Longtime federal prosecutor Stephen R. Kaufman on Monday was named acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania.
Kaufman joined the office in 1988 and most recently served as first assistant U.S. Attorney.
He served as head of the criminal division from 2010 to 2018. Among his notable cases was the prosecution of those distributing China White, a synthetic form of heroin that led to 17 overdose deaths in 1988; and a person who led a $31 million check kiting scheme against PNC Bank. He also successfully prosecuted organized crime figures from Pittsburgh.
Kaufman, who attended Harvard Law School, replaces U.S. Attorney Scott Brady.
Brady, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump, was sworn in in December 2017 and stepped down on Sunday.
The U.S. Attorney’s office in Pittsburgh in the western district includes a staff of nearly 130 employees in offices in Pittsburgh, Erie and Johnstown and covers 25 counties.
U.S. attorney is a position appointed by the president and then confirmed by the U.S. Senate. It is typical for the appointed officials to be replaced upon election of a new president.
