U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada, who put LA councilman Jose Huizar in prison, resigns

U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada announced on Tuesday, Jan. 14, that he will resign his position as chief prosecutor for the Central District of California, the nation’s most-populous federal district.

While serving as the top federal law enforcement officer in the Los Angeles-based district since September 2022, Estrada oversaw more than 500 prosecutors and staff who serve almost 20 million people in the seven counties that comprise the district.

Estrada tendered his resignation to President Joe Biden and Attorney General Merrick Garland on Tuesday, and he will conclude his service on Friday.

“As the child of immigrants from Guatemala, neither my family nor I could ever have believed that I would one day have the opportunity to serve as United States Attorney in service to the greatest country in the world,” Estrada said in a statement.

“To say that serving in this position has been an honor would be a profound understatement. Giving back to the community where I grew up and that I love so dearly — and doing so alongside such talented and generous attorneys and staff — has been the greatest privilege of my life.”

Among his office’s most significant cases, Estrada obtained a RICO conspiracy conviction and 13-year prison sentence for former Los Angeles City Councilmember Jose Huizar; a dozen-year prison sentence for former Los Angeles Deputy Mayor Raymond Chan; and a bribery and fraud conviction and a three-and-a-half year prison sentence against longtime politician Mark Ridley-Thomas.

Estrada also focused on hate crimes, civil rights, violent crime, national security, fentanyl and other synthetic drugs, corporate fraud and financial crimes, and environmental justice.

He was nominated by Biden in June 2022 and sworn in as U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California in September 2022.

Estrada received his undergraduate degree from UC Irvine, and his law degree from Stanford Law School.