Raj Parekh

Raj Parekh is the Former Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia (EDVA).

As Acting U.S. Attorney, Mr. Parekh supervises the prosecution of all federal crimes and the litigation of all civil matters in which the United States has an interest. He leads a staff of approximately 300 prosecutors, civil litigators, and support personnel across four Divisions located in Alexandria, Richmond, Norfolk, and Newport News. The district serves over six million residents.

Mr. Parekh, who has served as the First Assistant U.S. Attorney in EDVA, is a career federal prosecutor who has tried numerous jury trials to verdict. He has investigated and prosecuted cases involving national security and international crimes, violent crimes, narcotics, cybercrime, health care fraud, and other white-collar offenses. Mr. Parekh also serves on EDVA’s Diversity Committee as the Office’s Asian American/Pacific Islander Special Emphasis Coordinator.

Mr. Parekh is the recipient of numerous awards related to his work in public service. He received the Director’s Award from the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys for Superior Performance in United States v. Mohamad Jamal Khweis (EDVA), which led to the 2017 conviction of the first individual to face a jury trial in the United States after having joined the terrorist organization known as the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) in ISIS territory. Mr. Parekh also received the Anti-Defamation League’s SHIELD Award for his contributions in the fight against extremism and terrorism in EDVA.

Mr. Parekh previously served as an Assistant General Counsel at the Central Intelligence Agency, as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, and as a Trial Attorney in the National Security Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. Aside from his federal government service, he also has served as a senior attorney and compliance officer at IBM, and as a litigation associate at the law firm of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP.

Mr. Parekh earned his B.A. degree in Economics and International Affairs with magna cum laude honors from The George Washington University in 2003. He earned his J.D. with cum laude honors from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 2006.

In January 2021, Mr. Parekh became the first Indian-American and person of color in the 232-year history of the Office to serve as EDVA’s chief federal law enforcement official.

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