Taking on Terrorism
Politicians talk about fighting terrorism, but B. Stephanie Siegmann, JD ’97, has looked dangerous extremists square in the eyes and figured out how to get them behind bars.
One of the nation’s top anti-terrorism prosecutors, she serves as the chief of the National Security Unit of the Massachusetts U.S. Attorney’s Office, the first woman to serve in the prestigious position.
Taking on Terrorism
“Democracy is under attack by these individuals,” says Siegmann, with an edge to her voice. “I don’t know how long that will continue. But this does shake you and make you want to do something positive to help prevent future attacks.”
In an interview, Siegmann overflows with enthusiasm; words pour out of her in gusts. When asked about this intensity, she says, “I think it all comes from my background. I had to fight so hard to get here, and it was always a struggle. So I look at each day as a new opportunity. What can I do today?”
Siegmann’s desire to be a lawyer dates to her youth growing up in New Jersey. When she was only 10 months old, her father, an enlisted service member in the Air Force, was killed by a drunk driver. Her mother told her details of her father’s death when she was 12 years old and that he had hoped to become a lawyer. Stephanie resolved to become a lawyer to honor his memory. Her path would not be easy.
Her mother and stepfather were not well off, and no one in her family had attended college. Three months before she entered Boston University as a freshman, her stepfather lost his job. By Siegmann’s sophomore year, she was deep in debt and was asked to leave the university.
She began working full time as a paralegal and was admitted into the University of Massachusetts Boston in 1991. In her senior year, she came home to find her roommate gone and learned that she had stolen all the money Siegmann had given her for rent. Just three months before graduation, she owed $3,000 and faced eviction. Siegmann marshaled her energy, asked the university for help getting a loan, and graduated on time in May 1994, heading straight to law school.
“Suffolk opened up a whole new world for me,” she says. She was selected for the Suffolk University Law Review and graduated magna cum laude. She then served as a lieutenant in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps in the U.S. Navy for three years, prosecuting cases ranging from murder to rape to child abuse.
After joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the District of Massachusetts as an assistant U.S. attorney in 2003, she quickly became known for her tenacity. She didn’t waste time jockeying for prominent cases—instead she took on cases in areas like export control. It wasn’t “sexy,” but she told herself, “I have to work harder than anybody else to prove myself.”
Her attitude paid off. Siegmann went on to prosecute numerous high-profile domestic and international terrorism cases, including the Boston Marathon bombing obstruction case and cases of conspiracy to provide material support to ISIS and al Qaeda. She also successfully prosecuted a case involving a Chinese citizen who ran a network supplying material to Iran’s nuclear weapons program.
In June 2018, she was named chief of the National Security Unit, the unit in which she has worked since 2004.
Former Acting U.S. Attorney William “Bill” Weinreb served as the lead prosecutor on United States v. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and supervised Siegmann’s work. He calls her one of the country’s most experienced national security prosecutors and a leading expert in cases involving the illegal export of controlled technology.
“She has also been a leader in helping DOJ, other government agencies, and private industry work together to maximize the effectiveness of government enforcement efforts,” he says. “She is a star in the courtroom, in the classroom, and in the conference room—she does it all.”