The Office of the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio is overseen by First Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle M. Baeppler. She is to supervise the office until a new Chief Federal Law Enforcement Official is nominated and confirmed by President Joe Biden and the United States Senate, respectively. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Baeppler oversaw the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Ohio following the stepping down of former Acting U.S. Attorney Bridget Brennan and before the official appointment of presidentially nominated and U.S. Senate confirmed Attorney Marisa Darden. They previously served as the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio on an interim basis following the resignation of former U.S. Attorney Justin Herdman.
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Legal Career
U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Baeppler stepped into the Office of the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio in 2007. She was initially appointed as an Assistant United States Attorney, working in multiple units across her career in the office. Attorney Baeppler primarily served in the office’s Criminal Division under the General Crimes Unit. In this capacity, she handled prosecutions involving crimes against the public. Specifically, Attorney Baeppler worked on child exploitation, counterfeiting of U.S. currency, credit card fraud, crimes committed on federal property, environmental crimes, hate crimes, human trafficking, identity theft, illegal immigration, mail theft, and organized crime. On top of serving as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the General Crimes Unit, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Baeppler has worked in the office’s National Security Unit, geared towards protecting the United States from cyber intrusions, state-sponsored espionage, and terrorism attacks. At the time, her legal career emphasized working collaboratively with federal law enforcement agencies to prevent cyber threats aimed at critical infrastructure, governmental operations, and private industry, as well as prevent espionage, theft of trade secrets, terrorism, and violations of U.S. export control laws. In the latter years of her career in the Office of the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, First Assistant U.S. Attorney joined the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Unit, where she eventually became the unit’s Deputy Chief and Akron Branch Office Chief. In the OCDETF Unit, Attorney Michelle Baeppler handled ground-breaking work investigating and prosecuting large-scale cases involving the trafficking of illicit narcotics.
Early Legal Career
Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Baeppler served as a Lake County Prosecutor. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Miami University and her Juris Doctorate from the Cleveland Marshall College of Law.
Most Significant Litigated Cases
Throughout her career in the Office of the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Baeppler has been involved in several notable prosecutions, including the case against Demetrius Pitts. He was charged with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, threatening the President and his immediate family, and making false statements to law enforcement. Ultimately, the FBI arrested Pitts after planning a bombing in downtown Cleveland on the Fourth of July and pitching follow-up attacks in Philadelphia and San Francisco. Attorney Baeppler was also a part of the prosecution of Terrence McNeil – an Ohio man charged for publishing the names, addresses, and images soliciting the murder of the U.S. military personnel. McNeil was sentenced to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to five counts of solicitation to commit a crime of violence and five counts of threatening interstate communications. In addition to the cases mentioned earlier, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Baeppler, along with Trial Attorneys of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section, also handled the investigation and prosecution of Damon Joseph. He devised a mass shooting scheme at a synagogue in the Toledo area. Allegedly inspired by the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), the defendant was charged with attempting to provide material to support ISIS, taking possession of two semi-automatic rifles.
Honors and Awards
As an Attorney with 15 years in the Office of the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Baeppler has since prosecuted a myriad of cases, with emphasis on criminal prosecutions such as bank robbery, civil rights matters, firearms, narcotics trafficking, national security, theft, and terrorism. Just recently, in August 2020, Attorney Baeppler was awarded the Wings of Excellence Award by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for her outstanding performances in the office and in the community.
Office Jurisdiction
The Office of the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio comprises the 40 northern counties of Ohio, with branch offices in Akron, Cleveland, Toledo, and Youngstown. Leadership responsibilities handed off to First Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle M. Baeppler include overseeing federal criminal law enforcement, which involves a vast array of crimes associated with civil rights, drug trafficking, firearms offenses, national security, and public corruption, among other matters. In addition, Attorney Michelle Baeppler is expected to lead the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio in defending the United States, its agencies, and federal employees in civil lawsuits, as well as in affirmative actions in areas such as abuse, environment matters, fair housing, health care fraud and other matters of fraud, and recovering tens of millions of dollars in waste. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio, under the leadership of First Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Baeppler, shall continue to be involved with the community and remain in efficient collaboration with other community stakeholders to prevent crimes and improve safety in Northern Ohio.
Contact Details
Full Name: Michelle M. Baeppler
District/State: Northern District of Ohio
Public email ID: michelle.baeppler@usdoj.gov
Headquarters Office Cleveland
Office of the United States Attorney
United States Court House
801 West Superior Avenue
Suite 400
Cleveland,
Ohio 44113-1852
(216) 622-3600
Main
(216) 522-3086
TTY
Toledo Office
U.S. Attorney’s Office
Four Seagate
Third Floor
Toledo,
Ohio 43604
(419) 259-6376
Main
(419) 259-3721
TTY
Akron Office
U.S. Attorney’s Office
2 South Main Street
Akron,
Ohio 44308
(330) 375-5716
Main
(216) 522-3086
TTY
Youngstown Office
U.S. Attorney’s Office
100 Federal Plaza East
Youngstown,
Ohio 44503
(330) 746-7974
Main
(330) 746-0696
TTY
Public Information Officer
Daniel Ball
(216) 622-3921
Main
Daniel.Ball@usdoj.gov
E-mail
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Updated: May 15, 2023