Bilal A. "Bill" Essayli was sworn in as the United States Attorney for the Central District of California in a private ceremony conducted by Chief United States District Judge Dolly M. Gee. The appointment, made by Attorney General Pamela Bondi, was in accordance with Title 28 United States Code Section 546, which enables the Attorney General to fill the role when the office of United States Attorney is vacant.
The Central District of California, where Mr. Essayli will serve, is the most populous federal trial district in the United States, covering Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo counties. The district office employs over 250 lawyers and serves an area with approximately 20 million residents.
“It is the honor of a lifetime to lead the United States Attorney’s Office and serve the people of the district that I have called home for so many years," said Mr. Essayli. "As our district’s chief federal prosecutor, I will work diligently and tirelessly with our federal and local law enforcement partners to implement the priorities of the President and the Attorney General and to protect our communities from criminals. Our citizens deserve no less."
Mr. Essayli previously served as a twice-elected member of the California State Assembly from December 2022, representing the 63rd State Assembly District, which includes Riverside, Corona, Menifee, and Norco. In October 2019, he co-founded the Newport Beach law firm Essayli & Brown LLP. Before his legislative role, Mr. Essayli was an assistant United States attorney from October 2014 to February 2018. His work as a federal prosecutor included addressing cases involving violent crime, identity theft, and white-collar crimes. He was also involved in the prosecutorial response to the 2015 San Bernardino terrorist attack and secured a conviction against a Santa Barbara doctor for unlawful opioid prescriptions.
Before joining the U.S. Attorney's Office, he worked as a deputy district attorney in Riverside County. Earlier in his career, Essayli was an associate at Paul Hastings LLP, focusing on employment law.
Mr. Essayli, a son of Lebanese immigrants, graduated from the Kellogg Honors College of California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, and earned his juris doctorate from Chapman University School of Law.