Michael J. Conley

Michael J. Conley is a former federal prosecutor bringing over 25 years of trial experience in complex criminal cases, including multi-state and international conspiracies, cybercrime, tax evasion cases, money laundering, illegal monetary transactions, financial fraud, drug offenses including large drug trafficking cases, and public corruption cases. Michael offers Zerillo Law clients strategic courtroom advocacy and results-driven representation.

For nearly 20 years, Michael served as Assistant U.S. Attorney in the District of Maine, where he prosecuted a wide range of felony cases and secured convictions in all jury trials ultimately resulting in a verdict. He developed specialized expertise in cybercrime and financial fraud, including one of the nation’s first successful Bitcoin prosecutions, and represented the office internationally in cross-border investigations. He also spearheaded anti-gang initiatives and served for over a decade in Maine’s federal drug court program.

In 2023, Michael was named Chief of the Criminal Division for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the District of the Virgin Islands. There, Michael directed a team of federal prosecutors handling national security, border enforcement, transnational crime, and high-profile financial and public corruption cases. In addition, as Chief of the Criminal Division, Michael was responsible for supervising federal prosecutions in a wide range of criminal cases, including drug trafficking, firearms violations, corporate and financial institution fraud, bankruptcy fraud, mail fraud, healthcare fraud, computer fraud, agricultural program fraud, public corruption, terrorism, child pornography, environmental crimes, civil rights violations, federal wildlife violations, and any of the more than 900 federal criminal offenses.

Prior to his federal service, Michael was a Judge Advocate in the United States Marine Corps, where he prosecuted and defended complex felony cases, honing his trial advocacy and courtroom strategy.

Michael earned his J.D. from the University of Maine School of Law and a B.A. in Philosophy with Distinction from St. Francis Xavier University. Born and raised in Maine, he brings a deep understanding of the local community alongside extensive federal trial experience.