HOUSTON (Diya TV) — Alamdar S. Hamdani, the first Asian to serve as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas (SDTX), announced his resignation effective midnight on Jan. 19. Appointed by President Joe Biden in 2023, Hamdani led one of the nation’s largest districts, encompassing 44,000 square miles and over nine million residents.

Hamdani referred to his period as “the honor of a lifetime,” referring to key developments during his time in office over two years. The office prosecuted more than 12,000 defendants in some 10,000 criminal cases and attained a 95 percent conviction rate in his leadership period. The historical $85 million healthcare fraud settlement and notable work on cybercrime, Mexican cartels, and fentanyl trafficking were also other successes.

The office dismantled a botnet run by Chinese state-sponsored hackers and indicted a Chinese national in a fentanyl precursor case. Hamdani also focused on border security and transnational crime, leading the Attorney General’s Border and Immigration Law Enforcement Subcommittee.

Born in England to Indian parents, Hamdani immigrated to Texas at age 10. He received his law degree from the University of Houston and began his career in private practice before joining the Department of Justice in 2008. He served as deputy chief of the Counterterrorism Section from 2010 to 2014 before joining the SDTX office.

Reflecting on his tenure, Hamdani said, “We love mercy, walk humbly, and always, always, seek justice.”