John J. Durham
Acting United States Attorney // Eastern District of New York
Mr. Durham joined the Office in October 2005, where he has worked in both the General Crimes and Long Island Criminal Sections. Over the years, he has been appointed to numerous leadership roles within the Office and the Department of Justice, including Deputy Chief of the Long Island Criminal Section, the Office’s Capital Case Coordinator, a member of the Attorney General’s Review Committee on Capital Cases, and Chair of the MS-13 Subcommittee of the Attorney General’s Transnational Organized Crime Task Force. In August 2019, Mr. Durham was appointed Director of Joint Task Force Vulcan (JTFV), a Department of Justice initiative focused on combatting La Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), where he led efforts to secure indictments against the highest-ranking international leaders of the gang.
Throughout his tenure with the Office, Mr. Durham has investigated, prosecuted, and supervised a broad array of federal offenses, including racketeering, murder, terrorism, civil rights violations, obstruction of justice, armed robbery, narcotics trafficking, money laundering, firearms offenses, and public corruption. Notably, he has directed the Office’s efforts to dismantle MS-13’s operations both locally in the Eastern District of New York (EDNY) and globally. His leadership in a series of EDNY indictments has resulted in the arrest and conviction of hundreds of MS-13 leaders, members, and associates on charges related to more than 70 murders committed in the district from January 2008 to the present.
As Director of JTFV, Mr. Durham led a nationwide team of prosecutors and law enforcement officers, securing key indictments targeting MS-13’s command and control structure in the United States, Central America, and Mexico. His work included the groundbreaking use of national security charges against MS-13 leaders. In addition to his work against MS-13, Mr. Durham has prosecuted individuals attempting to join al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and fight jihad against U.S. allies, as well as members of other violent criminal organizations, including the Bloods, 18th Street Gang, Crips, Salvadorans With Pride, and various violent narcotics trafficking and robbery crews. He has also handled several high-profile public corruption and civil rights cases, including those against the former Chief of Department for the Suffolk County Police Department, the former Suffolk County District Attorney, a sitting Nassau County Legislator, and several other public officials.
Mr. Durham has received numerous awards for his service, including the Charles E. Rose Award, the Henry L. Stimson Medal, the EOUSA Director’s Award for Superior Performance, the National Association of Former United States Attorneys Exceptional Service Award, and multiple Federal Law Enforcement Foundation Awards.
John graduated from the College of the Holy Cross in 1998 and earned his law degree from the University of Connecticut School of Law in 2001. He also clerked for U.S. District Judge Stephen C. Robinson in the Southern District of New York.
Dates of Service: 2026 – Present
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