Assistant United States Attorney (Criminal)
Department: Department of Justice
Location(s): Miami, Florida
Salary Range: $120086 - $195100 Per Year
Job Summary: The United States Attorney's Office (USAO), Southern District of Florida (SDFL) is seeking experienced attorneys to serve as Assistant United States Attorneys (AUSA) in our Criminal Division. AUSAs may be hired for a position in any of our offices throughout the District, located in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach and Fort Pierce, Florida. When applying, please note in your cover letter which division and office location you are interested in.
Major Duties:
- Criminal Division. The Criminal Division investigates and prosecutes federal crimes impacting the South Florida community, from Key West to Fort Pierce, Florida. The Criminal Division is divided into seven sections, each of which is dedicated to prosecuting distinct domestic and international criminal violations impacting not only this community, but the safety and security of the country as a whole. A brief description of the work of those sections follows. Narcotics leads the nation in prosecuting high-level narcotics traffickers. This Section has distinguished itself by prosecuting some of the most notorious narco-traffickers in the world, from dismantling the leaders of the infamous Medellin, Cali, and Norte Valle cartels, to the extradition and conviction of high-ranking commanders of Colombian paramilitary and guerilla groups. The Section also targets the transnational money laundering networks utilized by the narco-traffickers to financially devastate their organizations. Violent Crimes & Special Victims conducts complex investigations and prosecutions of violent, exploitative, and enterprise crimes, both domestically and internationally, where victims are seriously injured or killed. The Section consists of a special victims unit and a violent crimes unit. The Section also coordinates the Project Safe Neighborhoods, Project Safe Childhood, Violent Crime, and Anti-Gang Enforcement efforts throughout the District. The Section targets criminal enterprises, gangs, murder and murder for hire, kidnapping, child exploitation, human trafficking, threat cases, and aggravated violent and sexual abuse offenses. The Section also prosecutes reactive cases that are time-sensitive and require immediate action, such as investigations into threats against the judiciary, law enforcement, and other AUSA's, as well as violent crimes committed against United States citizens abroad. Economic & Cyber Fraud investigates and prosecutes fraud and regulatory offenses that target individuals, corporations, and governmental entities. The Section consists of a securities and investment fraud unit, a cyber fraud unit, and a health care fraud unit. EC is consistently one of the leading fraud units in the country based on the complexity, size and number of cases it prosecutes, often working closely with its counterparts in DOJ's Fraud Section. Border & Immigration Crimes Enforcement was created to strengthen South Florida's border security posture, protect maritime and land points of entry, enforce federal immigration law, and dismantle transnational smuggling networks operating through the region. The Section brings together narcotics, immigration, fraud, and violent-crime expertise into a single coordinated unit focused on border-driven threats. Public Corruption and Civil Rights prosecutes corrupt federal, state, and local officials, as well as civil rights violations, hate crimes, and bias-motivated threatening communications. Recent convictions include a county supervisory employee convicted of demanding bribes for county contracts; a woman convicted of making numerous serious anti-Semitic threats to the former Executive Director of the Tree of Life Synagogue; a police sergeant who abused his position to force women to engage in sexual activity with him; a police officer conducting traffic stops to steal drugs and drug proceeds; and numerous high-level city officials who used their positions and authority to extort bribe payments from local businesses seeking city services. Collateral Litigation is responsible for addressing the majority of post-conviction matters and filter projects in the office on complex white collar, narcotics, violent crime, and national security cases. General Crimes addresses a broad array of federal violations from narcotics and money laundering violations to Hobbs Act robberies, carjackings, felon in possession cases, and bank robberies, to possession of child pornography and other child exploitation cases, to frauds of all kinds including credit card fraud, wire fraud, and identity theft. Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress. Security Requirements: Initial appointment is conditioned upon a satisfactory preemployment adjudication. This includes fingerprint, credit and tax checks, and drug testing. In addition, continued employment is subject to a favorable adjudication of a background investigation. 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.
Qualifications: Required Qualifications: Applicants must possess a J.D. Degree, be an active member of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction), and have at least 1* year post-J.D. legal or other relevant experience. United States citizenship is required. You must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of this announcement. Preferred Qualifications: Applicants should possess superior oral and written communication skills, strong interpersonal skills, and the capacity to function in a highly demanding environment with minimal guidance. The successful candidate should have strong academic credentials and at least 3 years of post J.D. experience.
How to Apply: 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 January 20, 2026 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 Southern District of Florida at 305-961-9026 or email at Melissa.Innocent@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 Southern District of Florida who can be reached at 305-961-9026 or Melissa.Innocent@usdoj.gov
Application Deadline: 2026-01-20