GREENSBORO — Clifton T. “Cliff” Barrett took the oath of office yesterday to become the United States Attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina. The oath was administered by U.S. District Judge William L. Osteen, Jr. at the L. Richardson Preyer Federal Building in Greensboro. Attorney General Pamela Bondi appointed Mr. Barrett as the interim U.S. Attorney on June 21.
“I am honored to serve as the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina and thank President Trump and Attorney General Bondi for placing their trust in me,” said U.S. Attorney Barrett. “I look forward, along with other prosecutors in the office, to making the Middle District a safer place to live by holding offenders accountable for their actions. We will work closely with state, local, and federal law enforcement in addressing President Trump’s law enforcement priorities.”
As the U.S. Attorney, Mr. Barrett is the top-ranking federal law enforcement official in the Middle District of North Carolina, which covers 24 counties in the central part of the state from Durham County on the east to Yadkin County on the west, stretching up to Virginia on the north side and down to South Carolina on the south. Approximately 3 million people live in the Middle District of North Carolina. The office is responsible for prosecuting federal crimes in the district, including crimes related to immigration, gang violence, National Security, drug trafficking, and violent crime. The office also defends the United States in civil cases and collects debts owed to the United States.
U.S. Attorney Barrett joined the Department of Justice as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Middle District of North Carolina in September 1994. He has prosecuted a broad range of federal criminal cases, including drug trafficking organizations, violent crime, child exploitation, public corruption, tax fraud, and offenses related to terrorism. He has held numerous leadership roles in the office, including 25 years as Chief of the Criminal Division. He has also served in leadership at the Department of Justice as an evaluator of other U.S. Attorney’s Offices and as a member of the Criminal Chiefs Working Group, an appointed committee that works in conjunction with the U. S. Attorney General’s Advisory Commission in providing advice to the U.S. Attorney General.
Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Barrett was an Assistant District Attorney for nine years in Forsyth County, North Carolina where he primarily prosecuted violent crime cases.
Barrett received his bachelor’s degree in history cum laude from Wake Forest University in 1982, and his Juris Doctorate from Wake Forest University School of Law in 1985. He has been an Adjunct Professor at Wake Forest University School of Law teaching Criminal Trial Advocacy since 1996.
