About Us
The Northern District of Oklahoma encompasses 11 counties in the northeastern corner of the state (see map on Home Page), including Tulsa County, the second most populous county in the state of Oklahoma. Twenty-seven percent (27%) of the entire population in Oklahoma resides in this federal judicial district.
The United States Attorney is the chief federal law enforcement officer of the United States within his or her particular jurisdiction. United States Attorneys are appointed by, and serve at the discretion of, the President of the United States, with advice and consent of the United States Senate. One United States Attorney is assigned to each of the 94 federal judicial districts, with the exception of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, where a single United States Attorney serves in both districts.
Each United States Attorney exercises wide discretion in the use of his/her resources to further the Department of Justice priorities and to set and enforce individual district priorities to best meet the local needs of their communities. United States Attorneys have been delegated, and will continue to be delegated, full authority and control in the areas of personnel management, financial management and procurement. At the present time the Northern District of Oklahoma U.S. Attorney’s Office employs 25 Assistant United States Attorneys. The office has a total staff of approximately 60 employees, including Victim Witness and Law Enforcement Coordinating Specialists, administrative and support personnel.
The United States Attorney’s Office conducts the majority of the criminal prosecutions handled by the Department of Justice. Criminal referrals are received from federal investigative agencies and from state and local law enforcement agencies. After careful consideration of each criminal matter, the U.S. Attorney decides the appropriateness of bringing criminal charges and, when deemed appropriate, initiates prosecution. The Northern District of Oklahoma U.S. Attorney’s Office investigates and prosecutes a wide range of criminal activities that violate federal law and now handle a more diverse workload than ever before. Our criminal caseload includes violent crime, complex drug and money laundering activities, complex and time consuming financial institution and corporate fraud, computer fraud, environmental crime, sensitive public corruption matters, organized crime, and cases involving multiple defendants and international organizations.
U.S. Attorneys also conduct the majority of the civil litigation handled by the Department of Justice. Our work in the civil arena entails the initiation of civil actions, or affirmative litigation, to assert and protect the interests of the United States. We also defend the interests of the government in lawsuits filed against the United States, referred to as defensive litigation.