Rachel Aud Crowe

Rachel Aud Crowe, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, has been fired.

Crowe, 51, of Glen Carbon, had served as U.S. attorney since 2022. From 2006-18, she was an assistant state’s attorney in the Madison County State’s Attorney’s Office.

She served as state senator of the 56^th District before resigning to take the U.S. attorney position.

Ali Summers, 50, a career federal and state prosecutor, was named acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Illinois.

In a press release, Crowe expressed gratitude for the opportunity to serve as U.S. attorney, saying “It has been my honor to serve the Southern District of Illinois as the United States Attorney. Announcing my departure accompanies many emotions, but my heart is full of gratitude.”

While in the state Senate, Crowe, a Democrat, was the chairwoman of the Illinois Senate Judiciary Committee, and also chaired the Illinois Elder Abuse Task Force and the Special Committee on Opioid Crisis Abatement. She brought those values to her work as U.S. attorney, focusing not only on prosecuting drug trafficking, but also the financial exploitation of seniors and other vulnerable populations.

In December, Crowe’s office put out a release warning the public of “the prevalence of impostor scams” from organized groups of foreign nationals, including India and China.

In the last publicized case her office prosecuted to conviction, Crowe said her office was “working aggressively to prosecute illegal immigrants who break our laws and exploit elderly victims.”

A federal jury convicted Nirav Patel, 44, an Indian citizen, on one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud, three counts of wire fraud and one count of illegal entry into the United States by an alien.

In November, a Nigerian national was sentenced to seven years in prison for conducting a “romance scam” that stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from elderly or disabled women who thought they were sending money at the request of an online romantic partner.

Crowe praised the law enforcement professionals she worked with as U.S. attorney, saying “I have been fortunate to partner with the local, state and federal law enforcement offices to seek justice for victims and improve public safety.”

Individuals in law enforcement returned the praise.

Drug Enforcement Administration St. Louis Division Special Agent in Charge Michael Davis said Crowe was “a tremendous partner and we’re grateful for her service. Her commitment to helping remove the threat of drugs and those who distribute them across Southern Illinois has been invaluable.”

Illinois State Police Director Brendan Kelly echoed Davis’ words, saying, “U.S. Attorney Crowe supported our Public Safety Enforcement Group and its work, bringing charges and winning convictions in numerous criminal cases, and was instrumental in holding people accountable and bringing them to justice.”

Crowe expressed confidence in acting Attorney General Summers and the other career professionals in the U.S. Attorney’s Office to continue to serve the public interest.

“The future for the office is bright, and I’m confident the employees will continue to exceed their high standard of excellence, integrity and functionality,” she said.

Crowe’s replacement earned a Department of Justice press release with the headline “Acting U.S. Attorney Ali M. Summers.”

The release noted that Summers is a career prosecutor who became an assistant U.S. attorney in 2012 and has prosecuted a variety of federal crimes for the district, including murder, armed robbery, carjacking, violent gun offenses, drug trafficking, and crimes involving the sexual exploitation of children.

Summers has served as the office’s criminal chief since 2018 and most recently as first assistant. Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Summers worked as a state prosecutor in St. Clair and Madison counties for 10 years.

In a Truth Social post on Monday, President Donald Trump proclaimed, “We must ‘clean house’” and ordered the U.S. Department of Justice to terminate all Biden-era U.S. attorney appointees.

The Justice Department, Trump opined, “has been politicized like never before.”

While it is not unusual for incoming administrations to bring in their own appointees to run local U.S. Attorney’s offices, there was no such critical rhetoric from the incoming Biden administration in 2021 and numerous U.S. attorneys were left in place for months and even years, including Crowe’s predecessor, Steven Weinhoeft.

Weinhoeft, who was judicially appointed in 2018, continued to serve 15 months into the Biden administration.

“We look forward to ensuring a smooth transition to ensure that the great work done by the U.S. Attorney’s Office continues without interruption,” Weinhoeft said at the time of his departure.