U.S. Department
of Justice
Leadership
U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani is leading the SDTX with First Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Lowery, Criminal Division Chief Ted Imperato, Executive Assistant U.S. Attorrney Krystal Walker and Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney John Pearson along with Civil Division Chief Daniel Hu and Appellate Chief Carmen Mitchell.
Read below to learn more about them.
Alamdar S. Hamdani
U.S. Attorney
Alamdar Hamdani is the 24th United States Attorney (USA) for the Southern District of Texas. Nominated by President Biden in October 2022 and confirmed by the United States Senate in December 2022, Hamdani is the chief federal law enforcement officer for the Southern District of Texas (SDTX). The district was established in 1902 and encompasses seven divisions with federal district courts in Houston, Galveston, Victoria, Corpus Christi, Brownsville, McAllen and Laredo. As USA, Hamdani supervises the investigation and prosecution of all federal crimes and the litigation of all civil matters in which the United States has an interest.
More information about him is located on the USA page.
Jennifer Lowery
First Assistant U.S. Attorney
Lowery joined the Southern District of Texas (SDTX) in 2008, but has been with the Department of Justice since 2000. She first served as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney and then an Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA) in the Eastern District of Texas. During this time, she was detailed to Washington D.C. and New York, New York, as a hearing officer for the 9/11 Victims’ Compensation Fund. She later worked in Washington D.C. in the Office of the Deputy Attorney General and Executive Office for US Attorneys, in both their Counsel to Director’s Office and General Counsel’s Office.
While with the SDTX, Lowery was previously the court-appointed U.S. Attorney. She has served as AUSA in the Major Offenders, Fraud and Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Sections and held the titles of First Assistant USA, Executive AUSA, criminal chief, deputy criminal chief of the Program Fraud Section, acting deputy criminal chief of the Major Fraud Section, senior litigation counsel and ethics advisor.
Prior to her federal service, Lowery was an Assistant Criminal District Attorney in the Jefferson County, Texas, District Attorney’s Office for eight years where she prosecuted hundreds of cases, including four capital murders. She served as a grand jury attorney, drug intake lawyer, drug diversion lawyer, misdemeanor chief and attorney and felony attorney.
Lowery holds a B.A. from Texas State University (formerly Southwest Texas State University) and a J.D. from South Texas College of Law in Houston, Texas
Ted Imperato
Chief – Criminal Division
Imperato began his career with the SDTX in 2003. Since that time, he has served as an AUSA in Violent Crimes, Narcotics Enforcement, Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force/Organized Crime and National Security/Public Corruption sections. In 2016, he became the deputy criminal chief of the National Security and Public Corruption section. He has been the Criminal Chief since December 2020.
Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office (USAO)-SDTX, Imperato was with the Montgomery County Prosecutor’s Office in Ohio for seven years. He has received numerous accolades and case commendations during his tenure with the Department of Justice to include the FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, Drug Enforcement Administration and Department of State - Diplomatic Security Service. Imperato was also awarded the Houston Police Department’s Chief of Police Commendation.
Imperato holds a B.S. in Accounting from Providence College and a J.D. from the University of Dayton School of Law.
He is licensed to practice in Texas.
Krystal Walker
Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney
Walker joined the office in 2016. Since then, she has served as an AUSA in both the Civil and Criminal Divisions, prosecuting white collar crimes and defending the United States and its agencies in employment discrimination, civil immigration and Federal Torts Claims Act cases. She has also served on a detail assignment to the General Counsel’s Office for the Executive Office of U.S. Attorneys. Walker previously served as an AUSA in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Mississippi.
Prior to joining the Department of Justice, Walker was a law clerk for U.S. District Judge Michael P. Mills in the Northern District of Mississippi, U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael T. Parker in the Southern District of Mississippi and U.S. District Judge Debra M. Brown in the Northern District of Mississippi. Before her clerkships, she practiced insurance defense and family law in the private sector.
She holds a Bachelor of Accountancy, cum laude, from Mississippi State University and a Juris Doctor, cum laude, from the University of Mississippi School of Law.
Walker is licensed to practice in all state courts of Mississippi, Tennessee and New York as well as before the U.S. Supreme Court, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and U.S. District Courts for the Southern District of Texas, Northern District of Mississippi and Southern District of Mississippi.
John Pearson
Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney
Pearson joined the office in 2012 and has been with DOJ since 2004. He joined DOJ through the Attorney General’s Honors Program, working as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, trial attorney in the Public Integrity Section of the Criminal Division and senior counsel to the Assistant Attorney General.
While with the office, Pearson has served as an AUSA in the Major Fraud, Program Fraud and National Security & Public Corruption Sections. He has served as the deputy criminal chief of the Program Fraud and Major Fraud Sections as well as the district’s financial crimes coordinator, health care fraud coordinator and Hurricane Harvey working group coordinator. He is a commissioned officer in the United States Navy Reserve.
Pearson holds a B.A. from Princeton University and a J.D. with high honors from the University of Texas School of Law. After graduating from law school, he served as a clerk to the Hon. H. Emory Widener Jr. of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.
Daniel Hu
Chief – Civil Division
Hu began his career with the SDTX in 1992. Since that time, he has served in the Civil Division as an AUSA, but has also handled criminal cases and argued appeals at the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and the Federal Circuit. Prior to becoming the chief of the Civil Division in 2016, he served as its deputy chief.
In 2008, Hu led the first Border Fence condemnation team which dealt with 54 miles of land. From 2014-16, he was part of the team handling Texas v United States, the nationally-recognized case challenging the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals immigration policy.
Prior to serving as an AUSA, he was in private practice and was a law clerk to U.S. District Judge Norman W. Black.
Hu is currently on the board of the Houston Asian American Bar Association and council for the State Bar of Texas Asian Interest Section. He is a past president of the Federal Bar Association - SDTX Chapter, past director of the State Bar of Texas and past Commissioner on the Texas Access to Justice Commission.
Carmen Mitchell
Chief – Appellate Division
Mitchell began her career with the SDTX in 2008. Since that time, she has served as an AUSA in the Appellate Division where she authored direct appeals briefs and post-conviction responses, provided trial assistance to the Criminal Division, reviewed and edited briefs, presented at least 19 oral arguments before the Fifth Circuit and conducted trainings. Prior to becoming the chief of the Appellate Division in 2017, she served as its deputy chief.
Prior to joining the USAO, she was a Harris County Assistant District Attorney in the Appellate Division in Houston Texas, for 11 years. While there, she worked on over 480 direct appeals, including eight capital murder death penalty appeals, and presented more than 20 oral arguments, resulting in over 76 published opinions. She was also associate counsel on three respondent’s briefs in opposition in the U.S. Supreme Court while working at the Harris County D.A.’s Office.
Mitchell holds a B.A., cum laude, from Midwestern State University and a J.D., cum laude, from Texas Tech University School of Law.