U.S. Attorney in Eastern Virginia announces resignation
ALEXANDRIA, VA. » The leader of one of the nation’s most prominent U.S. Attorney’s offices said Tuesday he is resigning after nearly three years of prosecuting terrorists, spies and political operatives.
G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, is joining the private sector with a post at the Vinson and Elkins law firm.
Terwilliger, 39, is the youngest U.S. Attorney in the country and has led the office since 2018, but his connections to the office go back to 1999, when he worked there as an intern. He also served for years there as a line prosecutor.
It is common for U.S. attorneys to resign their posts during presidential transitions, giving the new president an opportunity to appoint his own prosecutors.
The office routinely handles high- profile prosecutions. Last year, the office obtained indictments against accused Islamic state members Alexanda Amon Kotey and El Shafee Elsheikh, British nationals known as the “Beatles” because they were two members of an English-accented foursome that allegedly participated in holding and executing Western hostages.
Building the case and bringing the pair to Virginia required years of work, domestically and internationally, with competition from other U.S. Attorney offices looking to build the case.