Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) OC - Fraud and Asset Recovery
Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys and the Office of the U.S. Attorneys See More Job Openings by This EmployerThe U.S. Attorney's Office for DC serves as the local and the federal prosecutor for the nation's capital. On the local side, AUSAs assigned to Superior Court prosecute cases ranging from misdemeanors to homicides. On the federal side, AUSAs may work in one of multiple divisions, including the Criminal Division that prosecutes federal crimes, the Civil Division that defends the U.S. in Civil Suits, and the Fraud and Asset Recovery Division that seeks to recover money on behalf of the Government.
Duties The United States Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia is accepting applications for highly motivated attorneys to serve as Assistant United States Attorneys (AUSAs) in the Office's new Fraud and Asset Recovery Division. This division is dedicated exclusively to representing the United States in False Claims Act and other affirmative civil cases in the District of Columbia and in appeals before the D.C. Circuit.
These AUSAs will investigate and bring affirmative civil actions on behalf of the United States as a plaintiff. Case assignments will most often involve potential violations of the False Claims Act with respect to health care fraud, government contract or procurement fraud, cybersecurity fraud, and grant fraud. Assigned matters can also involve enforcement of administrative civil penalties, administrative subpoenas, conflict of interest laws, civil rights laws, civil asset forfeiture, or other affirmative civil litigation on behalf of the United States.
These AUSAs will work closely with other divisions of DOJ and federal law enforcement agencies and may coordinate with criminal AUSAs and/or state prosecutors. Most False Claims Act cases are brought through qui tam actions, in which AUSAs work with whistleblowers and their counsel from case inception through trial.
Job duties include independently overseeing investigations, preparing subpoenas, interviewing witnesses, marshaling evidence, coordinating with law enforcement, negotiating settlements, conducting legal research, drafting legal memoranda, preparing and answering written discovery, taking and defending depositions or examinations, and representing the United States at trial and on appeal.
Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress.
As needed, additional positions may be filled using this announcement.
Residency Requirements:Assistant United States Attorneys generally must reside in the district to which he or she is appointed or within 25 miles thereof. See 28 U.S.C. 545 for district-specific information.
Selective Service:If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. See www.sss.gov.
- $94,350 - $197,100/year
- You must be a United States Citizen or National.
- Initial appointment is conditioned upon a satisfactory preemployment adjudication. This includes fingerprint, credit and tax checks, and drug testing. Continued employment is subject to a favorable adjudication of a background investigation.
- You must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable.
- J.D. degree and active member of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction) required.
- Must reside in the district to which appointed or within 25 miles thereof. See 28 U.S.C. 545 for district specific information.
- Must be able to obtain and maintain a Top Secret security clearance with eligibility for Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) access depending on organizational assignment / duty location.
Required Qualifications:
Applicants must possess a J.D. Degree (or equivalent), be an active member in good standing of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction), and have at least one year post J.D. (or equivalent) legal or other relevant experience. A minimum of three years of post J.D. (or equivalent) legal or other relevant experience is required.
United States citizenship is required.
Preferred Qualifications:
Applicants must have significant litigation experience, superior oral communication skills, and a demonstrated capacity to independently move multiple investigations or litigation forward simultaneously.
You must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of this announcement.
Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.
You must provide a complete Application Package which includes:
- Required: Your responses to the Online Occupational Questionnaire (This is completed automatically during the apply online process).
- Required: A cover letter.
- Required: Your resume cannot exceed two pages - you will be deemed ineligible and receive no further consideration if your resume exceeds two pages - see USAJOBS for formatting requirements. Include relevant employment history as outlined below for each job:
- Official position title (if Federal, include series/grade),
- Employer name and contact information,
- Start and end dates (for full consideration you must include month, day, and year),
- Indicate full-time or number of hours worked per week if part-time, and
- A list of duties performed and accomplishments.
- Required - Writing Sample (such as an appellate brief, substantive brief, or memorandum) that reflects your own work and does not exceed a total of 15 pages).
- Required, if applicable: To get Veterans' Preference, you must indicate your preference in response to the appropriate question in your assessment questionnaire and you must submit the appropriate supporting documentation. See the "How you will be Evaluated" section for details regarding what is appropriate Veterans' Preference documentation. It is also recommended that you include veterans' preference information in your cover letter or resume.
Outreach and Recruitment for Qualified Applicants with Disabilities: The Department encourages qualified applicants with disabilities, including individuals with targeted/severe disabilities to apply in response to posted vacancy announcements. Qualified applicants with targeted/severe disabilities may be eligible for direct hire, non-competitive appointment under Schedule A (5 C.F.R. § 213.3102(u)) hiring authority. Individuals with targeted/severe disabilities are encouraged to contact one of the Department's Disability Points of Contact (DPOC) to express an interest in being considered for a position. See list of DPOCs.
Suitability and Citizenship: It is the policy of the Department to achieve a drug-free workplace and persons selected for employment will be required to pass a drug test which screens for illegal drug use prior to final appointment. Employment is also contingent upon the completion and satisfactory adjudication of a background investigation. Congress generally prohibits agencies from employing non-citizens within the United States, except for a few narrow exceptions as set forth in the annual Appropriations Act (see, https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/non-citizens/). Pursuant to DOJ component policies, only U.S. citizens are eligible for employment with the Executive Office for Immigration Review, U.S. Trustee's Offices, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Unless otherwise indicated in a particular job advertisement, qualifying non-U.S. citizens meeting immigration and appropriations law criteria may apply for employment with other DOJ organizations. However, please be advised that the appointment of non-U.S. citizens is extremely rare; such appointments would be possible only if necessary to accomplish the Department's mission and would be subject to strict security requirements. Applicants who hold dual citizenship in the U.S. and another country will be considered on a case-by-case basis. All DOJ employees are subject to a residency requirement. Candidates who have lived outside the United States for two or more of the past five years will likely have difficulty being approved for appointments by the Department Security Staff. The two-year period is cumulative, not necessarily consecutive. Federal or military employees, or dependents of federal or military employees serving overseas, are excepted from this requirement.
Current or Former Political Appointees: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office by providing a copy of your applicable SF-50, along with a statement that provides the following information regarding your most recent political appointment:
- Position title;
- Type of appointment (Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES, or Presidential Appointee);
- Agency; and
- Beginning and ending dates of appointment.
To apply for this position, you must complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section above.
The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 09/30/2027 to receive consideration.
1. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.
2. Click the Submit My Answers button to submit your application package. (It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation are submitted prior to the closing date.)
3. To verify your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the more information link for this position. The Details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.
You are encouraged to apply online. Applying online will allow you to review and track the status of your application. However, should you not be able to apply online, please contact US Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia at or email at USADC.Staffers@usdoj.gov, prior to the closing date of this announcement to request an alternate method of applying.
The Point of Contact for this vacancy announcement is US Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia who can be reached at or USADC.Staffers@usdoj.gov