About
The Office
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts is the state's top federal law enforcement agency. There are 94 U.S. Attorney's Offices throughout the United States and its territories, each representing a unique district.
The Offices work with federal investigative agencies, such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, or the Drug Enforcement Administration, to prosecute violations of federal laws, such as terrorism, health care fraud, public corruption, drug and money laundering, firearms trafficking, child exploitation, or economic crimes. The Office also handles civil law, such as asset forfeitures and civil rights violations.
"The United States Attorney is the representative not of an ordinary party to a controversy, but of a sovereignty whose obligation to govern impartially is as compelling as its obligation to govern at all; and whose interest, therefore, in a criminal prosecution is not that it shall win a case, but that justice shall be done. As such, he is in a peculiar and very definite sense the servant of the law, the twofold aim of which is that guilt shall not escape or innocence suffer. He may prosecute with earnestness and vigor–indeed, he should do so. But, while he may strike hard blows, he is not at liberty to strike foul ones. It is as much his duty to refrain from improper methods calculated to produce a wrongful conviction as it is to use every legitimate means to bring about a just one."
While the Office primarily prosecutes violations of federal laws, its attorneys also defend the United States Government and its agencies, such as the Department of Veterans Affairs or the Environmental Protection Agency.
The United States Attorney
The Office is led by the U.S. Attorney, who represents the U.S. Department of Justice on all federal legal matters in the District of Massachusetts and serves as the Office's ambassador to the community. The U.S. Attorney oversees hundreds of cases each year, manages more than 200 attorneys, paralegals and professional staff at three offices throughout the state, and engages with the community on issues such as civil rights, violence prevention, and substance use disorder.
The U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts is one of 93 U.S. Attorneys serving throughout the United States and its territories. U.S. Attorneys are nominated by the President and are confirmed by the U.S. Senate. They represent the United States Attorney General - the head of the Department of Justice and the country's chief law enforcement officer and lawyer - in the districts for which they serve.
It is important to distinguish between the United States Attorney General, United States Attorneys, and an individual state’s Attorney General. As previously mentioned, the U.S. Attorney General is the country’s chief law enforcement officer and lawyer. He has 93 U.S. Attorneys who work for him throughout the country in 94 distinct districts. Both the U.S. Attorney General and U.S. Attorneys serve the federal government and enforce federal laws. Each of the 50 states and Washington D.C. have its own Attorney General who is his/her state’s chief law enforcement officer and lawyer for state-level laws.
The District
The U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts represents the entire state and its 6.8 million residents. Of the 94 U.S. Attorney’s Offices throughout the United States and its territories, the District of Massachusetts is one of the busiest, prosecuting a broad range of cases including national security, white collar crime, public corruption, cybercrime, narcotics and money laundering, organized crime and gang violence, and civil rights violations. In addition, the Office’s Civil Division tackles complex cases ranging from large affirmative health care fraud to bankruptcy.
Massachusetts’ robust biotechnology industry, preeminent hospitals, and prestigious universities are an asset to the U.S Attorney’s Office, which, due to proximity and strong working-relationships, has access to some of the world’s leading scientists, scholars, and legal experts.
Quick Facts: Massachusetts is the 44th smallest state in total area (land and water), but it is the 15th largest in population – with 6.8 million residents; it is also the country's 12th largest economy and has the 10th lowest poverty rate. In 2016, 12 Fortune 500 companies resided in Massachusetts - including those specializing in biotechnology, construction, and financial services.
The Three Offices
Please note, to enter a United States Federal Court, visitors must present a valid photo ID, check their mobile phones with a Court Security Officer, and go through a metal detector.
Main Office - Boston
John Joseph Moakley
United States Federal Courthouse
1 Courthouse Way, Suite 9200
Boston, MA 02210
Phone: 617-748-3100
Branch Office - Springfield
Federal Building and Courthouse
300 State Street, Suite 230
Springfield, MA 01105
Phone: 413-785-0235
Fax: 413-785-0394
Branch Office - Worcester
Donohue Federal Building
595 Main St, Rm. 206
Worcester, MA 01608
Phone: 508-368-0100
Fax: 508-756-7120