G. Zachary Terwilliger

G. Zachary Terwilliger is the current United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. At the age of 39, he also holds the honor of being the second-youngest attorney in the U.S. Since he was the son of the deputy attorney general, Terwilliger grew up around law enforcement. Thus, he got to know about the judicial system from a very young age.

Table of Contents

Educational Background
Law Career
Role in the Community
Contact Details
Alexandria Office
Newport News Office
Norfolk Office
Richmond Office
Social Media Profiles of Zachary Terwilliger

Educational Background

It was when he saw the trial of two gang members who stabbed a witness and left her to die, did he find his calling in life. Terwilliger completed his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Virginia. After that, he graduated from Law School at William and Mary with the highest honors.

Law Career

Terwilliger’s career came full circle when he held the office as the U.S. Attorney for the EDVA. It was the same office where he first interned as a high school senior and then worked as a summer law clerk. However, it did not happen immediately.

After his summer job at EDVA, he worked as the Law Clerk for Honorable K. Michael Moore in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida in 2008. Two years later, Terwilliger got his appointment letter as the Special Assistant U.S. Attorney in EDVA. During his time as an assistant Attorney, he got assigned to the Major Crimes Unit. There, he became a member of the Alexandria Division’s Project Safe Neighborhood initiative.

Terwilliger’s career allowed him to do what he always wanted to do, go after the worst kind of criminals. As part of the Major Crimes Unit, he prosecuted violent criminals, human traffickers, fraudsters, and organized crimes. He also overlooked the task forces focused on investigating firearms and human trafficking offenses. Terwilliger also served as a counselor to U.S. Attorney Neil H. MacBride and Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley.

In his current position as the top federal law enforcement officer, Terwilliger deals with opioid cases, white-collar fraud, and sex trafficking. He also had a chance to work on several high-profile cases. This includes the case of Trump campaign’s former chairman Paul Manafort, a case of CIA espionage, and the trial of Zacarias Moussaoui, a convicted Al-Qaeda member.

Role in the Community

Alexandria is home to Terwilliger. He said that he felt immense satisfaction when he put sex traffickers of underage women, swindlers, and drug traffickers behind bars. His joy and sense of moral obligation made sure that Alexandria remained a safe place with the worst kind of criminals behind bars.

Today, he is responsible for the safety of Alexandria. In this regard, he manages a staff of more than 250 prosecutors. Moreover, he also overlooks the prosecution of federal crimes and the litigation of civil matters.

According to Terwilliger, it was watching a trial and seeing a victim get justice that drove him toward this career path. With such a precise aim, Terwilliger continues to bring justice to the doorsteps of victims as the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia (EDVA).