After serving 40 years as a prosecutor in Nebraska, United States Attorney Jan W. Sharp announced today that he intends to retire at the end of May. Sharp, a native Nebraskan, attended the University of Nebraska College of Law graduating with distinction in 1982. That same year he began his career as a prosecutor serving as a Deputy Lancaster County Attorney in Lincoln. He spent six years in the office handling a variety of criminal cases ranging from white collar crimes to homicide. During his tenure he worked with the newly created Technical Investigations Unit of the Lincoln Police Department on white collar criminal investigations.
In 1988 Sharp joined the United States Attorney’s Office in Omaha where he handled a wide variety of criminal matters including terrorism, violent crime in Indian Country, white collar fraud, political corruption, drug trafficking and civil rights violations. In 2001 Sharp was named Criminal Chief for the United States Attorney’s Office, a position he held for 17 years. In 2018 he was appointed to the position of First Assistant United States Attorney under United States Attorney Joe Kelly. Following Kelly’s resignation in 2021, Sharp was appointed as Acting United States Attorney and later appointed by the United States District Court to serve as Interim United States Attorney, a position he has since held. The United States District Court will appoint Sharp’s successor to take over as Interim United States Attorney following the end of his service until such time as a presidentially appointed, Senate-confirmed U.S. Attorney is named.
Sharp said, “I have been blessed to have worked with so many talented and dedicated attorneys, support staff and law enforcement officers over my 40-year career. I was also fortunate to have practiced in front of Judges who were intelligent, collegial, and completely committed to the honorable performance of their duties. As I leave, I truly believe that during my tenure in the U.S. Attorney’s Office, I held the best job in the legal profession. Working with people dedicated to making our communities safer is a privilege and I leave with the utmost admiration for the professionals who continue to carry out the mission.”