PRESS RELEASE: Joshua S. Levy, U.S. Attorney for District of Massachusetts Announces Departure

The following is a press release from the United States Attorney's Office District of Massachusetts.

BOSTON – United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy announced on Monday, January 6th that, effective January 17, 2025, he will be stepping down as the United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts. U.S. Attorney Levy tendered his resignation to United States Attorney General Merrick Garland this afternoon.

U.S. Attorney Levy became the Acting U.S. Attorney on May 19, 2023. Levy, who was twice nominated by President Biden for the permanent role as U.S. Attorney, was appointed U.S. Attorney by Attorney General Garland in November 2024. As U.S. Attorney, he served on two subcommittees of the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee – White Collar Crime, and Terrorism & National Security – and was a member of the Human Trafficking Work Group. U.S. Attorney Levy also served as the Northeastern U.S. representative for the U.S. Attorney community on the Domestic Terrorism Executive Committee.

“Serving as the U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts has truly been the highlight of my career,” said U.S. Attorney Levy. “Every day over the past three years, I have witnessed firsthand the unwavering dedication and extraordinary skill of the federal prosecutors, support staff, and law enforcement partners who work tirelessly to uphold the rule of law, keep our communities safe and protect civil rights. My core touchstones as the leader of this office have been to serve with the highest integrity and a commitment to pursue justice in every case by following the facts and the law, without fear or favor.”

U.S. Attorney Levy continued, “We have brought some incredibly important cases these last three years that have improved the lives of the people of Massachusetts. As I reflect on my tenure, I am equally proud of the thoughtful, deliberative process engaged in by our team whenever making the grave decision about whether to bring federal charges to ensure it is consistent with the principles of federal prosecution.”

Under U.S. Attorney Levy’s leadership, the office brought several high impact cases including charges in the death of Sandra Birchmore; the $650 million resolution of criminal and civil charges against McKinsey & Company for their illegal conduct in support of Purdue Pharma’s marketing of opioids; and charges against two men for their alleged involvement in a scheme to procure sensitive drone technology to Iran, which resulted in the deaths of three U.S. soldiers. Under Levy’s tenure, Jack Teixeira was sentenced to 15 years in prison for leaking highly classified documents, and seven former employees of eBay were sentenced for cyberstalking a Massachusetts couple. U.S. Attorney Levy also oversaw the $574 million-dollar criminal and civil enforcement action against Raytheon for overcharging government contracts. During U.S. Attorney Levy’s tenure, the office solidified its position as the most successful U.S. Attorney’s Office in the country in terms of False Claims Act recoveries, with over $1 billion recovered in 2024 alone.

One of the most important series of prosecutions in the last three years were brought by the newly created Human Trafficking and Civil Rights Unit. This dedicated team of lawyers, support staff and victim witness advocates has secured convictions and lengthy sentences against 20 individuals since the unit was formed in 2022, including numerous convictions of people who trafficked minors or used force, fraud or coercion to engage in trafficking. The office’s other notable achievements under Levy’s leadership as U.S. Attorney included impact prosecutions in the areas of public corruption, child exploitation, hate crimes, police accountability, fentanyl trafficking and gun violence, just to name a few.

Today’s announcement marks the end of U.S. Attorney Levy’s second tenure with the Department of Justice. In 1997 he served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Criminal Division’s Economic Crimes Unit. Levy left the Department of Justice in 2004 to become a partner at Ropes & Gray, where he served as co-chair of the firm’s 325-lawyer Litigation and Enforcement practice, co-Managing Partner of Ropes & Gray’s Boston office and co-chair of the firm’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. In 2022, Levy was inducted into the American College of Trial Lawyers in recognition of his courtroom advocacy. Immediately prior to becoming the Acting U.S. Attorney, Levy served as the First Assistant U.S. Attorney from January 2022 through May 2023.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary B. Murrane, who has been with the Department of Justice for 16 years, will assume the role of Acting U.S. Attorney following U.S. Attorney Levy’s departure.