CHICAGO — Chicago's new top federal law enforcement officer is Joel Levin, who will take over the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Illinois after Attorney General Jeff Sessions Friday asked all U.S. attorneys hired during the Obama Administration to step down.
Zachary Fardon, who has been the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois since October 2013, made his resignation official Monday.
“It has been the privilege of a lifetime to lead the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Chicago,” Fardon said in a statement. “I want to thank all of the talented men and women of the office for their hard work and dedicated public service during my term.”
Levin, who had been Fardon's deputy, will run the office until a permanent replacement is confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
“Zach has served the citizens of the Northern District of Illinois and the United States with marvelous distinction,” Levin said. “I want to thank Zach for his service and his friendship, and I look forward to all that he will achieve in the future.”
Like Fardon, Levin helped put former Illinois Gov. George Ryan behind bars for his role in a scheme to offer driver's licenses for bribes while he was Illinois secretary of state.
Fardon was confirmed to $155,540-a-year U.S. attorney's post with the support of Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin and former Sen. Mark Kirk, a Republican.
Durbin said in a statement that Fardon "served with distinction."
Most recently, Fardon helped lead the investigation of the Chicago Police by the Department of Justice. That inquiry found the police force routinely violated the civil rights of residents by using excessive force caused by poor training and nonexistent supervision.
Levin served as the first assistant U.S. attorney — Fardon's No. 2 — since 2014. He also served as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of Wisconsin and the Northern District of California.
A graduate of Yale University and Harvard Law School, Levin is an adjunct professor of law at Northwestern University.
