Attorney General William P. Barr Announces the Appointment and Swearing In of Peter McCoy as Interim U.S. Attorney for the District of South Carolina

COLUMBIA, South Carolina --- Attorney General William P. Barr announced today the appointment and swearing in of Peter M. McCoy, Jr. as Interim U.S. Attorney for the District of South Carolina, pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 546.

As Interim U.S. Attorney, McCoy is the chief federal law enforcement officer responsible for federal criminal prosecutions and civil litigation involving the United States in the District of South Carolina. He supervises an office of approximately 62 Assistant United States Attorneys, 75 support staff, and 18 contract support staff, all of whom are responsible for prosecuting federal crimes affecting the district, including narcotics and firearms cases, gang violence, human trafficking, white-collar crime, securities fraud, public corruption, terrorism and civil rights violations. The office also defends the United States in civil cases and collects debts owed to the United States.

“As a former prosecutor, I am honored to have been appointed as Interim U.S. Attorney for one of the greatest federal judicial districts in the country,” said McCoy. “I look forward to working with federal, state, and local partners to continue the important and excellent work of our office.”

Before being sworn in as Interim U.S. Attorney, McCoy was a partner at McCoy and Stokes Law Firm. McCoy also served as a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives and focused his legislative work on protecting children and keeping neighborhoods safe.

A Charleston, S.C., resident and graduate of Hampden-Sydney College and Regent University Law School, McCoy spent more than five years as a criminal prosecutor in the Ninth Circuit Solicitor’s Office, handling thousands of crimes involving violence, guns, and drugs. As a legislator, McCoy was the lead sponsor of legislation requiring the mandatory reporting of child sexual abuse as well as legislation establishing a mandatory minimum sentence for anyone who commits a crime while out on bond. He worked to pass statutes that ensure violent repeat criminal offenders do not remain out on bond if they continue to commit crimes.

For more information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-sc.

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The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.