AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTYou have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load.Andrew S. Boutros, the Trump-appointed U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, is said to be overseeing the criminal investigation.Andrew S. Boutros, the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, in Chicago in April.Credit...E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune, via Getty ImagesMay 29, 2026, 3:09 p.m. ETThe federal prosecutor overseeing a criminal investigation related to E. Jean Carroll, a former magazine writer who accused Donald J. Trump of sexual assault, has presided over a Chicago office marked by high-profile prosecutorial failures and a deluge of staff resignations.The prosecutor, Andrew S. Boutros, was appointed by the Trump administration as the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Illinois just over a year ago. On paper, his experience seemed suited to the role: a former federal prosecutor for the Northern District who had handled cases of drug trafficking, white-collar crimes and money laundering, followed by a period as a lawyer in private practice.Since taking on the job as U.S. attorney in Chicago, Mr. Boutros, 48, has pursued cases of financial fraud, firearm possession, robbery and threats of violence, while also diverting resources to prosecute cases that are more overtly political. He has emerged as a prosecutor closely aligned with Mr. Trump’s agenda, apparently undeterred by repeated pushback from judges and juries in recent months.“I’m concerned that Andrew Boutros is willing to take down all of the credibility of the U.S. attorney’s office to serve Donald Trump,” said Christopher V. Parente, a former deputy chief in the Chicago office who has represented a defendant in a case Mr. Boutros’s office brought against protesters of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in the Chicago area. Last week, Mr. Boutros was admonished by Judge April M. Perry in her courtroom after the judge found that prosecutors in his office had acted improperly before a grand jury.“Your sole goal is to do justice,” Judge Perry said. “Your client is justice itself. I do believe deeply in the presumption of regularity and that most government attorneys are doing the best they can to do the right thing. That trust has been broken.”Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe.AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENT