Sean P. Costello

Sean P. Costello is to take over as Acting U.S. Attorney in the Office of the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama as a result of the resignation of former U.S. Attorney Richard W. Moore, who was asked to step down by the Biden Administration, along with 55 other remaining Trump-appointed U.S. Attorneys. The appointment of Costello was made by Acting Attorney General Monty Wilkinson on February 27, 2021. It will remain effective until the Biden Administration has successfully appointed a new U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama.

Table of Contents

Appointment
Education Background and Bar Admission
Legal Career
Particular Cases that U.S. Attorney Costello Previously Prosecuted
Office Jurisdiction
Contact Details
Mobile Office
Social Media Profiles of Sean Costello
Twitter Field

Appointment

Sean P. Costello has been appointed as the new Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama by Acting Attorney General Monty Wilkinson on February 27, 2021. Costello is to take over as the new Chief Federal Law Enforcement Officer of the Office of the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama by virtue of the Vacancies Reform Act, following the stepping down of former U.S. Attorney Richard W. Moore, whose resignation was announced on February 22, 2021. The change in the Office was made in response to the request of the Biden Administration to have the remaining 55 U.S. Attorneys appointed by President Donald Trump submit their resignations as a part of the transitions within the administration. Acting the United States Attorney Sean Costello shall preside over the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Alabama for a term of 120 days, or until such time that a Presidential appointee has been confirmed by the Senate.

Education Background and Bar Admission

U.S. Attorney Sean Costello is a graduate of the Georgetown University – School of Foreign Service. Atty Costello later attended the University of Alabama School of Law, from where he received his Juris Doctorate. Costello was subsequently granted admission into the Alabama State Bar in 1999, maintaining an active membership to date.

Legal Career

The Acting United States Attorney Costello has dedicated the whole of his legal career to public service. Following his graduation from law school, Costello joined the Office of the Justice Programs of the Department of Justice, serving as a Counsel to the United States Judiciary Committee.

First coming into the Office of the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Alabama as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in 2003, Sean Costello joined the branch office in the City of Mobile. In this capacity, U.S. Attorney Costello managed to prosecute a wide variety of cases with emphasis on matters involving child exploitation, cybercrime, and national security. Throughout his service in the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Costello demonstrated profound expertise and extraordinary skills in the prosecution of cases appertaining to digital evidence. In line with this, he previously served as the Coordinator of the Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property (CHIP) of the Southern District of Alabama and is the Coordinator of the Project Safe Childhood of the district. United States Attorney Costello also served as a National Security Cyber Specialist in the Criminal Division of the Office, working to combat one of the biggest emerging threats that the nation face. Within the 18 years of dedicated service that he has brought into the Office of the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama, U.S. Attorney Sean Costello has tried approximately 25 jury trials.

Prior to being appointed as the Acting United States Attorney, Costello first served as the Chief of Office’s Criminal Division. In this position, he was in charge of supervising the investigation and prosecution of all criminal cases within the 13 districts comprising the Southern District of Alabama.

Particular Cases that U.S. Attorney Costello Previously Prosecuted

Among the cases that U.S. Attorney Costello has prosecuted before includes the 2011 case of Nathan Allen Railey, who was sentenced to 600 months in prison for the production, attempted production, and possession of child pornography. The defendant was successfully convicted of three counts of production of child pornography, one count of attempted production of child pornography, and one count of possession of child pornography and was sentenced to 50 years imprisonment following a three-month trial.

Another case which U.S. Attorney Costello handled was the prosecution of Clarence Edward Evers Jr. – a technology teacher who was arrested for multiple crimes, including child pornography and other offenses. The Alabama native was indicted and charged with five counts of travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor, one count of attempted travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor, one count of production and attempted production of child pornography, one count of transportation of child pornography, one count of receipt of child pornography, and one count of access with intent to view child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography.

One other particular case that U.S. Attorney Costello has prosecuted is the indictment of 20 people in the investigation of alleged recruitment of Somalis by terrorist organizations. The investigation led to the conviction of 14 individuals who have been charged with terrorism violations for providing money, personnel, and services to the foreign terrorist organization al-Shabaab. In all of the aforementioned cases, U.S. Attorney Costello has shown beyond doubt his trained skill and dedication to prosecuting cases involving child pornography, cybercrime, national security, and digital evidence.

Office Jurisdiction

As the incumbent Chief Federal Law Enforcement Officer of the Southern District of Alabama, Sean P. Costello shall directly lead and supervise an office of about 27 Assistant U.S. Attorneys, 27 support personnel, and seven contract support staff, who are all directed to the two branches of the Office in the cities of Mobile and Selma. On top of that, he is responsible for all of the federal criminal prosecutions and civil litigations within the district that involves the United States. The Office particularly prosecutes cases involving civil rights violations, firearms cases, gang violence, human trafficking, narcotics, public corruption, securities fraud, terrorism, and white-collar criminal cases, among other matters. In addition, the Office pursues civil enforcement of federal laws, along with defending the nation in civil cases and collecting debts owed to the United States.