CEDAR RAPIDS – United States Attorney Sean R. Berry of the Northern District of Iowa has announced his retirement effective January 31, 2022. After Mr. Berry’s departure, Tim Duax, currently First Assistant United States Attorney and Branch Chief of the District’s Sioux City office, will serve as Acting United States Attorney.
Mr. Berry, a graduate of Northwestern University Pritzker Law School and the University of Notre Dame, began his career as a federal prosecutor in 1989 when he joined the United States Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California in Los Angeles. During his time in Los Angeles, Mr. Berry prosecuted numerous complex white-collar cases and served as the Chief of the Major Frauds Section. After a decade in Los Angeles, Mr. Berry moved to the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Iowa. Over the next twenty years, Mr. Berry continued to prosecute the most complex fraud cases and child exploitation cases. Mr. Berry served in numerous leadership roles in the office, including serving as Criminal Chief and First Assistant United States Attorney. Mr. Berry also served as Acting United States Attorney and United States Attorney on multiple occasions when there was no presidentially appointed United States Attorney in the District.
“I am truly grateful for the opportunity to serve in the United States Attorney’s Offices for the Northern District of Iowa and the Central District of California. Representing the United States for more than 30 years has been a great honor,” Berry said. “It has been a particular privilege to work with the extraordinary attorneys and staff in the Northern District of Iowa. Their deep commitment to the Department of Justice’s mission is demonstrated in everything they do. Of course, all of our work is made possible by our fantastic federal, state, and local law enforcement and agency partners who dedicate their lives and often risk their personal safety to make our communities better and safer.”
