Trump nominates Devillers as US attorney
David M. Devillers, one of the primary federal prosecutors of cases involving the Short North Posse, is being nominated to become the new U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Ohio based in Columbus.
President Donald Trump announced the nomination of Devillers, 53, of the New Albany area, on Wednesday.
Devillers has served as an assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District for 17 years and was an assistant Franklin County county prosecutor from 1992 to 2002.
Both of Ohio’s U.S. senators, Republican Rob Portman and Democrat Devillers Sherrod Brown, praised Devillers’ nomination, which is subject to confirmation
by the Senate.
“I am grateful to President Trump for nominating me to serve as the next U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and to Senators Portman and Brown for recommending me to the President for this position,” Devillers said in a statement. “I am honored by their confidence in me and look forward to continuing to serve Ohio in this new role.”
While an assistant U.S. attorney, Devillers led numerous organized-crime task forces with agents from the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Internal Revenue Service.
Devillers was known for his work on the complex Short North Posse gang case, which took years to put together. The gang had ruled the Weinland Park neighborhood north of Downtown, and one of the cases involved five gang members who played roles in the slayings of 10 rival drug dealers and robbery victims.
Before Devillers took the assistant federal prosecutor’s job, he directed the gang unit for the Franklin County prosecutor’s office.
Benjamin C. Glassman, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, said in a statement Thursday that leading the district “has been the greatest honor, privilege and responsibility of my federal life.”
“Every U.S. attorney serves at the pleasure of the President. Let me be the first to congratulate David Devillers . ... David is a great prosecutor. Whenever the time for transition arrives, it will be smooth,” Glassman said. “In the meantime, there’s a tremendous amount of work to be done, and this office will not slow down even one step.”