CHICAGO — The Northern District of Illinois is witnessing an unusual wave of departures among its top prosecutors. According to insights gathered by the I-Team, the turnover count has climbed to at least ten, with two more seasoned prosecutors expected to step down soon.
“This is a historic level of turnover within such a brief period,” observed Gil Soffer, ABC7’s Chief Legal Analyst. “We haven’t seen anything like this before.” Soffer, who spent six years as a federal prosecutor in the Chicago office, emphasized the unprecedented nature of this situation.
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“The departure of so much talent at a senior level is highly significant for any U.S. Attorney’s Office,” Soffer noted. “Offices like these rely on experienced individuals who are not only adept in courtrooms but also skilled in team management and leadership roles.”
In the organizational structure, prosecutors are assigned to one of eight sections within the criminal division, each headed by a section chief. These leaders play crucial roles in steering their respective areas.
Since Andrew Boutros assumed the role of U.S. Attorney, there has been notable movement within the office. Seven section chiefs have exited their positions, and one has been reassigned. Among those leaving are a former chief of the criminal division and a leading national security prosecutor, highlighting the extent of this significant transition.
The I-Team has learned, since new U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros took over, seven section chiefs have left with one reassigned, including a prosecutor who resigned after serving as the chief of the criminal division, along with a top national security prosecutor.
“Certainly, someone who’s looking to take that job is going to have to ask, ‘Why is everybody leaving?’” said Soffer.
The wave of departures is not limited to the Northern District of Illinois. U.S. Attorney’s Offices nationwide have lost 14% of their workforce, going from 11,817 to 10,145, from December 2024 to December 2025, according to government data reviewed by the ABC7 Data Team. That percentage drop is even steeper in the Northern District.
“What is a local problem, is a national problem… Head count is really important when you have an enormous load of cases that you’re handling, and that is the fact at these U.S. Attorney’s Offices,” said Soffer.
A year ago, the Northern District of Illinois told the I-Team they had 144 prosecutors.
Boutros was sworn in as U.S. Attorney in April. Under his leadership the office continues to shrink.
As of Friday, it had a total of 121 prosecutors, a 16% drop.
It’s a result that’s seen by some former AUSAs as an indictment of Trump administration priorities to try immigration related cases over white collar crime and corruption matters.
“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,” Soffer told the I-Team.
Just before this story aired, the U.S. Attorney’s Office reached out to say since Friday, they have a new total of 125 prosecutors.
Since being named the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District in April of last year, the I-Team has repeatedly asked to sit down with Boutros for an interview, but he has declined.
He told us in a statement, “We thank our former Section Chiefs for their public service and wish them well in their future endeavors. We fully anticipated there would be leadership departures with the incoming Administration. All but one of the Section Chiefs who departed in the past year either took the government-wide early retirement offer or chose to leave the Office after the government-wide shutdown and after the launch of Operation Midway Blitz, a U.S. immigration operation that was the largest-ever enforcement surge in the Northern District of Illinois. We are fortunate to have experienced AUSAs who have stepped up to serve in leadership roles as Section Chiefs. Nearly all the new Chiefs appointed within the last year have extensive experience, including as federal and/or state prosecutors. In addition, we are energized by the fact that we are hiring dozens of new Assistant U.S. Attorneys in the Criminal and Civil Divisions, ten of whom started in the last several weeks with many more to be onboard in the near future. Many of our new hires come with significant experience, including substantial prosecutorial experience from across the country and will be able to hit the ground running. It’s exciting to see the Chicago U.S. Attorney’s Office be a magnet for such impressive talent.”
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