United States Attorney McGregor Scott to Resign after Serving as Chief Federal Law Enforcement Officer for the Eastern District of California

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced today that he will resign his position as the chief federal prosecutor for the Eastern District of California. The United States Attorney serves as the chief federal law enforcement officer and is responsible for prosecuting federal criminal cases and representing the United States in civil litigation. The Eastern District covers 34 counties throughout the Central Valley and the Sierras and has 92 attorneys and 91 non-attorney staff with offices in Sacramento, Fresno, and Bakersfield.

Mr. Scott tendered his resignation to the President and the Acting Attorney General today, and he will conclude his service as United States Attorney on February 28.

On Dec. 29, 2017, Scott was sworn in as the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of California, returning to the position he held from 2003 to 2009.

“Serving as the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of California has been the most fulfilling experience of my professional career,” said Scott. “It has been an honor these past three years to work with the women and men in this office and our law enforcement partners to keep our communities safe, to safeguard the Treasury, and to provide the United States with the highest quality legal representation in all the matters we handle.”

As of March 1, Phillip A. Talbert will assume leadership of the office as Acting U.S. Attorney. Talbert, who is currently the First Assistant U.S. Attorney, has had a distinguished career of more than 18 years in the office. He previously served as the court-appointed U.S. Attorney during the last transition between administrations, the Chief of Appeals and Training, and a prosecutor in the Narcotics and Violent Crime Unit. He also served in the Department of Justice’s Office of Professional Responsibility and Criminal Division before coming to the Eastern District of California. Mr. Talbert was also in private practice. He is a graduate of Harvard University, the University of Sydney, and the UCLA School of Law.

Mr. Scott received his B.A. from Santa Clara University in 1985 and his J.D. from Hastings College of the Law, University of California, in 1989. He served as a deputy district attorney from 1989 to 1997 in Contra Costa County and served as the elected District Attorney of Shasta County from 1997 to 2003. After completing his first term as U.S. Attorney, Mr. Scott practiced as a partner with the law firm of Orrick, Herrington, & Sutcliffe LLP, focusing on white collar criminal defense and corporate investigations. In addition, Mr. Scott retired in 2008 from the United States Army Reserve as a lieutenant colonel after 23 years of service.