By Steve Neavling

Corey F. Ellis, former FBI chief of staff, has been appointed as interim U.S. Attorney for the District of South Carolina. 

Ellis is replacing former acting U.S. Attorney M. Rhett DeHart and will be responsible for federal criminal prosecutions and civil litigation within South Carolina. He’ll supervise about 62 U.S. attorneys, 75 support staff and 18 contract support staff, the DOJ said in a statement.

Ellis served as chief of staff for FBI Director Christopher Wray. He also held several leadership roles in the Justice Department, including as chief of staff to Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein. Ellis also was the first assistant in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina. 

His career as a prosecutor began in the district attorney’s office in Hendersonville, North Carolina. 

Ellis received an undergraduate degree from Brown University and his law degree from the University of Memphis School of Law.