Matthew M. Graves

Graves was born in Reading, Pennsylvania. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Washington and Lee University in 1998 and a Juris Doctor from Yale Law School in 2001.{{Cite press release |title=President Biden Announces Eight Nominees to Serve as U.S. Attorneys |date=July 26, 2021 |publisher=The White House |location=Washington, D.C. |url=https://bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/07/26/president-biden-announces-eight-nominees-to-serve-as-u-s-attorneys/ |access-date=July 26, 2021}} {{PD-notice}}

After graduating from law school, Graves began his legal career as a law clerk for Judge Richard W. Roberts of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. From 2002 to 2007, he was an associate at WilmerHale. From 2007 to 2016, Graves worked as an assistant United States attorney in the District of Columbia, where he served in the office's fraud and public corruption section, ultimately serving as the acting chief of the section. From 2016 to 2021, he was a partner at DLA Piper.

At DLA Piper, Graves represented Qatar and foreign banks accused of financing terrorism, including Bank of Palestine, Arab Bank PLC, and Bank of Beirut.{{Cite web |last=Swan |first=Betsy Woodruff |date=November 15, 2021 |title=D.C.'s new top cop vs. Steve Bannon |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2021/11/15/dc-new-top-cop-steve-bannon-522259 |access-date=January 27, 2024 |website=POLITICO}}{{Cite web |last=Kaminsky |first=Gabe |date=January 17, 2024 |title=Top Biden DOJ prosecutor represented Qatar and foreign banks accused of financing terrorism |url=https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/2797194/top-biden-doj-prosecutor-represented-qatar-foreign-banks/ |access-date=2024-01-27 |website=Washington Examiner |language=en-US}} Politico reported in 2021 that Graves also represented Gazprom Neft, "a Russian state-owned energy company with a market cap north of $30 billion."

Graves was recommended as U.S. attorney by Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton.{{Cite web |last1=Bonessi |first1=Dominique Maria |last2=Kurzius |first2=Rachel |date=July 26, 2021 |title=Biden Announces Nominees For US Attorney In DC, Maryland |url=https://dcist.com/story/21/07/26/biden-nominees-us-attorneys-office-dc-md-matthew-graves-erek-barron/ |access-date=July 26, 2021 |website=DCist |language=en |archive-date=July 26, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210726182214/https://dcist.com/story/21/07/26/biden-nominees-us-attorneys-office-dc-md-matthew-graves-erek-barron/ |url-status=live }} On July 26, 2021, President Joe Biden nominated Graves to serve in the role.{{Cite press release |title=Nominations Sent to the Senate |date=July 26, 2021 |publisher=The White House |location=Washington, D.C. |url=https://bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/07/26/nominations-sent-to-the-senate-27/ |access-date=July 26, 2021}} On September 23, 2021, his nomination was reported out of committee by voice vote.{{cite web|url=https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Results%20of%20Executive%20Business%20Meeting%20September%2023%202021.pdf|title=Results of Executive Business Meeting – September 23, 2021|publisher=United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary|accessdate=September 23, 2021}} On October 28, 2021, his nomination was confirmed in the United States Senate.{{Cite web |date=2021-10-28 |title=PN925 - Nomination of Matthew M. Graves for Department of Justice, 117th Congress (2021-2022) |url=https://www.congress.gov/nomination/117th-congress/925 |access-date=2021-11-01 |website=www.congress.gov}} On November 5, 2021, he was sworn into office by Chief Judge Beryl A. Howell.{{Cite web|date=2021-11-05|title=Matthew M. Graves Takes Office as United States Attorney|url=https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/matthew-m-graves-takes-office-united-states-attorney|access-date=2021-11-07|website=www.justice.gov|language=en}} He resigned on January 16, 2025.{{Cite press release |title=United States Attorney Matthew M. Graves to Step Down January 16, 2025 |date=December 30, 2024 |publisher=United States Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia |url=https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/united-states-attorney-matthew-m-graves-step-down-january-16-2025 |access-date=January 20, 2025}}

On May 16, 2023, U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene announced that she planned to introduce articles of impeachment against Graves for his prosecution of participants in the January 6 United States Capitol attack.{{Cite web |date=2023-05-16 |title=Marjorie Taylor Greene Wants To Impeach The U.S. Attorney For D.C. Now |url=https://uproxx.com/viral/marjorie-taylor-greene-impeachment-dc-us-attorney/ |access-date=2023-05-17 |website=UPROXX |language=en-US}}

Under Graves, the US Attorney's Office declined to prosecute 67% of those arrested for crimes in DC in 2022, including 72% of misdemeanor arrests and 53% of felony arrests.{{Cite web |date = March 15, 2023 |title=More Than Two-Thirds of the People Arrested in D.C. Are Never Charged |url=https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/595163/more-than-two-thirds-of-the-people-arrested-in-d-c-are-never-charged/ |website=Washington City Paper |language=en-US}}{{Cite news |date = March 29, 2023 |title=D.C. U.S. attorney declined to prosecute 67% of those arrested. Here's why. |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2023/03/29/us-attorneys-office-charges-declined-dc-police/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |language=en-US}}

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{{s-ttl|title={{nowrap|United States Attorney for the District of Columbia}}|years=2021–2025}}

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Category:1975 births

Category:Living people

Category:21st-century American lawyers

Category:Assistant United States attorneys

Category:Lawyers from Washington, D.C.

Category:People from Reading, Pennsylvania

Category:United States attorneys for the District of Columbia

Category:Washington and Lee University alumni

Category:Yale Law School alumni