Two months following his appointment as second-in-command in the Office of the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Tennessee, First Assistant United States Attorney Francis M. “Trey” Hamilton III has been called to take over and temporarily replace the outgoing U.S. Attorney J. Douglas Overbey, who has resigned at the request of President-elect Joe Biden. By virtue of the Federal Vacancies Reform Act, Francis Hamilton will perform duties as the Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Tennessee, beginning March 1, 2021, and lasting for up to 300 days or until such time that a new U.S. Attorney has been appointed into Office by the Biden Administration. On February 9, 2021, the tradition of mass-replacing U.S. Attorneys was carried out by Acting U.S. Attorney General Monty Wilkinson, who had announced the request for the 55 remaining Trump-appointed U.S. Attorneys, Overbey included, to step down. Such custom is necessary to allow the new administration to put forth their nominations for new U.S. Attorneys across the 94 districts in the United States.
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Appointment
Recently appointed First Assistant United States Attorney, Francis M. “Trey” Hamilton III, has been delegated as the new interim Chief Federal Law Enforcement Official for the Eastern District of Tennessee. Incumbent Acting United States Attorney Francis Hamilton replaces the outgoing U.S. Attorney J. Douglas Overbey, who, along with 55 other Trump-appointed U.S. Attorneys, has been requested by President-elect Joe Biden to step down from his post or before February 28, 2021. This customary, time-honored practice has been put into motion following the all-U.S. Attorney call that Acting United States Attorney General Robert M. “Monty” Wilkinson has led last February 9, 2021. Pursuant to the Federal Vacancies Reform Act, Francis M. Hamilton III will take over in the highest position in the Office of the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Tennessee effective March 1, 2021. He shall remain as Acting U.S. Attorney for the next 300 days following his appointment, or until such time that a permanent U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Tennessee has been nominated and confirmed by President-elect Joe Biden and the Senate, respectively.
Educational Background and Bar Admissions
Acting U.S. Attorney Hamilton III has an excellent scholastic standing. He earned his undergraduate degree from Rhodes College, graduating Magna Cum Laude and a member of the Phi Beta Kappa. He later attended the Washington & Lee University School of Law, where he graduated Summa Cum Laude. Apart from graduating with the highest distinction and receiving his Juris Doctorate, U.S. Attorney Hamilton was inducted into the Order of the Coif and had served on the Washington & Lee Law Review prior to graduating from law school. Top Federal Prosecutor Francis Hamilton has subsequently been granted admission into the State Bar of Georgia in 1998, now incurring an inactive standing. He is also licensed to practice law in the State of Tennessee since 1998 and was then granted admission into the District of Columbia Bar in 2001, where he remains an active member. Francis Hamilton is also a member of the Knoxville Bar Association.
Legal Clerkship and Career
Getting into legal practice and government service, Acting U.S. Attorney Trey Hamilton joined the Office of the United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee as a Law Clerk under the Honorable Jerome Turner. In the year 2002 that U.S. Attorney Francis Hamilton had first become a part of the Office of the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Tennessee as an Assistant U.S. Attorney. In the Office, U.S. Attorney Hamilton led several leadership roles, including being the Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division of the Office and later its Senior Litigation Counsel. In these capacities, he was responsible for overseeing matters in the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Tennessee involved cases in the criminal practice areas such as child exploitation, monetary recoveries, national security, and public corruption. In January of 2021, several changes were made in the Office of the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Tennessee. This includes the appointment of U.S. Attorney Francis Hamilton as First Assistant U.S. Attorney to former U.S. Attorney J. Douglas Overbey. As second-in-command in the Office, Hamilton oversaw the daily operations of the Civil, Criminal, and Administrative Divisions. Acting U.S. Attorney Hamilton was also once a Professional Responsibility Officer.
Areas of Practice and Notable Prosecutions
Through the whole of his over two decades of service in the Department of Justice, Acting U.S. Attorney Trey Hamilton has developed expertise in criminal prosecutions and several practice areas. He has tried numerous complex prosecutions, including cases that involve criminal, civil rights violations, corporate fraud, government contract fraud, health care fraud, and mortgage fraud. One of the recent controversial cases that Acting U.S. Attorney Trey Hamilton led is the 2013 Pilot Flying J trial. Three of four employees have been convicted in relation to the rebate scam case. In this case, he has been deemed a young, aggressive prosecutor and has also been lauded for his prosecutorial skills.
In 2009, U.S. Attorney Hamilton had been acclaimed for his work on the civil rights violation case against a man who had placed a 7-foot burning cross in the neighbor’s yard. From here, he became prominently known for being a ‘tough, but fair’ prosecutor, who takes legal actions against a defendant to the fullest extent, and is guaranteed not to grant mercy for the sake of granting mercy.
Awards
U.S. Attorney Francis Hamilton is well-respected in the legal field. He has been recognized on numerous instances, including being awarded the November 2020 Attorney General’s Claudia J. Flynn Award for Professional Responsibility, honoring his significant contributions.
Office Jurisdiction
Presently the Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Tennessee, Francis M. “Trey” Hamilton III, is in charge of leading the Office of the United States Attorney in serving and protecting nearly 3 million people, who are residents of the Eastern District of Tennessee, residing within the 41 counties under the Office’s jurisdiction. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Tennessee acts on behalf of the United States in criminal prosecutions and civil litigations in federal court, serving the interest of the United States. Moreover, the Office collects monies owed to the United States.
Contact Details
Full Name: Francis M. “Trey” Hamilton III
District/State: Eastern District of Tennessee
Public email ID: trey.hamilton@usdoj.gov
Knoxville Headquarters
U.S. Attorney’s Office
800 Market Street, Suite 211
Knoxville, Tennessee 37902
(865) 545-4167
Main
(865) 545-4176
Fax
1-800-296-3078
Toll-Free
Chattanooga/Winchester Branch Office
U.S. Attorney’s Office
1110 Market Street, Suite 515
Chattanooga, TN 37402
(423) 752-5140
Main
(423) 752-5150
Fax
Greeneville Branch Office
U.S. Attorney’s Office
220 West Depot St, Suite 423
Greeneville, TN 37743
(423) 639-6759
Main
(423) 639-6451
Fax
Social Media Profiles of Francis Hamilton
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YouTube
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Updated: July 5, 2021