Attorney General William P. Barr Appoints Timothy Shea Interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia
Attorney General William P. Barr announced today the appointment of Timothy Shea as Interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 546, effective February 3. The Office is the largest U.S. Attorney’s Office in the country, serving as both the local and the federal prosecutor for the nation’s capital, with over 300 attorneys responsible for litigation before over 100 judges in federal and local courts.
“I am pleased to appoint Tim Shea as Interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. Tim brings to this role extensive knowledge and expertise in law enforcement matters as well as an unwavering dedication to public service, reflected in his long and distinguished career in state and federal government,” said Attorney General William P. Barr. “His reputation as a fair prosecutor, skillful litigator, and excellent manager is second-to-none, and his commitment to fighting violent crime and the drug epidemic will greatly benefit the city of Washington. I would also like to express my gratitude to Jessie Liu, who has served with distinction as U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia since 2017, and has been nominated to a new role at the Department of the Treasury.”
Shea served as Associate Deputy Attorney General from 1990-1992 and as Counselor to the Attorney General since 2019. In both roles, he advised the Attorney General on law enforcement operations, criminal justice policy, and management issues affecting the Department. He recently spearheaded the Department’s Operation Relentless Pursuit, a crackdown targeting violent crime in seven U.S. cities.
From 1992-1997, Shea served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia where he prosecuted federal criminal cases, including violent crimes, drug trafficking, fraud cases, perjury and obstruction of justice investigations, federal tax fraud and evasion cases, civil rights matters, and public corruption cases. He headed the Task Force responsible for investigating and prosecuting crimes at the District of Columbia correctional facilities at Lorton, supervising AUSAs and D.C. government attorneys. He was also the coordinator for matters related to the Criminal Enforcement Child Support.
In state government, Shea served as the Chief of Public Protection Bureau in the Massachusetts Attorney General’s office where he managed several divisions staffed by attorneys and investigators. In that position, he was responsible for the enforcement of state law related to consumer protection, civil rights, antitrust, regulated industries, insurance rate setting, telecommunications, energy, environment, public charities, and elder protection. Shea also served in Congressional roles, including as Chief Counsel and Staff Director of the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations under the chairmanship of Senator Susan Collins and on the U.S. House Appropriations Committee professional staff under Ranking Republican Member Silvio O. Conte. During his 20 years of private practice, Shea served as Of Counsel for Bingham McCutchen and Morgan Lewis, handling complex civil litigation.
Shea earned his J.D. degree magna cum laude in 1991 from the Georgetown University Law Center where he was elected to the Order of the Coif. He was also a senior staff member of the America Criminal Law Review. He received his B.A. degree magna cum laude from Boston College in 1982 where he received the Kenealy Award for Academic Excellence.