WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA – United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld announced his resignation from the Department of Justice, effective today at 11:59 a.m.

“Serving as United States Attorney has been an honor and a privilege,” said Mr. Ihlenfeld. “I’m deeply saddened to leave, but as I walk out the door today, I do so with tremendous pride because of all this team has accomplished over the past four years. Drug overdoses have decreased, national security has increased, child predators have been locked up, and white-collar criminals have been held to account.”

Ihlenfeld served as U.S. Attorney from August 2010 until December 2016 and then returned to the position in October 2021. In his most recent term, Ihlenfeld focused on the investigation and prosecution of drug trafficking, domestic violence, and white-collar crimes, with a special emphasis on health care fraud and COVID fraud.

He also served as chairperson of the executive boards of the Appalachia High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) and the Washington/Baltimore HIDTA. The office has been one of the nation’s most active in drug prosecutions, ranking number one in the country in 2024 out of ninety-three U.S. Attorney’s Offices.

Cases of note include the indictment of 82 people last January in the dismantling of Baltimore-based fentanyl trafficking organization led by Gary Brown; the indictment of 25 people in February in the takedown of a Philadelphia-based drug network; the charging of 25 people in July in Martinsburg to dismantle a group tied to the Sinaloa Drug Cartel; and the indictment of the Rico McGhee organization in 2023, which halted the top source of illicit drugs to the Ohio Valley.

Efforts to uncover health care fraud were ramped up under Ihlenfeld with the formation of the Mountaineer Health Care Fraud Strike Force. The group has taken a data-driven approach, leveraging sources of information in innovative ways, leading to more new matters. Private sector partnerships have also been formed, leading to a greater sharing of intelligence.

The Northern West Virginia SAR Review team was revamped to ensure that every suspicious activity report filed by financial institutions is reviewed and that more cases are referred for investigation. In-person meetings were resumed, new agencies were added to the team, and data collection was enhanced. Ihlenfeld placed special emphasis on the investigation of elder financial exploitation to better protect older West Virginians.