Pirro Doling Out $5,000 Bonuses as Senior Prosecutors Depart (1)

Washington US Attorney Jeanine Pirro is issuing informal bonuses in the range of roughly $5,000 to $7,000 to prosecutors, a tactic some attorneys see as an attempt to prevent further attrition of top legal talent, said three people familiar with the matter.

The incentives for employees at one of the nation’s largest US attorneys’ offices—and one that’s handled many of the Trump administration’s most politically controversial cases—come the same week DOJ’s Civil Division head started offering across-the-board “retention” payments to offset significant departures.

Pirro’s bonuses don’t appear based on a defined formula, such as how Civil Division leader Brett Shumate described his plan in an email to his staff Monday. She instead appears to be granting them on an ad hoc basis to her most valued lawyers whom she may fear will be the next to resign, added the individuals, who spoke anonymously to discuss internal policies.

Pirro described the bonuses in a statement as consistent with her office’s tradition of rewarding dedicated line attorneys, but the payments follow numerous departures of veteran assistant US attorneys from her district as the office has unsuccessfully tried investigating President Donald Trump’s political adversaries. That’s included Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and the six Democratic lawmakers who created a video reminding military service members of their duty to resist unlawful orders.

Multiple people familiar with the DC office’s customs said spot awards for hard work have been routine over the years, but would typically be a couple hundred dollars or up to $1,000 to $2,000—never as high as what Pirro is now providing.

Many of Pirro’s prosecutors have left for private practice, where they can earn more lucrative salaries. A few others in recent months have transferred to the nearby Greenbelt branch office of the District of Maryland. Maryland US Attorney Kelly Hayes has an apolitical background as a career prosecutor—in contrast to Pirro, a longtime Trump ally and former Fox News host.

Former DOJ attorneys responded to the Civil Division retention allowances—which ranged from about $60 to $220 per paycheck over the next six months—and to the coinciding $25,000 signing bonuses for new recruits by scoffing at the notion that the dollar amounts would entice lawyers to stay or enlist for pursuing the Trump agenda.

The funds came from a budget designated for rewards, a spokesperson for Pirro said.

“I am coming up on a year in this office, and I remain impressed by the hardworking AUSAs who have taken on additional cases, fought for victims, held offenders accountable, and helped make D.C. safe,” Pirro said in a statement, referring to assistant US attorneys.

“These performance awards have been part of a longstanding nationwide practice for decades, recognizing exceptional service and achievement, and I believe the AUSAs receiving them have demonstrated outstanding dedication, professionalism, and commitment to public service time and again,” she added. “We will continue to recognize and reward exemplary work in this office, and I look forward to honoring future recipients.”

Pirro is also hiring new prosecutors for an office that’s unique among 94 US attorney districts in its responsibility for enforcing both federal and local laws.

A spokesperson for DOJ headquarters declined to address whether more department offices would follow Shumate and Pirro’s incentive model, saying, “every office has the authority to pay recruitment and retention incentives.”