01/14/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 01/14/2025 16:46
LOS ANGELES - United States Attorney Martin Estrada announced today that he will resign his position as the chief prosecutor for the nation's most-populous federal district, the Central District of California. While serving as the top federal law enforcement officer in the Los Angeles-based district since September 2022, Mr. Estrada oversaw more than 500 Assistant U.S. Attorneys and staff who serve almost 20 million people in the seven counties that comprise the district.
Mr. Estrada tendered his resignation to the President and the Attorney General today, and he will conclude his service as United States Attorney on January 17.
"As the child of immigrants from Guatemala, neither my family nor I could ever have believed that I would one day have the opportunity to serve as United States Attorney in service to the greatest country in the world," Mr. Estrada said. "To say that serving in this position has been an honor would be a profound understatement. Giving back to the community where I grew up and that I love so dearly - and doing so alongside such talented and generous attorneys and staff - has been the greatest privilege of my life."
During his tenure, Mr. Estrada prioritized protecting the public by taking on the most significant and impactful cases, outreach to the community, and recruiting the best lawyers in the country to continue the office's excellent service to the nation.
Notable Casework
With regard to casework, Mr. Estrada focused on matters addressing hate crimes, civil rights, violent crime, national security, fentanyl and other synthetic drugs, public corruption, corporate fraud and financial crimes, and protecting vulnerable communities and environmental justice.
Hate Crimes
In one of the most diverse regions in the country, Mr. Estrada collaborated with other civic and law enforcement leaders in numerous events to highlight the community's unity against hate and prejudice of all types. Delivering on this message, the office aggressively prosecuted hate crimes in the district, including by convicting and obtaining a 35-year prison sentence against a man who attempted to murder two orthodox Jewish men in the Pico-Robertson area of Los Angeles; carrying out the largest-ever takedown of a Neo-Nazi organization, involving 68 members and associates of the San Fernando Valley Peckerwoods and Aryan Brotherhood; convicting an active-duty Marine and his conspirators who firebombed a Planned Parenthood clinic, sought to attack Dodger Stadium during "Pride Night" and conspired to attack the power-grid system to start a race war; obtaining a 98-count indictment against the shooter who murdered one congregant and attempted to kill 44 others at a Taiwanese church in Laguna Woods; and convicting a man who drove his car through a "stop Asian hate" rally in Diamond Bar.
Civil Rights
In the field of civil rights, under Mr. Estrada's leadership, prosecutors charged a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD) deputy who allegedly, along with his former law enforcement and military accomplices, unlawfully held an Irvine family as part of a multimillion-dollar business dispute; convicted a former FBI agent who accepted bribes from an organized crime figure; and convicted an LASD deputy for using excessive force against a teacher and then attempting to cover up the act.
Lawyers in the office's Civil Division obtained the largest redlining settlement in the history of the Department of Justice - $31 million - against City National Bank; secured a settlement with the County of Los Angeles to ensure access for voters with disabilities; filed a lawsuit against LA Fitness, the largest fitness club chain in the country, alleging disability discrimination at its fitness clubs; and initiated an investigation into allegations of sexual assault and harassment at the two women's state prisons in California.
Violent Crime
To address violent crime, Mr. Estrada built greater federal and local partnerships throughout the region. In particular, he launched Operation Safe Cities, an enhanced collaboration with local police and sheriffs' departments to address the most violent gun criminals, particularly those involved in commercial robberies, kidnappings, extortion and gun offenses. Through Operation Safe Cities, the office has filed dozens of cases subjecting dangerous gun criminals to enhanced federal penalties.
Other notable violent crime results under Mr. Estrada's leadership include decades-long prison sentences against three gang members who murdered an off-duty Los Angeles Police Department officer while he was shopping for a home with his girlfriend; a life sentence against a gang member who murdered the son of a former federal agent; a racketeering indictment targeting the leadership of a gang allegedly responsible for the murder of two El Monte Police Department officers; the indictment of a car-rental business and its operators who allegedly facilitated more than 120 burglaries by South American crime tourists; the indictment of a man who shot at a San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department deputy responding to a domestic violence call; and the indictment of Grammy-winning Chicago rapper Durk Banks, a.k.a. "Lil Durk," for allegedly conspiring to murder a rival rapper and killing his cousin.
