DC US Attorney Ronald Machen Is Returning to Maryland

The District’s US Attorney Ron Machen is leaving DC—but not his job, which includes his ongoing public corruption investigation into the campaign of Mayor Vincent Gray. Machen told the Washington Post that he is returning to his home in Silver Spring, where he lived before becoming DC’s top prosecutor. He did not renew the lease on his DC home, as its owners are returning. Machen said his family’s return to their Maryland home, which is underwater, is only temporary “while we look for a solution.” Though it is not required for the DC US Attorney to live in the District, Machen has always maintained that it is important to him to be a part of the community he is charged with protecting. During interviews for The Washingtonian’s October profile of Machen, he said the following about his decision to relocate his family upon accepting the US Attorney position:

“It’s a sensitive issue with a lot of folks. . . . I didn’t have to move into the District. I did it on my own. I just thought that the US Attorney for the District should be living in the District. . . . Even though it wasn’t a requirement, it’s something that I think the people expected. And I know Congresswoman [Eleanor Holmes] Norton, who had a big role in my selection, thought that was important as well.”

Machen, who was a partner in the downtown DC office of WilmerHale prior to becoming US Attorney in 2009, told the Post that he does not plan to return to private practice until his public corruption investigations into DC officials are completed. His two youngest sons will also continue to attend DC public schools.

Marisa M. Kashino

Senior Editor

Marisa M. Kashino joined Washingtonian in 2009 as a staff writer, and became a senior editor in 2014. She oversees the magazine’s real estate and home design coverage, and writes long-form feature stories. She was a 2020 Livingston Award finalist for her two-part investigation into a possible wrongful conviction stemming from a murder in rural Virginia. Kashino lives in Northeast DC.