BEAUMONT, Texas – Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas Nicholas J. Ganjei announced today that he will be stepping down from the role effective Nov. 16.
"I was incredibly fortunate to have such a skilled team of prosecutors and staff by my side, and I could not have asked for more dedicated and professional law enforcement partners," Ganjei said in a press release. "I am tremendously proud of the work we have done and all that we have accomplished. Together, we made a real difference in the lives of the people of East Texas."
In the interim, leadership responsibilities will be handed off to Brit Featherston, who currently serves as the district's Executive Assistant United States Attorney.
Ganjei was named the Acting United States Attorney on Jan. 20, after previously having served as the district's First Assistant United States Attorney.
During the past 10 months, he has served as the chief federal law enforcement officer for the district, which includes 43 counties, including Bowie County and the counties that surround it in Northeast Texas. The district stretches from the Oklahoma boarder to the Gulf of Mexico and includes more than 4 million people.
Ganjei oversaw a staff of approximately 120 prosecutors, civil litigators, and support personnel across six division offices and was responsible for all federal criminal prosecutions and civil litigation in the district involving the United States.
During his tenure, Ganjei prioritized the prosecution of large-scale drug trafficking organizations, particularly international drug cartels, and oversaw one of the most prolific extradition practices in the nation.
Ganjei also prioritized the investigation and prosecution of complex frauds and white collar crime and increased the office's staffing and resources devoted to such cases. The Eastern District of Texas obtained a 408-month sentence in a multi-million dollar fraud and money laundering scheme that victimized senior citizens and charities. ... In one high profile case covered by the Texarkana Gazette, he investigated and indicted two defendants for the alleged fraudulent filing of hundreds of Economic Injury Disaster Loan applications.
Prior to serving as Acting United States Attorney, Ganjei was a career prosecutor who handled all manner of federal crimes, having joined the Department of Justice in 2008. Before joining the Department, Ganjei clerked for the Honorable Richard Allen Griffin of the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals and the Honorable Ralph R. Erickson of the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals (previously of the United States District Court for the District of North Dakota).