CHARLESTON – Lisa G. Johnston will serve as Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia, according to the United States Attorney's Office.
Johnston was selected to serve as the Acting U.S. Attorney by the Executive Office of United States Attorneys in Washington D.C. after former U.S. Attorney Mike Stuart announced his resignation effective February 28.
“I am truly humbled and honored to serve as the Acting U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of West Virginia," Johnston said. 'The important work of the public servants in the U.S. Attorney’s offices in the district and their dedication to justice will continue.
“We look forward to working with our dedicated law enforcement partners who work hard to ensure the safety of our communities.”
Johnston is a career prosecutor who joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of West Virginia in August 2006. In 2010, she was named the Project Safe Childhood Coordinator for the district. Throughout her lengthy career with the Department of Justice, Johnston prosecuted numerous sexual exploitation cases as well as federal cases involving firearms, arson, drugs and health care fraud.
Johnston assumed the duties of First Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of West Virginia in January 2018, providing guidance to the Civil, Criminal and Administrative Divisions of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of West Virginia, she was employed as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney and then as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Northern District of West Virginia from 1988 until 2006.
Johnston will serve as the Acting U.S. Attorney until President Joe Biden makes a nomination and confirmation takes place.