E. Martin Estrada, U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California
Bilal A. "Bill" Essayli has been appointed as the United States Attorney for the Central District of California, as he was sworn in today. The appointment was facilitated by Attorney General Pamela Bondi under Title 28 United States Code Section 546, which allows the Attorney General to appoint a United States Attorney in a vacant district.
The swearing-in ceremony was performed privately by Chief United States District Judge Dolly M. Gee. Mr. Essayli now leads the nation's largest U.S. Attorney's Office outside Washington, D.C., which serves approximately 20 million residents across several counties, including Los Angeles and Riverside.
"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," stated United States Attorney Bill 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."
Before this role, Mr. Essayli was a two-term assemblyman representing California’s 63rd State Assembly District. He also has a history with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, having served there from 2014 to 2018 in Los Angeles and Riverside. In addition to his time as an Assistant United States Attorney, Essayli co-founded the law firm Essayli & Brown LLP and was involved in some significant cases, including responding to the 2015 terrorist attack in San Bernardino.
Mr. Essayli's early career includes a stint as a deputy district attorney in Riverside County and as an associate attorney focusing on employment law at Paul Hastings LLP. A first-generation graduate, Mr. Essayli's educational background includes a Bachelor of Arts from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, and a juris doctorate from Chapman University School of Law. He is the son of Lebanese immigrants and completed his high school education in Corona.
