U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California
On June 6,2022,President Joe Biden nominated Estrada to be the United States attorney for the Central District of California. [8] [9] His nomination was supported by Senator Alex Padilla. [3] On July 28,2022,his nomination was reported out of the Senate Judiciary Committee by a voice vote. [10] On September 13,2022,his nomination was confirmed in the United States Senate by voice vote. [11] He was sworn in by Chief Judge Philip S. Gutierrez on September 19,2022. [2]
While at the U.S. Attorney's Office,Estrada was involved in cases involving hate crimes,civil rights,violent crime,national security,synthetic drugs,public corruption,corporate fraud,environmental justice,and protecting vulnerable communities. [12]
National Security and Drug Enforcement
While in office,Estrada was active against threats from China. In 2023,he secured a prison sentence for a U.S. Navy sailor who exchanged sensitive U.S. military information with China. [13] In 2024,his office prosecuted a political campaign manager who was alleged to be an agent of the Chinese government, [14] and indicted a Chinese company that was exporting the chemical ingredients of fentanyl into the US,packaged as cosmetic makeup. [15]
In December 2024,he charged and had arrested a man who illegally exported military equipment to North Korea. [16]
Estrada went after drug traffickers including the dismantling of "Operation Dead Hand",a trafficking ring of Mexican Cartels,Los Angeles drug dealers and Canadian truck drivers. [17] He also secured the arrests of two dozen individuals involved in a money laundering scheme between the Sinaloa Cartel and Chinese underground backing groups. [18]
Estrada also led the investigation and charges against the individuals involved in supplying Matthew Perry with the drugs that led to his death in late 2023. [19]
Operation Safe Cities
Estrada launched Operation Safe Cities in early 2024 to encourage local law enforcement to refer violent crimes involving firearms to federal prosecutors,and helped start the Figueroa Corridor Trafficking Initiative. [20] [21] This federal and local cooperation helped prosecute violent crimes,including the conviction and sentencing of the murderers of LAPD Officer Fernando Arroyos,and the arrests and indictments of street gang members responsible for the murder of two El Monte police officers. [22] [23] Estrada also supported the arrest of rapper Lil Durk related to a murder for hire plot. [24]
Cybersecurity
In 2023,Estrada's office helped recover $9 million of stolen cryptocurrency by dismantling the criminal malware network called "Qakbot". The next year,Estrada's office charged two Sudanese brothers who carried out 35,000 hacks as part of a 'cyber-attack for hire' operation,and charged members of the hacker community Scattered Spider. [25] [26] [27]
Public Corruption and White-Collar Crime
Estrada's establishment of the Corporate and Securities Fraud Strike Force in 2023 [28] led to significant cases against corporate executives and insiders in the following months. These included fraud charges against FAT Brands Inc. [29] executives,short seller Andrew Left, [30] and the conviction of Ippei Mizuhara,the interpreter who defrauded baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani over $16 million in relation to a sports gambling scheme. [31]
Estrada also led the investigation and conviction of several public officials,including former Los Angeles City Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas on bribery charges in 2023. [32] In 2024,Estrada's office secured a 13-year prison sentence for corruption convictions of councilman Jose Huizar [33] and 12 years for former deputy mayor Raymond Chan,who was convicted of bribery. [34] Later in 2024,Estrada's investigation led former Orange County Supervisor Andrew Do to plead guilty of conspiring to commit bribery. [35]
Civil Rights and Hate Crimes
Estrada prosecuted City National Bank in 2023,whose refusal to finance mortgages in Black and Latino communities resulted in a settlement of $31 million. [36] He also addressed hate crimes,including the prosecution of a former Marine who firebombed a Planned Parenthood clinic in 2022, [37] and the indictment of a white supremacist gang in October 2024. [38]
Vulnerable Communities Task Force
Estrada started the Vulnerable Communities Task Force in 2023 to address scams targeting marginalized groups. [28] The force led to the conviction of the well-known disbarred attorney Tom Girardi on embezzlement charges. [39] Estrada also pursued environmental abusers including the indictment of Phillips 66 for Clean Water Act violations, [40] and reached a $20 million settlement with Los Angeles for wastewater discharge violations. [41]
On January 14,2025,Estrada announced he would be resigning from the post,effective January 17. he was replaced by his First Assistant Joseph T. McNally. [42]
