Divisions

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California is organized into two litigating divisions, the Criminal Division and Civil Division, with AUSAs in San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose.

Criminal Division

The Criminal Division consists of seven sections and two branch offices:

The Appellate Section oversees all Criminal Division appearances before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, ensuring the quality of all written filings and oral arguments. The Appellate Section also litigates before the District Court by identifying breaking legal issues, coordinating legal strategy, and participating directly in selected cases.

The Asset Forfeiture Section is responsible for the seizure and forfeiture of assets used in or generated by criminal activity. Asset Forfeiture Section AUSAs institute civil forfeiture actions and assist AUSAs in other sections in including forfeiture allegations in their criminal actions.

The Financial Crimes Section investigates and prosecutes complex fraud and financial crimes, focusing on criminal actors and networks seeking to exploit federal funds and government programs. The Section prosecutes schemes that target Medicare and other health care programs, offenses involving federal benefits and tax-payer funded programs, customs fraud, tax fraud, and complex schemes that defraud individuals and businesses in the Northern District. The Section partners with the FBI, IRS Criminal Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the Department of Health and Human Services OIG, among other federal law enforcement and regulatory agencies, to identify and investigate financial crimes and recover stolen funds.

The General Crimes Section is responsible for prosecuting a wide range of federal cases including drug and gun trafficking, unlawful firearm possession, child exploitation, sex and labor trafficking, immigration, bank robbery, white collar and government fraud, counterfeit currency, identity theft, assaults on federal officers, and crimes that occur on federal and Indian land.

The Organized Crime Section prosecutes complex and dangerous criminal enterprises that threaten the Northern District of California and communities across the country. The Section targets the networks, leaders, and structures that drive large-scale criminal activity, including transnational drug cartels, gangs and racketeering enterprises, domestic violent extremists, and certain categories of organized white-collar crime. Prosecutors work to dismantle criminal enterprises at their source, following money, violence, and influence across jurisdictions and international borders. The Section leverages advanced investigative tools and works closely with federal, state, local, and international law enforcement partners to meet the evolving challenges posed by modern organized crime.

The National Security, Cyber & Special Prosecutions Section investigates and prosecutes some of the most complex and impactful criminal offenses facing the region and nation. The Section is responsible for pursuing and disrupting criminal conduct threatening national security, including in the areas of international terrorism, espionage, transnational repression, foreign malign influence, and export control and sanctions. The Section also works to combat evolving criminal threats involving computer hacking and other cyber-enabled crime, including disrupting cybercriminal networks and digital infrastructure, as well as investigating and prosecuting trade secret theft and economic espionage. The Section’s public corruption work focuses on bribery, embezzlement, frauds, and other crimes committed by government officials and employees, and those doing business with the government. The Section also handles a variety of civil rights cases, including deprivations of constitutional rights by law enforcement officers and hate crime allegations, as well as environmental crimes. AUSAs in the Section work closely with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and other government and law enforcement agencies, other components within the Department of Justice, and international partners.

The Oakland Branch Office investigates and prosecutes federal offenses occurring in Alameda and Contra Costa counties. The San Jose Branch Office investigates and prosecutes federal offenses occurring in Santa Clara, Monterey, Santa Cruz, and San Benito counties. Either branch office may be involved in any of the full range of federal offenses prosecuted by the Criminal Division.

Civil Division

The Civil Division handles three main types of cases: Defensive Litigation, Affirmative Civil Enforcement (ACE), and Financial Litigation. Typically, Civil AUSAs are assigned primarily to one case category, but often handle a mixed caseload including cases from two or more categories. Civil AUSAs are assigned to the San Jose Branch Office as well as the San Francisco Office.

Defensive Litigation
The Civil Division defends the United States and its agencies in a variety of civil actions, including cases involving federal employment, torts, immigration, constitutional law, challenges to agency actions and civil rights.

Affirmative Civil Enforcement
In ACE cases, the Civil Division mainly prosecutes civil actions to recover damages and penalties for fraud and other misconduct under the False Claims Act, the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act, and other statutory and common law remedies. The Civil Division also handles affirmative civil rights matters under the Americans with Disabilities Act and other statutes.

Financial Litigation
The Financial Litigation Unit (FLU) litigates and enforces the collection of criminal and civil debts owed to the United States and crime victims, including judgments, fines, restitution and penalties.