Stephen J. Cox

Appointed by Attorney General William P. Barr, Stephen J. Cox is the incumbent United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas. U.S. Attorney Stephen Cox took the oath of office on June 1, 2020, as administered by the United States District Judge Michael Truncale. The appointment of Atty Cox followed the resignation of former U.S. Attorney Joseph Brown.

Table of Contents

Education and Memberships
Legal Career
Organization and Bar Associations
Office Jurisdiction
Contact Details
Beaumont Office & Lufkin Office
Plano Office
Tyler Office & Texarkana Office
Sherman Office
Public Information Officer
Beaumont Office
Delivery Service
Social Media Profiles of Stephen Cox

Education and Memberships

Stephen J. Cox graduated from the Texas Agricultural and Mechanical University in 2000, receiving his undergraduate degree. During this time, he was a member of the Aggie Men’s Club, the Conference on Student Government Associations (COSGA), the Traditions Council, and the Fish Camp. Stephen Cox subsequently received his Juris Doctorate at the University of Houston Law Center in 2006 and became a member of the Federalist Society and the Houston Law Review.

Legal Career

The legal career of Stephen J. Cox began with his clerkship at the WilmerHale as a Summer Associate in 2005. After graduating from law school, he became a Summer Associate at the BakerBotts LLP, before clerking under the Honorable James Larry Edmondson of the United States Court of Appeals.

In 2007, Stephen J. Cox joined the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement as an Advisor to the Assistant Secretary, having access to Top Secret and Sensitive Compartmented Information. In this capacity, he was also able to aid agencies and department principals regarding national security, law enforcement operations, among other legal matters.

Returning to Wilmer Hale in 2008, Stephen J. Cox became Senior Associate at the litigation firm, working there for three years until 2011. He counseled multinational companies in litigation matters, including compliance issues, anti-corruption law, export controls, and trade sanctions. One of his biggest contributions was representing BP America in connection with Congressional Investigations of Deepwater Horizon rig in the Gulf of Mexico. Furthermore, he assisted in the development and implementation of the triage system for assessing and handling the causes of an oil spill and working on the response operation through research, document collection, and internal witness interviews.

Joining the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation as an Adjutant to Webster Commission on FBI, Counterterrorism Intelligence, and Fort Hood with Top-Secret Clearance, Stephen J. Cox volunteered to conduct a two-year independent investigation on the case of Major Nidal Hasan – a piece of information that has been handled by the FBI. He was in collaboration with the Honorable William H. Webster, along with the Chair and five other Commissioners. In addition to his contribution to the case of Major Hasan, Stephen Cox also provided aid in drafting numerous legal papers involving FBI policy guidelines, information review protocols, technology, and even provided 18 recommendations for corrective measures. Stephen J. Cox was with the FBI for two years, from 2010 to 2012.

In between his service for the FBI, Stephen Cox became a Corporate Counsel of the Apache Corporation in 2011. In this position, he was responsible for a wide range of litigation matters, including supervising the development and implementation of a new global anti-corruption compliance program. Furthermore, he assisted in the review of regulatory guidance in multiple jurisdictions, and in the creation of strategies for high-risk areas and risk-mitigation of the implementation of a new program. Stephen J. Cox has also given assistance and provided guidance to the vice president on matters involving exploration and worldwide new ventures on production technology, information technology, and commercializing Apache intellectual property. He has substantive experience in conducting internal fact inquiries and judicial questions, and other investigations and mitigation strategy.

After his six-year service to the Apache Corporation from 2011 to 2017, Stephen J. Cox was appointed in duty at the United States Department of Justice as a Deputy Associate Attorney General and Chief of Staff in the Office of the Associate Attorney General from 2017 to 2020, prior to being appointed as interim U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas. Stephen Cox assisted in the implementation of DOJ policies, white-collar enforcement, and the formulation of several settlement strategies. Atty Cox has also prosecuted numerous cases, including the settlement negotiations involving a legacy financial fraud investigation of residential mortgage-backed securities, which resulted in a $12 billion civil penalty of seven major banks. Moreover, Stephen J. Cox developed the False Claims Act reforms and has worked as an Executive Director of the Attorney General’s Regulatory Reform Task Force, and as a Vice-Chair of the Deputy Attorney General’s Working Group on Corporate Enforcement and Accountability.

Organization and Bar Associations

In 2015, Stephen Cox served as a Co-Chair of the National Finance Committee of the Cruz for President, in support of the 2016 presidential campaign of Ted Cruz – the junior U.S. Senator from Texas. Stephen J. Cox is an active member of both the Texas and District of Columbia State Bars.

Office Jurisdiction

As the incumbent United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas, Stephen J. Cox oversees a staff of approximately 120 personnel, composed of 55 Assistant U.S. Attorneys, and 65 support staff. Stephen J. Cox supervises six offices across the district and is responsible for the prosecution of federal crimes involving public corruption, firearms, financial fraud, and narcotics, among others. Additionally, the office manages civil cases involving the United States and recovers debts owed to the United States.