United States Attorney Sayler A. Fleming has resigned from her position as the head prosecutor for the Eastern District of Missouri. Her departure marks the end of a tenure that began when she was appointed by then-Attorney General William P. Barr on December 11, 2020, during President Donald J. Trump’s administration.
Reflecting on her time in office, Ms. Fleming stated, “It has been the privilege of a lifetime to lead the United States Attorney’s Office for the last four and a half years.” She expressed gratitude towards law enforcement professionals and community partners who contributed to initiatives such as Project Safe Neighborhoods.
Under Ms. Fleming’s leadership, the Eastern District of Missouri led in gun prosecutions and participated in the Justice Department’s Violent Crime Initiative. This program targeted violent offenders with additional resources. Following Kimberly M. Gardner’s resignation as St. Louis Circuit Attorney in May 2023, Ms. Fleming facilitated an agreement allowing assistant U.S. attorneys to prosecute murder cases in St. Louis.
Ms. Fleming also prioritized training local and state law enforcement on handling fatal drug overdoses and machine gun conversion devices, while increasing efforts against child exploitation through her role co-chairing the Attorney General’s Child Exploitation Working Group.
Her contributions were acknowledged by various law enforcement leaders including Special Agent Chris Crocker of the FBI St. Louis Division who said, “United States Attorney Sayler Fleming has been a tremendous law enforcement partner.” Similarly, Michael Davis from DEA St. Louis Division praised her impact over their 15-year collaboration.
Additional commendations came from Bernard Hansen of ATF, Mark A. Mossotti from Bridgeton Police Department, Robert Tracy from SLMPD, and Kenneth Gregory from St. Louis County Police Department—all recognizing her commitment to justice and public safety.
Before becoming U.S. Attorney, Ms. Fleming joined the office in August 2010 after working at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner law firm and serving as Appellate Chief within her office.
Ms. Fleming concluded her service at midnight on Friday; Matthew Drake now steps into the role of Acting U.S. Attorney following his extensive experience since joining the office in 2002.
The Eastern District of Missouri encompasses 49 counties handling federal crimes related to terrorism, public corruption, child exploitation among others while defending civil cases involving the United States government.
