Plano, Texas – Pursuant to the Vacancies Reform Act, First Assistant United States Attorney Abe McGlothin, Jr., has been named the Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas following the departure of U.S. Attorney Damien M. Diggs on January 21, 2025.

McGlothin, as Acting U.S. Attorney, becomes the chief federal law enforcement official in the Eastern District of Texas, which includes 43 counties stretching from the Oklahoma border to the Gulf of Mexico. The district includes six fully staffed offices in Beaumont, Lufkin, Plano, Sherman, Texarkana, and Tyler with 100 employees, including 53 prosecutors.  McGlothin is responsible for the prosecution of federal criminal offenses in the district and will represent the United States in all civil litigation in the district.

Prior to serving as Acting U.S. Attorney, McGlothin worked as the First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas, where he served as the office’s second-in-command and assisted in overseeing the day-to-day operations of the office.

McGlothin worked as an Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA) for the Northern District of Texas in Dallas prior to joining the Eastern District. While in Dallas, he prosecuted violent federal felony cases and fraud matters, as well as organized crime and drug cases.  Before moving to Texas, McGlothin worked as an AUSA for the Southern District of Mississippi.  During his time as an AUSA in Mississippi, McGlothin served as the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) coordinator, where he handled mostly violent crime cases, but also prosecuted and tried other cases, including fraud and public corruption.  McGlothin’s work as PSN coordinator ultimately led the Southern District of Mississippi in being recognized as the 2018 Best Partnership/Task Force by the Department of Justice.

Before joining the Justice Department, McGlothin served as an Assistant District Attorney for the Fourth Judicial District of Mississippi where he tried and handled a wide variety of cases ranging from burglary to capital murder.

McGlothin earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Jackson State University and his law degree from the University of Mississippi School of Law.

For more information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Texas, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-edtx.