The Criminal Division is headed by an Assistant Attorney General, appointed by the President of the United States with the advice and consent of the Senate.[2]Kenneth Polite was appointed by President Joe Biden and sworn in as Assistant Attorney General on July 21, 2021. Nicholas McQuaid was appointed Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General on January 20, 2021, and served as Acting Assistant Attorney General until Polite's confirmation.[3] Polite's tenure ended on July 28, 2023 after it was announced he would step down to enter the private sector. [4]
Organization
The Criminal Division is headed by an Assistant Attorney General, who is a political appointee. The Assistant Attorney General is assisted by six Deputy Assistant Attorneys General, who are career attorneys, who each oversee two or more of the Criminal Division's 16 sections.[5]
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General
Chief of Staff and Counselor to the Assistant Attorney General
Office of Administration
Office of Policy and Legislation
Deputy Assistant Attorney General
Criminal Division organizational chart signed by AG Loretta Lynch (August 2016)
Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS). Created in 1987,[6] the section comprises approximately 15 attorneys who prosecute defendants who have violated federal child exploitation and obscenity laws and also assist the 93 United States Attorney Offices in investigations, trials, and appeals related to these offenses. The section also has a number of Computer Forensic Specialist (CFS) within the High Technology Investigative Unit (HTIU) and, under the direction of a section manager, they conduct analysis of Internet technologies used to distribute obscene materials and child pornography.
Deputy Assistant Attorney General
Capital Case Section
Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section
Organized Crime and Gang Section
The Division does not supervise the 94 U.S. Attorney's Offices.[6]
