President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he instructed the Department of Justice to fire all remaining U.S. attorneys from the Biden administration.
That would apparently include Roger Handberg, the top federal prosecutor for the Middle District of Florida, a 35-county region that includes the greater Tampa Bay area.
Handberg’s departure as the district's top prosecutor was announced in a statement from the DOJ, which did not specify whether he was fired or resigned.
First assistant U.S. Attorney Sara C. Sweeney was named acting U.S. attorney for the district.
Handberg, a career federal prosecutor, was appointed by former U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland in 2021. He was then nominated in September 2022 by President Joe Biden and confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
In a social media post, Trump said the firings were ordered because the department had been “politicized like never before” over the past four years.
“We must ‘clean house’ IMMEDIATELY, and restore confidence. America’s Golden Age must have a fair Justice System - THAT BEGINS TODAY!” Trump wrote.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 19, 2025
It’s common for incoming presidents to replace any number of the country’s 93 U.S. attorneys.
Hayden O’Byrne was sworn in a U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida in January, replacing Markenzy Lapointe, who stepped down before Trump took office.
In the state’s Northern District, the department’s website listed first assistant Michelle Spaven as acting U.S. attorney, and the biography page for Biden appointee Jason Coody was removed.
During Handberg’s three years leading the Middle District, his office prosecuted a number of public corruption cases involving law enforcement officers, military service members, teachers, postal employees and other public officials.
He joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office in 2002, working in various roles mostly out of his hometown of Orlando.
In the DOJ’s statement, Handberg thanked his colleagues and law enforcement partners.
“During my more than two decades with the office, I have worked with incredible public servants at the U.S. Attorney’s Office,” Handberg said. “Through our work with the excellent local, state, and federal law enforcement partners who serve this District and our country, we have prosecuted and litigated cases that have served to protect the public, to reduce crime, to do justice for victims and the community, and to hold accountable those who have violated the law.”
Information from Jax Today's Dan Scanlan was used in this report.
