McGuireWoods associate Jake Pryor was honored by the White House’s Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) and the U.S. Interdiction Coordinator (USIC) for his leadership of a major money-laundering and narcotics-trafficking prosecution during his tenure at the U.S. Department of Justice.
Sara Carter, the ONDCP Director, presented Pryor with the Special Recognition Award at a ceremony on Aug. 27, 2026, for leading the prosecution of dozens of members and affiliates of the Sinaloa Cartel—an international narco-terrorist organization. Pryor led these prosecutions while serving as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Middle District of North Carolina from 2020 to 2025, before joining McGuireWoods.
As the sole Assistant U.S. Attorney on “Operation Johnny Cuatro,” Pryor coordinated a five-agency investigation that produced the federal indictment of 38 defendants, the highest number ever recorded in a single indictment in the Middle District of North Carolina. In 2025, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service honored Pryor with the Federal Prosecutor of the Year Award for his work on the same matter.
Based in Richmond, Virginia, Pryor is a member of McGuireWoods’ nationally recognized Government Investigations & White Collar Litigation Practice Group. Before joining the Department of Justice, Pryor served seven years as an attorney in the U.S. Marine Corps.
“This operation required close coordination with federal agents across multiple districts over several years. That kind of sustained, multi-agency work prepared me to advise clients who are on the receiving end of a government investigation,” Pryor said. “I am glad to bring that perspective to McGuireWoods’ clients.”