OAG - Medicaid Fraud Control Unit | Assistant Atto

General Description

The Texas Office of the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) is seeking an experienced prosecuting attorney to serve as an Assistant Attorney General, cross‑designated as a Special Assistant United States Attorney (SAUSA) and detailed to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas (SDTX), Criminal Division, Fraud Section, in Houston. Although employed by the State of Texas, the attorney will function operationally as a federal prosecutor, exercising the same duties and prosecutorial authority as an Assistant United States Attorney in SDTX. The position augments federal prosecutorial capacity in MFCU‑developed prosecutions.

Applicants must successfully complete an extensive state background investigation and obtain a Top Secret federal security clearance. The attorney will handle criminal health‑care fraud prosecutions, including directing investigations, using grand‑jury processes, advising federal law‑enforcement agents, preparing indictments and other pleadings, litigating motions, and conducting trials in U.S. District Court. The role also involves making charging recommendations, managing a docket of complex and corporate health‑care fraud cases, and coordinating closely with federal, state, and local partners.

All cases must contain a Texas Medicaid nexus, though prosecutions may also involve other federal health‑care programs (e.g., Medicare, TRICARE) or multi‑jurisdictional matters. Day‑to‑day supervision is provided by the SDTX Criminal Division, Fraud Section, while administrative supervision and employment matters remain with the Texas Office of the Attorney General. The attorney reports to the MFCU Deputy Chief of Prosecution and will be fully integrated into SDTX, receiving case assignments and litigation responsibilities comparable to other federal prosecutors.

The position is located in Houston, Texas, with office space at both SDTX and the Houston MFCU office. Upon appointment, the attorney must commit to a minimum three‑year term prosecuting health‑care fraud cases. The role includes DOJ criminal prosecution training, Medicaid‑fraud‑specific training, and opportunities to attend national training programs, subject to resource availability.

Essential Position Functions

• Prepare and present complex criminal cases involving federal health‑care laws and regulations, pursuant to U.S. Criminal Codes and the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure.
• Draft legal opinions, briefs, pleadings, motions, petitions, and other legal documents.
• Manage all phases of criminal prosecution from investigation through trial, discovery, jury or bench trial, and appellate proceedings when necessary.
• Analyze complex factual and legal issues; develop evidence through witness interviews, subpoenas, search warrants, proffers, and other legal processes.
• Conduct legal research and report findings and conclusions.
• Advise investigators and management on factual and legal issues.
• Assist investigators and auditors in investigations.
• Use personal vehicle or agency pool vehicles for business‑related travel with reimbursement.
• Maintain relevant knowledge necessary to perform essential job functions.
• Attend work regularly in compliance with the agreed‑upon work schedule and agency leave policy.
• Ensure security and confidentiality of sensitive and/or protected information.
• Comply with all agency policies and procedures, including those pertaining to ethics and integrity.
• Comply with requirements of federal grant funding for the MFCU, including performance measures and limiting work to approved health‑care‑related investigation and prosecution.

Minimum Qualifications

• Education: Graduation from an accredited law school with a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree.
• Licensure: Active license to practice law in Texas (or ability to obtain within 30 days of appointment) and eligibility for admission to practice before the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas.
• Experience: Minimum of five (5) years of experience as a prosecuting attorney handling complex criminal cases, preferably involving health‑care fraud, or equivalent experience in federal prosecution, grand‑jury practice, and trial work.
• Security Clearance: Ability to obtain and maintain a Top Secret federal security clearance.
• Citizenship: United States citizen.
• Other Requirements: Ability to travel for business, use a personal or agency vehicle with reimbursement, maintain confidentiality of sensitive information, and comply with agency policies, ethics standards, and grant‑funding requirements.