In September 2024, Mr. Estrada was joined by Mayor Karen Bass, City Attorney Heidi Feldstein-Soto and other law enforcement officials to announce the Figueroa Corridor Human Trafficking Initiative, a multi-agency initiative to address the sexual exploitation of children and young people along Figueroa Street, a notorious prostitution hub. With this initiative, prosecutors were able to obtain major sentences against pimps trafficking in children.
National Security
In the national security area, prosecutors obtained a life sentence against a Long Beach man whose bomb attack in Orange County killed his ex-girlfriend and injured two other victims; prison time for a U.S. Navy officer who transmitted sensitive U.S. military information to a Chinese intelligence officer; convictions and prison time for weapons traffickers who illegally exported military items to Russia; the indictment of a Chinese national who allegedly worked to illegally ship firearms, ammunition and sensitive technology to North Korea; and the indictment of a former member of the Chinese military who allegedly illegally operated as an agent for the People's Republic of China and sought to influence the U.S. political system.
Prosecutors also worked to protect the cybersecurity of the nation with notable cases, including indicting the leaders of the cybercriminal group known as Anonymous Sudan that launched more than 35,000 cyber attacks in one year against U.S. government agencies, major corporations and foreign governments; dismantling the massive, global botnet known as Qakbot, which was tied to ransomware attacks around the world; and indicting four individuals connected to the Scattered Spider network, which was responsible for more than $11 million in losses.
Synthetic Drugs
With fentanyl becoming the leading cause of death for Americans between 18 and 45 and wreaking havoc on the streets, Mr. Estrada focused major resources on combating this epidemic. As for large-scale drug traffickers, prosecutors filed critical cases, including matters against a Chinese laboratory and its staff for allegedly selling fentanyl precursor chemicals; a Canadian and former Olympic snowboarder and his conspirators charged with trafficking tons of drugs from Mexico to the United States and Canada; Mexican cartel members and Canadian truckdrivers moving hundreds of pounds of methamphetamine throughout the United States and Canada; an alliance alleged between the Sinaloa cartel and money launderers in the People's Republic of China; and numerous fentanyl traffickers operating on the dark web.
Mr. Estrada also directed the office to put significant focus on charging drug-traffickers who cause the death of another person, cases which carry 20-year mandatory minimum sentences in federal prison. Partnering with local law enforcement and district attorney's offices in the region, the office filed over 70 "death-resulting" cases during Mr. Estrada's tenure, by far the most of any office in the country. Among these was the prosecution of five individuals, including two doctors, responsible for the death of actor Matthew Perry in October 2023.
Public Corruption
Mr. Estrada led the office to continued success in combating public corruption. Among other matters, prosecutors obtained a RICO conspiracy conviction and 13-year prison sentence for former Los Angeles city councilman Jose Huizar; a 12-year prison sentence for former Los Angeles deputy mayor Raymond Chan; a bribery and fraud conviction and 3½-year prison sentence against longtime politician Mark Ridley-Thomas; a five-year prison sentence for a real estate executive who bribed a San Luis Obispo County supervisor; and convictions of the former Commerce city manager and Baldwin Park city attorney for a bribery scheme concerning cannabis permits. Prosecutors also secured the guilty plea of Orange County Supervisor Andrew Do to charges of bribery involving more than $10 million in COVID-19 pandemic relief funds.
Corporate Fraud and Financial Crimes
To put greater focus and resources on fraud by executives and insiders, Mr. Estrada launched the Corporate and Securities Fraud Strike Force, a section dedicated to prosecuting complex corporate crimes, abuses by company insiders, and offenses that impact the nation's financial system. Among other cases, prosecutors charged Fat Brands Inc., its former CEO, and former CFO on fraud charges; indicted an activist short seller with multiple counts of securities fraud; and convicted the former CEO and chairman of a health care company of securities fraud and insider trading.
Financial fraud prosecutors also brought criminal charges against those involved in illegal gambling, including Ippei Mizuhara, the former translator for Major League Baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani.
