U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Pennsylvania

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania prosecutes federal crimes and represents the United States in civil cases in Philadelphia and eight surrounding counties. It is a federal office led by a U.S. Attorney, a presidential nominee who is confirmed by the U.S. Senate. It is distinct from the local District Attorney's Office, which prosecutes violations of Pennsylvania law in state court, and from the Pennsylvania Attorney General. ^[1]

1 Jurisdiction and role

Federal prosecutors bring cases under federal statutes, including fraud, public corruption, drug trafficking, firearms offenses, child exploitation, civil-rights violations and cybercrime. Cases are investigated by federal agencies such as the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and are tried in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, with appeals to the Third Circuit. The office also handles civil litigation involving the federal government, civil rights enforcement, and affirmative civil cases such as health-care fraud and fair-housing matters. The federal-local relationship is described in Federal Government and Philadelphia.

2 Leadership and how the post is filled

U.S. Attorneys are nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate. Attorney General Pamela Bondi appointed David Metcalf, previously corporate counsel at Amazon and a former assistant U.S. attorney, as interim U.S. Attorney on March 12, 2025. After the 120-day interim period the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania appointed him, and Chief Judge Mitchell Goldberg swore him in on June 30, 2025. The Senate confirmed his nomination on October 7, 2025, and he was sworn in on October 15, 2025 to serve the full four-year term. ^[2] His predecessor was Jacqueline Romero, who served from 2021 until early 2025. In May 2026 the Justice Department announced that Metcalf had been appointed to the Attorney General's Advisory Committee of U.S. Attorneys. ^[3]

3 Priorities

Each U.S. Attorney sets priorities within Department of Justice policy. The office has long prioritized violent crime and gun cases in Philadelphia, often through partnerships with the Police Department and the state, and public-corruption cases. For example, in February 2026 the office announced a 188-month sentence for a man who committed an armed robbery and shot at Philadelphia police officers, and in July 2025 it announced a 75-year sentence for a member of a Frankford-based drug gang convicted in the killing of a Philadelphia police officer. Priorities can change with new administrations, so the office's current press releases at justice.gov/usao-edpa are the best source. ^[3]

4 Public corruption and civil rights cases

The office has brought many of the best-known prosecutions of Philadelphia officials, and its record is documented in Justice Department press releases. Examples on the public record, with the most recent first:

• John Dougherty and Bobby Henon. The office announced a 116-count indictment on January 30, 2019 against IBEW Local 98 leader John Dougherty, then-Councilmember Robert Henon and others. On November 15, 2021, a jury convicted Dougherty and Henon of honest services fraud charges (Henon also of federal program bribery). On December 7, 2023, a second jury convicted Dougherty and former Local 98 president Brian Burrows of embezzlement-related charges; Burrows was sentenced to 48 months on June 26, 2024 and Dougherty to 72 months on July 11, 2024. Henon was later reported sentenced to about 3.5 years in prison. The Justice Department's Office of the Pardon Attorney lists a commutation warrant dated September 3, 2026 for John Dougherty (E.D. Pa.). See IBEW Local 98.
• District Attorney Seth Williams. Williams was indicted in March 2017 and pleaded guilty on June 29, 2017 to a federal bribery charge; he was sentenced on October 24, 2017 to 60 months in prison. That case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey, not the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
• Chaka Fattah. Former Congressman Chaka Fattah Sr. was indicted in July 2015, sentenced to 120 months in prison on December 12, 2016 for participating in a racketeering conspiracy, and resentenced to 10 years on July 12, 2019. His son, Chaka Fattah Jr., was convicted in November 2015 of fraud and tax charges and sentenced in February 2016 to 60 months.
• Traffic Court. A January 31, 2013 indictment charged former Philadelphia Traffic Court judges in a ticket-fixing scheme. After several guilty pleas, a federal jury on July 23, 2014 convicted three former judges (Michael Lowry, Robert Mulgrew and Thomasine Tynes) of perjury before the grand jury and a fourth (Willie Singletary) of lying to the FBI, and acquitted three other defendants. The state abolished Traffic Court in 2013; see First Judicial District.
• State Senator Vincent Fumo. Fumo was convicted on 137 counts on March 16, 2009 and was reported sentenced to 55 months in prison in July 2009 (his term was increased by six months on judicial review in November 2011, according to reference summaries); he was released in August 2013.
• City Treasurer Corey Kemp. Kemp was convicted in 2005 and sentenced to 10 years in a pay-to-play case that followed the 2003 discovery of an FBI listening device in Mayor John Street's office (Street was not charged).

Each case produced sentences and, in some instances, appeals; the court record is controlling.^[4] See Political Corruption Cases in Philadelphia and Conflicts of Interest and Pay-to-Play. The office can also prosecute officers who violate federal civil-rights law; see Police Accountability Systems.

5 Reporting a federal crime

Tips can be reported to the FBI's Philadelphia field office or to the U.S. Attorney's Office, which also operates victim-witness services. Concerns about local officials' ethics may belong with the Inspector General or Board of Ethics instead; see How to Report Corruption or Misconduct. Federal prosecutors do not give legal advice to the public; individuals who need legal help should consult a lawyer.

See also: Philadelphia District Attorney's Office, Federal Government and Philadelphia, Political Corruption Cases in Philadelphia, Conflicts of Interest and Pay-to-Play.

References

1. U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, justice.gov/usao-edpa.
2. USAO-EDPA press releases: "David Metcalf Appointed United States Attorney" (March 12, 2025); "United States District Court Appoints David Metcalf as United States Attorney" (June 30, 2025); "Following U.S. Senate Confirmation, David Metcalf Sworn In as United States Attorney for the Full Term of Four Years" (October 15, 2025), justice.gov.
3. U.S. Department of Justice press releases, including "U.S. Attorney David Metcalf Appointed To Attorney General's Advisory Committee" (May 22, 2026) and USAO-EDPA sentencing announcements of July 23, 2025 and February 12, 2026, justice.gov.
4. USAO-EDPA and U.S. Attorney's Office (D.N.J.) press releases on the Dougherty/Henon (2019-2024), Williams (2017), Fattah (2015-2019) and Traffic Court (2013-2015) cases, justice.gov; U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the Pardon Attorney, clemency grants (September 3, 2026); reference summaries of the Fumo (2009) and Kemp (2005) cases.