Leadership exodus continues at Chicago's US Attorney's Office

At least two more top prosecutors are leaving the Northern District of Illinois office, continuing an unprecedented turnover.

Published on Feb. 9, 2026

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The exodus of top prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Northern District of Illinois is continuing, with at least two more section chiefs leaving their positions. This comes after at least eight other senior prosecutors have departed in recent months, a historic level of turnover that has legal experts concerned about the loss of experienced leadership in the office.

Why it matters

The continued departures of seasoned prosecutors from the Chicago office is seen by some as an indictment of the Trump administration's priorities, which focused more on immigration cases over white collar crime and corruption matters. The loss of so much talent and experience could significantly impact the office's ability to effectively prosecute cases.

The details

Since new U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros took over the Northern District of Illinois office, seven section chiefs have left, including the prosecutor who resigned after serving as the chief of the criminal division, along with a top national security prosecutor. Overall, the U.S. Attorney's Office nationwide has lost 14% of its workforce from December 2024 to December 2025, with an even steeper drop in the Northern District.

  • In April 2025, Andrew Boutros was sworn in as the new U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois.
  • As of Friday, the Northern District of Illinois had a total of 121 prosecutors, a 16% drop from a year ago when the office had 144 prosecutors.

The players

Andrew Boutros

The new U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, who took over the office in April 2025.

Gil Soffer

ABC7 Chief Legal Analyst and former federal prosecutor in the Chicago office for six years.

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What they’re saying

“I think this is a historic level of turnover within this narrow span of time... We haven't seen the likes of this before.”

— Gil Soffer, ABC7 Chief Legal Analyst (abc7chicago.com)

“Certainly, someone who's looking to take that job is going to have to ask, 'Why is everybody leaving?'”

— Gil Soffer, ABC7 Chief Legal Analyst (abc7chicago.com)

“The problem is if those priorities are not what applicants want and not what they're looking for in a U.S. attorney or assistant U.S. attorney position, then the department's going to be hard pressed not to lose people and to attract people.”

— Gil Soffer, ABC7 Chief Legal Analyst (abc7chicago.com)

The takeaway

The mass exodus of experienced prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Northern District of Illinois raises serious concerns about the office's ability to effectively prosecute cases, especially as it grapples with a steep decline in staffing levels. The departures are seen by some as a reflection of the Trump administration's priorities, which focused more on immigration cases over white collar crime and corruption matters, potentially making the office less attractive to some prosecutors.