Walker, US Attorney for Eastern District of NC, to resign

Thomas Walker, the top federal prosecutor for the 44-county district that stretches from Raleigh to the coast, is leaving his post.

The 51-year-old U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina was appointed by President Barack Obama in 2011.

His resignation is effective Jan. 7.

“Throughout his tenure as United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Thomas Walker has proved himself to be a consummate public servant and an exemplary law enforcement officer,” Attorney General Loretta Lynch said in a statement. “In every case and every instance, Thomas has embodied the Justice Department’s highest standards of integrity and professionalism."

She cited his work on a range of issues — from national security to environmental protection, and from veterans’ rights to the fight against human trafficking.

His next steps are uncertain.

During his tenure, Walker's office has used the federal Clean Water Act to build criminal cases against hog farms in eastern North Carolina and against Duke Energy, the country's largest electric utility.

He was among prosecutors who helped reach a settlement with video sweepstake operators, agreeing to forgo criminal prosecution if they ceased operations in North Carolina.

Under his watch, there have been several grand jury investigations that have looked into state government offices, including the Department of Environmental Quality, which was not prosecuted as part of the Duke Energy case.

In July, a federal criminal grand jury in Walker's district began a probe of expensive contracts for high-ranking employees at the state Department of Health and Human Services and for a consulting firm that was hired on a no-bid, $3.2 million contract that later was expanded to more than $9 million.

Subpoenas have been issued to former DHHS Secretary Aldona Wos, who announced her resignation a week after the state government office received subpoenas for her.

This story was originally published December 22, 2015 at 1:52 PM with the headline "Walker, US Attorney for Eastern District of NC, to resign."