A former first assistant United States attorney is taking over as the acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio. Vipal J. Patel became an assistant United States attorney in 2000 and has served in the criminal, civil and appellate divisions of the U.S. Attorney's Office.Patel served as first assistant United States attorney under U.S. Attorney Ben Glassman, beginning in April 2016, and remained in the position when David DeVillers assumed the top spot in 2019 under the Trump administration. DeVillers resigned in February after President Joe Biden made clear he would be replacing him.
"These are huge shoes to fill, and I am humbled and honored to fill them," says Patel in a statement. "The important work of the public servants in this office - and their dedication to justice - continues. Our casework will persist uninterrupted."
According to a release, Patel led the Southern District of Ohio's first ever international terrorism trial in 2018, winning the case and defending it successfully on appeal. He also led the U.S. prosecution of a friend of the Dayton mass shooter in Aug. 2019 on weapons-related charges. In 2011, he spent a year in Afghanistan as a U.S. Department of Justice civilian advisor on anti-corruption and counter-narcotics assignment.
Patel received his law degree in 1991 from the George Washington University Law School. He immigrated with his parents in 1970 and became a naturalized citizen in 1981. He is a long-time resident of Dayton.
