A 25-year veteran of the Office of the United States Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert J. “Bob” Troester will step in and temporarily replace the outgoing U.S. Attorney Timothy J. Downing. As per the request of President-elect Joe Biden, U.S. Attorney Downing, along with the remaining 55 Trump-appointed U.S. Attorneys, will have to submit their letter of resignation by the end of the month of February. Acting U.S. Attorney General Monty Wilkinson has provided the instructions regarding the president’s request during an all-U.S. Attorney call last February 9, 2021, to which U.S. Attorney Downing responded by tendering his resignation letter that is to take effect on February 28, 2021. By virtue of the Federal Vacancies Reform Act, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester shall officially be named the Acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma on March 1, 2021. On his fourth term as Acting U.S. Attorney for the district, Bob Troester shall remain seated as the Office’s interim Top Federal Prosecutor for the next 300 days following his recent appointment, or until a new U.S. Attorney under the Biden Administration has been named.
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Appointment
An interim Chief Federal Law Enforcement Official for the Western District of Oklahoma has been named in replacement of the outgoing U.S. Attorney Timothy J. Downing, whose resignation was announced on February 9, 2021. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester will serve as the Acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma, pursuant to the Federal Vacancies Reform Act. He is expected to take over in the highest position in the Office upon the departure of U.S. Attorney Downing, who is stepping down from his post at the request of President-elect Joe Biden, effective February 28, 2021. Acting U.S. Attorney Robert M. “Monty” Wilkinson has previously led an all-U.S. Attorney call to provide the instructions regarding the request of President Biden for the remaining 55 presidentially-appointed U.S. Attorneys to vacate their posts by the end of the month of February. The changes made in the Offices are deemed customary and necessary for the new administration to be able to start putting forth nominations for new Top Federal Prosecutors in the 94 districts across the United States. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert J. “Bob” Troester shall begin leading the Office of the United States Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma as its first-in-command on March 1, 2021. Troester is expected to temporarily fill the position for a maximum period of 300 days, or until a new U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma has been nominated and confirmed by President Joe Biden and the Senate, respectively.
Educational Background
Graduating from the University of Nebraska at Kearney, Acting U.S. Attorney Robert Troester earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement Administration in 1984. He then attended the Oklahoma City University School of Law, from where he received his Doctor of Law in 1987.
Legal Career
Prior to joining the Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney Bob Troester served in private practice for a couple of years, rooting his career in the City of Oklahoma. He also worked in state government as a part of the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission and in local enforcement as a part of the Office of the Buffalo County Sheriff in Kearney, Nebraska. Several years following the launch of his legal career, U.S. Attorney Troester joined the Office of the United States Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma. He was initially employed as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in 1995, from where he quickly worked his way up. With over 25 years of dedicated service in the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Bob Troester has held various leadership positions, including being the Office’s Chief of the Civil Division, four-time First Assistant U.S. Attorney, and three-time Acting U.S. Attorney.
Legal Career – Department of Justice
Over the course of his almost three-decade career in the Department of Justice, Acting U.S. Attorney Bob Troester served in other capacities within the Federal government. For a year, from 1999 to 2000, he served as an Affirmative Civil Enforcement (ACE) Coordinator in the Executive Office for United States Attorneys (EOUSA). In 2001, U.S. Attorney Troester became the Deputy Director of the EOUSA, also serving in the capacity for about a year. In recent years, U.S. Attorney Bob Troester became a part of the Office of the Deputy Attorney General, where he performed duties as an Associate Deputy Attorney General and as Sr. Counsel to the Deputy Attorney General from 2017 to 2018.
Apart from taking on administrative roles, Top Federal Prosecutor Robert Troester previously took on other duties, including working in the Office of the Overseas Prosecutorial Development Assistance and Training (OPDAT) under the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice. On top of that, he worked in the U.S. Embassy in Chisinau, Moldova, wherein he occasionally traveled to Moldova in order to conduct management and training needs assessment that is essential for Supervisory Prosecutors in the Office of the Moldova Prosecutor General. In this regard, Acting U.S. Attorney Bob Troester provided assistance in the development of specialized training for Moldovan supervisory prosecutors, as well as collaborated with the government in the implantation of the aforementioned training program from 2011 to 2012.
Acting U.S. Attorney Troester has also been actively involved in numerous committees and working groups, including being the sole career member on the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee from 2005 to 2007, following his appointment by the Attorney General. He also held the position of Vice-Chair of the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee of both the Civil Rights Subcommittee and of the Health Care Fraud Working Group from 2018 to 2019. In 2021, U.S. Attorney Troester was named the Chair of the Victim Services Working Group for the President’s Commission on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Justice.
Honors and Awards
Given the years of his service in the Department of Justice, Acting U.S. Attorney Robert Troester has shown exceptional dedication and outstanding prosecutorial and administrative skills. In June of 2016, he became one of the two U.S. Department of Justice employees who have been presented the Executive Achievement Awards at the ceremony in Washington, D.C.
Statement from Acting U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester
Acting U.S. Attorney Troester asserted that under his current term, he would make every effort to strengthen further the Office’s partnership with local, state, federal, and tribal law enforcement agencies, especially ensuring the ethical, vigorous, fair, and impartial enforcement of the laws of the United States. Top Federal Prosecutor Bob Troester further says it is his honor and privilege to represent the United States and head the dedicated and talented team within the Office of the United States Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma.
“It is an honor and privilege to represent the United States and lead the talented team in this office as we pursue justice for the people of Western District of Oklahoma. I will strive to strengthen further our partnerships with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies to ensure the ethical, vigorous, fair, and impartial enforcement of the laws of the United States,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.
Office Jurisdiction
Currently, on his fourth term as interim Chief Federal Law Enforcement Official for the Western District of Oklahoma, Acting U.S. Attorney Robert J. “Bob” Troester leads the largest of the three judicial districts in the city, with jurisdiction over 40 of the 77 counties in Oklahoma, including 21 federally recognized Indian tribes. In addition, he leads a staff of more than 90 employees comprising of Assistant U.S. Attorneys, support personnel, and contractors working to serve and protect the residents of the district. The Office of the United States Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma represents the federal government in virtually all of the criminal prosecutions and civil litigations within the jurisdiction of the district that involve the United States and its agencies. In particular, the U.S. Attorney’s Office shall prosecute criminal cases involving the violation of federal criminal laws and crimes committed in the Indian Country, along with bringing civil actions to enforce federal civil laws and defending civil lawsuits against the nation and its agencies. Furthermore, the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma represents the United States in cases before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit.
Contact Details
Oklahoma City Office
210 West Park Avenue, Suite 400
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73102
(405) 553-8700
Main
(405) 553-8888
Fax
(405) 553-8999
Media Information
Social Media Profiles of Bob Troester
Full Name: Robert J. Troester
District/State: Western District of Oklahoma
Public email ID: robert.troester@usdoj.gov
Username: Robert Troester
URL: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-troester-5b7169161/
Username: N/A
URL: N/A
YouTube
Username: N/A
URL: N/A
Username: U.S. Attorney WDOK
Tag: @USAO_WDOK
URL: https://twitter.com/USAO_WDOK
Updated: August 30, 2021