Politics & Government
Chinese Spy, Benghazi Prosecutor Sworn In As US Attorney For NorCal
Craig Missakian was sworn in as the new U.S. attorney for the Northern District of California on Tuesday.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA — A veteran prosecutor who investigated the 2012 terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya and prosecuted a Chinese spy was sworn in as the new U.S. attorney for the Northern District of California on Tuesday.
Appointed by Attorney General Pam Bondi, Craig Missakian brings decades of experience in high-stakes litigation, national security cases, and public service at both the state and federal levels.
"It is an immense honor to serve as the United States Attorney for the Northern District of California. I'm humbled to have this opportunity to return to public service and to work on behalf of the residents of this remarkable district, and I thank Attorney General Bondi. I am committed to working with the talented men and women of this office and our law enforcement partners to protect public safety, tackle violent crime, including crimes committed by violent offenders in the country illegally, combat investment and elder fraud, safeguard the district's technology and critical infrastructure, and uphold the rule of law," Missakian said in a statement.
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He replaces Acting U.S. Attorney Patrick Robbins, who briefly assumed the seat left by former U.S. Attorney Ismail Ramsey. Appointed by former President Joe Biden in March 2023, Ramsey was dismissed in February of this year during a nationwide reshuffling of federal prosecutors by the Trump administration.
In the mid-1990s, Missakian served as a deputy district attorney with the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office. He later became the Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Central District of California from 2001 to 2010, where he prosecuted a range of complex cases involving public corruption, organized crime, and cybercrime, the U.S. Attorney's Office said in a statement.
Among his most notable accomplishments was his work on United States v. Chi Mak, a high-profile espionage case in which an engineer was convicted of stealing classified U.S. military secrets for the People's Republic of China over several decades. His efforts on the case earned him the Attorney General's Award for Distinguished Service, one of the U.S. Department of Justice's top honors.
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Missakian also spearheaded a sweeping investigation into a health care fraud scheme that led to over $100 million in fraudulent Medicare claims.
His service also extended to Capitol Hill, where from 2014 to 2016, he served as deputy chief counsel for the U.S. House Select Committee on Benghazi, playing a central role in the congressional investigation into the 2012 terrorist attack on the U.S. diplomatic compound in Libya, which left four Americans dead.
Outside of government, Missakian has practiced law in the private sector, handling matters in complex commercial litigation, whistleblower cases, employment law, real estate, and entertainment.
A California native, he graduated cum laude with a bachelor's degree from the University of Southern California and earned his law degree from Georgetown University Law Center.
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