Thomas C. Albus has been sworn in as the Interim United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri. The ceremony was conducted by U.S. District Judge John A. Ross on Friday at approximately 11:30 a.m. Albus was appointed to this position by Attorney General Pamela Bondi, succeeding former Acting U.S. Attorney Matthew Drake, who will return to his role as First Assistant U.S. Attorney.
Albus brings extensive experience to the role, having served as a prosecutor from 2002 to 2019 at the U.S. Attorney's Office where he handled cases involving white collar crime, tax offenses, public corruption, and other matters. In 2019, he became First Assistant to then-Attorney General Eric Schmitt at the Missouri Attorney General’s Office. He was later appointed as a St. Louis County Circuit Judge in 2020 by Missouri Governor Michael Parson.
A native of St. Louis County, Albus graduated from Georgetown University in 1994 and earned his law degree from the University of Missouri School of Law in 1997. He clerked for Lawrence G. Crahan on the Missouri Court of Appeals and for Judge John C. Holstein on the Missouri Supreme Court before working in litigation at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner in St. Louis.
The Eastern District of Missouri covers 49 counties and is tasked with prosecuting federal crimes such as terrorism, public corruption, child exploitation, firearms offenses, and narcotics violations within its jurisdiction. The office also represents the United States in civil cases and manages debt collection owed to the federal government.
According to recent data, the Eastern District of Missouri is recognized nationally for leading prosecutions related to gun crimes—including carjackings, armed robberies, and murders—and ranks third nationwide in prosecuting crimes against children.
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