United States Attorney Sayler A. Fleming has announced her resignation as the head prosecutor for the Eastern District of Missouri. In a statement, Ms. Fleming expressed gratitude for her tenure, saying, “It has been the privilege of a lifetime to lead the United States Attorney’s Office for the last four and a half years.” She acknowledged the dedication of law enforcement professionals and praised their sacrifices for public safety.
Appointed by then-Attorney General William P. Barr on December 11, 2020, during President Donald J. Trump's administration, Ms. Fleming took office on December 31, 2020. Under her leadership, the Eastern District of Missouri became prominent in gun prosecutions and participated in the Justice Department’s Violent Crime Initiative.
Following former St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly M. Gardner's resignation in May 2023, Ms. Fleming allowed assistant U.S. attorneys to prosecute murder cases in St. Louis while assisting with staffing needs.
Ms. Fleming's efforts extended to training local and state law enforcement on investigating fatal drug overdoses and handling machine gun conversion devices. Her office also trained other U.S. Attorney’s offices on prosecuting juveniles involved in violent crimes.
As co-chair of the Attorney General’s Child Exploitation Working Group, she increased resources for child exploitation cases to enhance child safety.
Special Agent in Charge Chris Crocker of the FBI St. Louis Division stated, “United States Attorney Sayler Fleming has been a tremendous law enforcement partner.” Similarly, Michael Davis from the DEA St. Louis Division expressed gratitude for her partnership over 15 years in combating violent drug trafficking.
Bernard Hansen from ATF commended her dedication to fighting violent crime and fostering federal agency partnerships: “Her service exemplifies integrity, diligence, and the highest standards of public duty.”
Local law enforcement leaders also recognized Ms. Fleming's contributions to crime reduction efforts in St. Louis through cooperation between agencies.
Ms. Fleming joined the office from Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner law firm in August 2010 and served as Appellate Chief before becoming U.S. Attorney.
She concluded her service at midnight on Friday to allow Matthew Drake to assume the role of Acting U.S. Attorney for Eastern Missouri.
The Eastern District includes 49 counties responsible for prosecuting federal crimes such as terrorism, public corruption, child exploitation, firearms offenses, and narcotics violations while defending civil cases involving the United States government.
