EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — Jaime Esparza has “departed” as the U.S. attorney for the Western District of Texas, the office announced on Tuesday, Feb. 18.
The office provided few details about why Esparza has left the office, but it is customary for U.S. attorneys to change out when a new federal administration takes over.
Esparza was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in December 2022 and served for a little more than two years in that role.
Previously, he served as district attorney from 1993 to 2020 for the 34th Judicial District of Texas in El Paso.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas released the following statement on Esparza and what he accomplished:
“As U.S. Attorney, Esparza led the handling of more than 41,000 federal criminal prosecutions —including immigration, drugs, firearm, white collar, and violent crime — and more than 10,000 civil cases in this southern border district. He made it a priority to disrupt and dismantle criminal organizations, including gangs, cartels and smuggling organizations. He also led and elevated outreach programs to educate the public on the dangers of fentanyl and machine gun conversion devices, and to bring awareness to domestic violence issues, among others.
“Under Esparza’s leadership, the civil section defended the United States in numerous civil actions and sought and obtained civil penalties against numerous individuals and entities under the False Claims Act. Additionally, his team of asset recovery lawyers obtained millions of dollars in restitution for victims and forfeited millions of dollars in property that were used to commit crimes or were obtained with proceeds of crime.”
The Western District of Texas is comprised of 93,000 square miles, 68 counties, covers 660 miles of U.S./Mexico border, and has divisional offices in El Paso, Del Rio, Waco, San Antonio, Austin, Pecos-Alpine, and Midland-Odessa.
Its civil and criminal attorneys practice in district, magistrate, and bankruptcy courts throughout the district, as well as in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Under the Vacancy Reform Act, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Margaret Leachman will now serve as the acting U.S. attorney for the Western District of Texas, the office said.
Leachman has been with the Western District of Texas for more than 30 years and has served in numerous roles, including as senior litigation counsel, chief of the Criminal Division, chief of the El Paso Division, and as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Appellate and Major Crimes sections.
Esparza served as the district attorney for the 34th Judicial District of Texas from 1993 to 2020. He previously served as an assistant county attorney in the El Paso County Attorney’s Office in 1992 and was the first assistant public defender for the El Paso County Public Defender’s Office from 1988 to 1991. Esparza served as an assistant district attorney for the 34th Judicial District of Texas in 1987 and as an assistant district attorney in the Harris County District Attorney’s Office in Houston from 1983 to 1987.
Esparza received his juris doctorate from the University of Houston Law Center in 1983 and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin in 1979.
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