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Draft:Jay Robert Combs

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Jay R. Combs
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas
Incumbent
Assumed office
May 29, 2025
Personal details
EducationNorthern Arizona University (B.A.)
University of New Mexico School of Law (J.D.)
Military service
Branch/serviceUnited States Army
Years of service20 years

Jay R. Combs is an American Attorney and United States Army veteran who has served as the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas since May 29, 2025.[1][2]

Early life and education

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Jay R. Combs was raised in Springerville, Arizona. He earned his Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) from Northern Arizona University and his Juris Doctor (J.D.) from the University of New Mexico School of Law.[3] As part of his legal education, Combs completed a thesis titled "Voiding Surrogacy Contracts to Protect Children: A Blueprint for New Mexico."[4]

Military service

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Combs served in the United States Army as a Judge Advocate General for six years and completed a twenty-year career, including active duty and reserve components, retiring with the rank of Major.[5][3] His military roles included Executive Officer of an Air Defense Artillery Battery, and he graduated from the Military Police Officer Basic Course.[1][6]

Combs participated in two combat tours. During Operation Desert Storm (1990–1991), he served in Kuwait, and Iraq, contributing to the coalition effort to liberate Kuwait.[5][3] He later served in Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom from 2008 to 2009, where he earned the Bronze Star Medal for his service and leadership.[5][3] His military experience, combined with his academic work, informed his later legal career, particularly in cases involving national security and transnational crime.[1][4]

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Combs began his legal career as an attorney in Del Rio, Texas in 2006, initially serving on the U.S.–Mexico border as an Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA).[7][8] Over the course of his career, he has practiced law in New Mexico, Texas, and Michigan, holding active bar licenses in Texas and Michigan as of 2025.[7][8] His prosecutorial work has focused on organized crime, immigration, narcotics, human trafficking, fraud, public corruption, and white-collar crimes. He later became the branch chief of the largest and most active office in the Eastern District of Texas.[1][6]

In 2019, Combs was recognized as the 2019 Prosecutor of the Year by the North Texas Crime Commission, alongside AUSAs Marisa Miller and First Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Rattan, for their contributions to law enforcement.[9] He has received several nationwide awards for his efforts against international drug cartels.[5]

On May 29, 2025, Combs was appointed Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas by President Donald Trump, becoming the chief federal law enforcement officer for a district covering 43 counties and over 3.5 million people, with federal courts in Beaumont, Sherman, Plano, Tyler, Lufkin, and Marshall. The Eastern District of Texas is notable for prosecuting and extraditing more foreign drug cartel leaders than most other U.S. Attorney’s Offices nationwide.[5][10][2]

Combs has overseen significant cases, including a joint investigation with United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement that led to a life sentence for a Cherokee County man convicted of child exploitation offenses.[11][12] Additionally, he prosecuted cases involving international drug cartels, such as *United States v. Londono*, which resulted in significant extraditions.[13] Under his leadership, Operation Soteria Shield resulted in the rescue of 109 children and the arrest of 244 individuals involved in child exploitation.[14]

Operation Soteria Shield

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Operation Soteria Shield was a month-long collaborative enforcement effort conducted in April 2025, led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Dallas Field Office, the North Texas Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Texas under Combs' oversight. The operation aimed to combat online sexual exploitation of children, involving over 70 Texas law enforcement agencies. It utilized highly skilled computer crimes investigators to identify victims and apprehend offenders engaged in the production, distribution, and possession of child sexual abuse material. The operation resulted in the rescue of 109 children and the arrest of 244 offenders across the district.[14][15][16][17][18] Combs emphasized the operation’s impact, stating, “The numbers leave us breathless because, at some level, we understand that behind every statistic, every number, there is a child with dreams, aspirations, and the right to live a life free from sexual exploitation.” The effort also led to grand jury indictments for individuals involved in both distributing child pornography and producing child sexual abuse material.[15][17]

Personal life

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Combs has lived in Texas for over twenty years but was raised in Springerville, Arizona. He received his bachelor’s degree from Northern Arizona University and his law degree from the University of New Mexico. He has been married to his wife, Melissa, for 30 years, and they have seven children.[3] His oldest son, Maximilian Radford Combs, is a police officer with the Lubbock Police Department in Texas, where he has served since 2020.[19][20]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Eastern District of Texas". United States Department of Justice. 2025-05-29. Retrieved 2025-06-22. {{cite web}}: Text "Meet the Acting U.S. Attorney" ignored (help)
  2. ^ a b "Longtime federal prosecutor named Acting U.S. Attorney for Eastern District of Texas". KETK. 2025-05-29. Retrieved 2025-06-22.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Jay R. Combs appointed as Acting U.S. Attorney for Eastern District of Texas". MyTexasDaily. 2025-05-30. Retrieved 2025-06-22.
  4. ^ a b Combs, Jay R. (2005). "Voiding Surrogacy Contracts to Protect Children: A Blueprint for New Mexico". University of New Mexico Digital Repository. Retrieved 2025-06-22.
  5. ^ a b c d e "Longtime Federal Prosecutor Named Acting U.S. Attorney for Eastern District of Texas". United States Department of Justice. 2025-05-29. Retrieved 2025-06-22.
  6. ^ a b "U.S. Attorney's Office Eastern District of Texas". United States Department of Justice. Retrieved 2025-06-22.
  7. ^ a b "Jay Robert Combs Profile". Justia Lawyers. Retrieved 2025-06-22.
  8. ^ a b "Jay Robert Combs Profile". FindLaw Lawyers Directory. Retrieved 2025-06-22.
  9. ^ "Plano Federal Prosecutor Honored by North Texas Crime Commission". U.S. Attorney EDTX. 2019-09-13. Retrieved 2025-06-22.
  10. ^ "Longtime federal prosecutor named acting U.S. attorney for Eastern District of Texas". Yahoo News. 2025-05-29. Retrieved 2025-06-22.
  11. ^ "ICE Tyler Joint Investigation Leads to Life Federal Prison for Cherokee County Man Convicted". U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Retrieved 2025-06-22.
  12. ^ "United States v. Bussell". CourtListener. Retrieved 2025-06-22.
  13. ^ "United States v. Londono". CourtListener. Retrieved 2025-06-22.
  14. ^ a b "109 children rescued, 244 arrested in Operation Soteria Shield child exploitation crackdown in Texas". CBS News Texas. Retrieved 2025-06-22.
  15. ^ a b "FBI Dallas and North Texas Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force announce results of Operation Soteria Shield". United States Department of Justice. 2025-06-10. Retrieved 2025-06-22.
  16. ^ "FBI Dallas and the North Texas Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force announce the results of Operation Soteria Shield". Federal Bureau of Investigation. 2025-06-10. Retrieved 2025-06-22.
  17. ^ a b "Operation Soteria Shield: North Texas FBI arrests in child online sexual exploitation, internet crimes". Austin American-Statesman. 2025-06-11. Retrieved 2025-06-22.
  18. ^ "Operation Soteria Shield Press Conference". YouTube. 2025-06-10. Retrieved 2025-06-22.
  19. ^ "Maximilian Radford Combs Salary Information". Government Salaries Explorer. Retrieved 2025-06-22.
  20. ^ "Lubbock Police host graduation, promotion ceremony". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. 2021-04-16. Retrieved 2025-06-22.
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