain a TS/SCI security clearance.
Preferred Qualifications: The ideal candidate will have significant prior experience investigating and prosecuting complex financial cases, including through the use of criminal and civil forfeiture. A successful candidate is expected to have at least three years' experience as a prosecutor, outstanding legal ability, high moral character, mature judgment, a keen desire for public service, and an exceptional aptitude for litigation.
Selections are made of the most highly qualified attorneys who apply, without regard to race, sex, religion, creed, color, national origin, handicap, age, marital status, gender identify, sexual orientation, or political affiliation. Significant prior criminal and/or civil ligation experience is mandatory.
Our office places a high value on diversity of experience and perspectives and encourages applications from all qualified men and women from all ethnic and racial backgrounds, veterans, LGBT individuals, and person with disabilities.
o apply for this position, you must complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below.
The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 05/09/2022 to receive consideration.
1. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.
You must provide a complete Application Package which includes:
- Required - Your responses to the Online Occupational Questionnaire (This is completed automatically during the apply online process).
- Required - Your resume showing relevant experience and dates of employment (include day/month/year).
- Required - Cover letter.
- Required - Law school transcript.
- Requested - Legal writing sample. The writing sample selected should be the applicant's exclusive work product. If the writing sample was edited, or if there were other contributors, applicants are expected to identify those portions of the writing sample not exclusively their own work product and the extent of the editing done by others.
- Optional - Letters of reference from persons recommending appointment.
- Required, if applicable - A recent copy of an SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action), showing title, series, grade, and current salary; and a copy of your most recent performance appraisal.
- 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. It is also recommended that you include veterans' preference information in your cover letter or resume.
2. Click the Submit My Answers button to submit your application package. (It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation are submitted prior to the closing date.)
3. To verify your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the more information link for this position. The Details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.
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 District of Columbia at 2022526662 or email at Mary.Lindenmuth@usdoj.gov, prior to the closing date of this announcement to request an alternate method of applying.
AUSA's pay is administratively determined based, in part, on the number of years of professional attorney experience. The range of basic pay is $61,224 to $149,044 not including locality pay or $80,528 to $176,200 which includes 31.53% locality pay.
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Department Policies
Equal Employment Opportunity: The U.S. Department of Justice is an Equal Opportunity/Reasonable Accommodation Employer. Except where otherwise provided by law, there will be no discrimination because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex - including gender identity, sexual orientation, or pregnancy status - or because of age (over 40), physical or mental disability, protected genetic information, parental status, marital status, political affiliation, or any other non-merit based factor. The Department of Justice welcomes and encourages applications from persons with physical and mental disabilities. The Department is firmly committed to satisfying its affirmative obligations under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, to ensure that persons with disabilities have every opportunity to be hired and advanced on the basis of merit within the Department of Justice. For more information, please review our full EEO Statement.
Reasonable Accommodations: 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.
Outreach and Recruitment for Qualified Applicants with Disabilities: 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.
Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs: 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.
Suitability and Citizenship: 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://www.usajobs.gov/Help/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. All DOJ employees are subject to a residency requirement. Candidates must have lived in the United States for at least three of the past five years. The three-year period is cumulative, not necessarily consecutive. Federal or military employees, or dependents of federal or military employees serving overseas, are excepted from this requirement. This is a Department security requirement which is waived only for extreme circumstances and handled on a case-by-case basis.
Veterans: 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).
USAO Residency Requirement: 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.
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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.