Former Western Virginia acting U.S. attorney resigns, enters private practice

Zachary T. Lee, an assistant U.S. attorney with the Western District of Virginia, resigned on Oct. 10 to take a job with a law firm in the region.

Lee, who served as acting U.S. attorney between December 2024 and July 2025 following the resignation of Christopher Kavanaugh, worked for 20 years for the Department of Justice, where he handled numerous prosecutions ranging from public corruption to firearm offenses and other criminal matters.

At the time of his departure, Lee was serving as assistant U.S. attorney, a post he entered in August 2025 during reshuffling of the office under then-U.S. Attorney Todd Gilbert.

Gilbert resigned as U.S. attorney in August. While Gilbert, who now works with the Page County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, did not comment publicly on a reason for resignation, the Roanoke Times reported that Gilbert and the Trump administration disagreed on the staffing of Gilbert’s office, namely retaining Lee from Kavanaugh’s staff.

Publications including Cardinal News reported that Trump officials urged Gilbert to replace Lee as first assistant U.S. attorney with Robert Tracci. After the Department of Justice appointed Tracci to first U.S. attorney, Gilbert crated a new position for Lee, and the alleged friction between Gilbert and the White House is alleged to have led to Gilbert’s departure.

In a LinkedIn post, Lee said it “has been a privilege to serve in that office and support the cause of justice.”

“I consider myself extremely lucky to have worked with so many talented prosecutors, administrative staff, support staff, and law enforcement officers during my two decades in the Department,” Lee wrote.

On Oct. 13, Gentry Locke announced that Lee would be joining the firm’s white collar defense practice as a partner beginning Oct. 20.

“Zach has established himself as a leading chief federal law enforcement officer in Virginia and is known widely in the Western District for his exceptional work on matters involving the investigation and prosecution of all manners of federal criminal defenses,” Gentry Locke Managing Partner Brett Marston said via press release.

A graduate of Washington and Lee University and the University of Wyoming College of Law, Lee previously clerked for U.S. District Judge James P. Jones and served as an assistant commonwealth’s attorney in Bristol before beginning his federal service.