Protecting Vulnerable Communities and Environmental Justice
Mr. Estrada placed great emphasis on protecting vulnerable victims. To do so, he launched the Vulnerable Communities Task Force, which addresses scams aimed at groups that historically have had less legal recourse to address offenders targeting them, such as immigrants, indigent individuals, and older adults. With this initiative, prosecutors have convicted and sentenced numerous individuals and groups involved in "pig butchering" scams and other fraud. Prosecutors also convicted celebrity lawyer Tom Girardi, who stole from his clients in their greatest time of need.
Recognizing the need to combat environmental violations in the nation's most populous and diverse district, Mr. Estrada created the position of Environmental Justice Coordinator and bolstered the Environmental Crimes and Consumer Protection Section of the office. The section indicted Phillips 66 Company for alleged violations of the Clean Water Act by illegally discharging hundreds of thousands of gallons of contaminated wastewater; convicted the captain of the Conception dive boat for a fire that killed 34 people; and secured a landmark $20 million settlement with the City of Los Angeles for the discharge of millions of gallons of wastewater from the Hyperion Water Reclamation Plant into Santa Monica Bay in 2021.
Community Outreach and Recruitment
Mr. Estrada, the first U.S. Attorney of Central American heritage and a native of Southern California, prioritized outreach to allow the community to better understand the work of the office. A fluent Spanish speaker, Mr. Estrada made it a point to provide Spanish-language segments in the over four dozen press conferences and interviews he provided to reporters. Mr. Estrada also created the Community Service and Outreach Committee to direct the office's outreach efforts. Among other events, the office organized court visits for youth nonprofits in South Los Angeles, met with Tribal leaders and youth, organized civil rights roundtable events with public-interest and faith-based organizations, partnered with AARP and local leaders at fraud-prevention events for older adults, and participated in Adoption Day. To expand outreach at local schools, the office partnered with the Los Angeles Unified School District, the second largest school district in the country, to educate students about cyber safety and other cybersecurity dangers. In launching this partnership, Mr. Estrada served as "Principal for the Day" at LAUSD's Whitman High School in the Fairfax area of Los Angeles.
Additionally, Mr. Estrada strengthened private sector-public sector collaboration through a series of summits attended by federal and local law enforcement, private companies, and non-profits. Among these were the Power Grid Security Summit, the Semiconductor Security Summit, and the Public Interest Summit.
In the area of criminal justice reform, Mr. Estrada established one of the first federal conviction integrity committees and created an executive position of Chief of Ethics and Post-Conviction Review. The new committee and position allowed for expedited review of innocence claims, ethical issues, and requests for commutation or pardon. Further, working with the district court, U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services, and the Federal Public Defender's Office, Mr. Estrada announced the expansion of the Conviction and Sentence Alternatives (CASA) program, which is being made available to a wider group of defendants by expanding admission criteria to include defendants facing federal charges who have demonstrated an ability and willingness to make significant and meaningful changes in their lives.
To move the office toward better reflecting the diversity of the region, Mr. Estrada also significantly expanded recruitment efforts, sending attorneys to speak at law schools throughout the country and personally visiting dozens of law schools. Mr. Estrada also spoke to bar organizations throughout the country to discuss the work of the office and encourage applicants from nontraditional backgrounds to apply to become AUSAs.
In addition, Mr. Estrada recruited federal investigators to create the office's first-ever Investigative Division, which will help the office bring more meritorious cases.
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On June 6, 2022, President Biden nominated Mr. Estrada to be U.S. Attorney, and he was unanimously confirmed by the Senate on September 13, 2022. He was sworn in as U.S. Attorney on September 19, 2022.
Mr. Estrada received his B.A. from the University of California, Irvine, where he graduated magna cum laude, and his J.D. from Stanford Law School, where he graduated with distinction.
Mr. Estrada, who served as an Assistant United States Attorney from 2007 to 2014, is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. He also was an Adjunct Professor for Loyola Law School's Ninth Circuit Appellate Clinic, part of the Alarcón Advocacy Project, where his teams achieved success for indigent clients.
Mr. Estrada served as a law clerk for U.S. District Judge Robert J. Timlin of the Central District of California and Judge Arthur L. Alarcón of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.