In letter to President Biden, US Attorney for SC announces he’s resigning
South Carolina will have a new United States Attorney as Peter McCoy announced plans to resign from the office in a letter to President Joe Biden.
McCoy will step down at 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, according to the resignation letter.
His plans are in sync with a request from the U.S. Department of Justice main office in Washington to all 90-plus U.S. attorneys across the nation to leave office. U.S. attorneys are political appointments and serve at the pleasure of a president.
“It has been the honor of my lifetime to serve our great nation and our beloved State of South Carolina as United States Attorney,” McCoy said in the letter to the president. “Working daily with the dedicated public servants of this office to impartially enforce the rule of law, defend our Constitution, and make our communities safer is a privilege for which I will be forever grateful.”
Information on who would replace McCoy, both temporarily and long-term following a nomination from Biden, has not been announced.
However, when the U.S. Attorney steps down, the 1st assistant U.S. Attorney usually becomes acting U.S. Attorney. In South Carolina, Rhett DeHart of Charleston is the 1st assistant U.S. Attorney.
McCoy said he will help whoever follows him in the post.
“I have no doubt my successor will accomplish great things with this extraordinary team and I will work tirelessly to ensure a seamless transition,” McCoy said.
The 42-year-old Charleston resident has served as the U.S. Attorney in South Carolina since March 30, 2020, after being nominated for the post by then-President Donald Trump.
Under McCoy’s direction during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Attorney’s office prosecuted cases involving fraud, civil wrongdoing, and criminal activity related to the coronavirus.
Additionally, McCoy’s office targeted offenses involving public corruption, gun crimes, violence, and drugs while prosecuting health care fraud cases and placing an emphasis on eradicating human trafficking and child exploitation, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney.
These efforts resulted in charges and convictions against hundreds of defendants.
McCoy’s office also collected more than $54 million for taxpayers in 2020 from civil actions, criminal actions, and asset forfeitures, according to the release.
“Pandemic or not, there was no safe harbor in South Carolina for those who violated federal law on my watch,” McCoy said in the release. “This is because the men and women of this office across our criminal, civil, appellate, and administrative divisions, along with our law enforcement partners, worked tirelessly to pursue justice for the people of South Carolina.”
McCoy supervises an office of approximately 62 assistant U.S. attorneys, 75 support staff, and 18 contract support staff, all of whom are responsible for prosecuting federal crimes affecting the district from main offices in Columbia, Charleston, Florence, and Greenville. Prosecutors in his office work with various federal law enforcement agencies including the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Secret Service, and Homeland Security — all of which lauded McCoy for his work in the U.S. Attorney’s office.
“He has always been very supportive of law enforcement,” Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said in the release. “Most notable was the support he exhibited throughout the riots in Columbia last year, calling to offer his support and that of his office. My hope is that the incoming U.S. Attorney is as good and supportive to law enforcement.”
Before he was nominated and unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate to become the U.S. Attorney for South Carolina, McCoy served in the South Carolina House of Representatives from 2011-2020, where he was Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, while also working as an attorney in private practice. Prior to that, McCoy served for five years as a criminal prosecutor in the 9th Circuit Solicitor’s Office.
McCoy has not shed any light on his plans for the future.
“Peter McCoy and the United States Attorney’s Office under his leadership has been a tremendous partner of the FBI,” Special Agent in Charge Susan Ferensic said in the release. “We wish him well on the next chapter of his professional life.”
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This story was originally published February 23, 2021 at 9:59 AM with the headline "In letter to President Biden, US Attorney for SC announces he’s resigning."
