Trini E. Ross

Trini E. Ross became the United States Attorney for the Western District of New York on October 11, 2021. Ms. Ross was nominated by President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. on July 26, 2021, and unanimously confirmed by the Senate on September 30, 2021, becoming the first black woman to hold the position in the Western District of New York. President Biden signed Ms. Ross’s commission on October 5, 2021. Ms. Ross, as the top law enforcement official in the District, is responsible for overseeing the prosecution of any federal criminal case brought within the 17 counties of Western New York. The Office also represents the United States in all civil matters brought within this territory.

On March 30, 2022, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland announced the appointment of Ms. Ross to serve on the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee of U.S. Attorneys (AGAC). Created in 1973, the AGAC advises the Attorney General on matters of policy, procedure, and management impacting the Offices of the U.S. Attorneys and elevates the voices of U.S. Attorneys in Department policies. In addition, on June 16, 2022, Ms. Ross was selected as the Chairperson for the AGAC sub-committee on Law Enforcement Coordination, Victim Assistance and Community Relations. In this role, Ms. Ross will lead the sub-committee that will advise Attorney General Garland on matters involving law enforcement, victim assistance, and community relations.  

Ms. Ross, a native of Buffalo, NY, received her J.D., cum laude, from The State University of New York, at Buffalo, School of Law, in 1992, her M.A. from Rutgers University in 1990, and her B.A. from The State University of New York, at Fredonia, in 1988.

Ms. Ross most recently served as the Director of Investigations, Legal Division, with the National Science Foundation’s Office of Inspector General since 2018. Ms. Ross has also been an adjunct professor at The State University of New York, at Buffalo, School of Law, since 2006. From 1995 to 2018, Ms. Ross was an Assistant United States Attorney for the Western District of New York, where she served as the Senior Litigation Counsel and the Chief of the Anti-Fraud and Corruption Section from 2012 to 2017. Ms. Ross also served as an Assistant Counsel with the Department of Justice’s Office of Professional Responsibility from 2007 to 2009. She was previously a civil litigation associate at the former firm of Hiscock & Barclay, LLC from 1994 to 1995. Ms. Ross began her legal career serving as an Appellate Court Attorney for the New York State Supreme Court from 1992 to 1994.