The federal prosecutor who played a key role in uncovering one of Minnesota’s largest fraud cases has stepped down from his position, according to media reports.
Joe Thompson, 47, served as acting U.S. Attorney for Minnesota after being appointed by President Donald Trump in May 2025. He led the office until Daniel Rosen assumed the role in October. Thompson’s resignation from the U.S. Attorney’s Office was first reported by the Minnesota Star Tribune.
“It has been an honor and a privilege to represent the United States and this office,” Thompson wrote in an email obtained by the newspaper. He did not explain the reason for his departure or outline his future plans. Fox News Digital has reached out to both the Minnesota U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Department of Justice for comment.
A report from The New York Times said Thompson and other prosecutors resigned amid disagreements with the Justice Department’s handling of the investigation into the fatal shooting of Renee Good, who was killed last week by a federal immigration agent in Minnesota.
According to the report, Thompson opposed the DOJ’s decision not to include state officials in the investigation and objected to efforts to investigate Good’s widow.
“There is currently no basis for a criminal civil rights investigation,” Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital.
A DOJ official added that ICE’s Office of Professional Responsibility has its own internal investigation underway, which is running parallel to any FBI review.
Thompson was the lead prosecutor in the sprawling $250 million Feeding Our Future food fraud case, which resulted in dozens of indictments and convictions and drew national attention to fraud concerns in Minnesota. The case, which involved state-run programs, also fueled political fallout, with Gov. Tim Walz later announcing he would not seek a third term.
“Our state is far and away the leader in fraud now and everyone sees it,” Thompson told the Minnesota Star Tribune editorial board last year.
In addition to the fraud case, Thompson worked on several high-profile prosecutions, including federal charges against Vance Boelter, who is accused of carrying out a shooting rampage that killed Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, and seriously wounded state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette.
Thompson’s departure comes as broader changes unfold within the Justice Department. Reuters reported that at least four senior attorneys in the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division have resigned in recent days. The exits were reportedly linked, in part, to a decision to remove the division from involvement in the investigation into Good’s death.
Harmeet Dhillon, who leads the Civil Rights Division and was appointed by Trump, informed staff last week that the unit would not participate in the probe, according to sources familiar with the matter.
The Trump administration has said Good was attempting to ram an ICE officer at the time of the shooting, while critics argue she was trying to flee law enforcement.
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