Speaker for Oct. 17, 2011 - Benjamin Wagner

Benjamin B. Wagner was appointed by President Barack Obama on November 6, 2009 to serve as the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of California.  The Eastern District encompasses 34 counties in California, from the Oregon border to Los Angeles County.

Prior to being appointed U.S. Attorney, Mr. Wagner served in the office for over 17 years, prosecuting a wide range of federal crimes.  He was the Chief of the Special Prosecutions Unit for nine years, and has also served as the Hate Crimes Coordinator and the district’s Anti –Terrorism Coordinator.  From 2005 to 2006, Mr. Wagner was stationed in Indonesia as the U.S. Department of Justice’s Resident Legal Advisor.

“I have spent most of my career in this office, working with dedicated colleagues who seek to do justice every day. I am deeply honored to now be leading that team.”

As U.S. Attorney, Mr. Wagner has made the prosecution of mortgage fraud, gang violence, hate crimes, child exploitation and narcotics violations top priorities for the office.  He currently serves on the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee.

Before joining the Department of Justice, Mr. Wagner spent five years as an associate at the New York City law firm of Cahill, Gordon, & Reindel, working on civil litigation and corporate finance matters.  He graduated from NYU School of Law, and from Dartmouth College.

Mr. Wagner lives in Sacramento with his wife of 23 years and their three children.  His wife is an attorney with a California state agency.