Appellate Chief appointed United States Attorney for Eastern District of Missouri

 Sayler A. Fleming was appointed by Attorney General William P. Barr on December 11, 2020, to replace U.S. Attorney Jeff Jensen. She assumed office on December 31, 2020.

“Having spent the bulk of my legal career as an Assistant United States Attorney, I am deeply humbled and honored to serve the office and federal judicial district in this capacity,” said Fleming. “I have immense respect for my colleagues, who work tirelessly to uphold the rule of law and fulfill the mission of the Department of Justice. I look forward to continuing this important and necessary work with our federal, state, and local partners.”

Fleming, as United States Attorney, is the top-ranking federal law enforcement official in the Eastern District of Missouri.  The district serves 49 counties within three divisions – Northern, Eastern and Southern. The office is responsible for prosecuting federal crimes in the district, including crimes related to terrorism, public corruption, child exploitation, firearms and narcotics. The office also defends the United States in civil cases and collects debts owed to the United States.

In her time with the office, Fleming gained extensive legal experience prosecuting and supervising violent crime cases. Fleming most recently served as the office’s Appellate Chief. 

Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Fleming was an associate at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner. Fleming, who grew up in Charleston, Missouri, also clerked for the Honorable Stephen N. Limbaugh, Jr. Fleming received her Bachelor’s of Accountancy from Mississippi State University and her law degree from Vanderbilt University School of Law.