DOJ Los Angeles liaison faces misdemeanor battery charge despite multiple DUI convictions

Shawn Christopher Lewis, a former chief of staff to Bill Essayli when Essayli was a California assemblyman, has been hired by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California as a community resource specialist and public-affairs liaison. Public records reveal that Lewis has three DUI convictions dating from 2013, 2015 and 2021, and he was still on probation for the most recent offense when police arrested him in Sacramento.

The arrest report alleges that Lewis punched a man in the head and face, threw the man's cell phone onto a nearby roof, and was initially booked on resisting arrest and public intoxication charges, now facing a misdemeanor battery charge. A Yolo County district attorney has also filed a probation-violation notice related to his earlier DUI. Lewis's lawyer asserts that he is presumed innocent and that his employment was secured through a publicly advertised position and standard background checks. The hiring has drawn criticism from former Justice Department officials who argue that employing individuals with such criminal histories could undermine public confidence in the department.