Roger Handberg, who since 2021 has served as the top federal prosecutor for the region that includes Tampa Bay, has left the job, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced Tuesday.The announcement came abruptly but was expected. Handberg was appointed U.S. attorney during the term of former President Joe Biden. Whether he would continue in the role had been uncertain since President Donald Trump was reelected in November.It was unclear Tuesday whether Handberg resigned or was let go. U.S. attorneys are chosen by the president.Reached by the Tampa Bay Times, Handberg did not elaborate on the circumstances surrounding his departure. In an interview late last year, he brushed aside questions about his future but touted the successes of his office.“As someone who was born and raised in this District, I can think of no higher honor than getting the chance, first, to serve as a federal prosecutor in this office and, then, as the United States Attorney,” Handberg, 54, said in a statement released by his office Tuesday.He praised the work of his colleagues and law enforcement officials.“It has been a privilege to have served as a federal prosecutor in my hometown and to have worked side-by-side with my law enforcement partners for the past 22 years,” he said.Sara C. Sweeney, the office’s first assistant, will serve as acting U.S. attorney until Trump appoints a permanent replacement, who will need to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.As the U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Florida, Handberg oversaw prosecutions of federal crimes for a 35-county region spanning from Jacksonville to Naples. He was one of 93 U.S. attorneys throughout the nation.Although U.S. attorneys are nonpartisan and their tenure historically has spanned presidencies, it has become a custom in more recent years for them to resign after a new administration takes office.Handberg took the place of Maria Chapa Lopez, who was U.S. attorney during Trump’s first term as president.He had been a federal prosecutor since 2002. For most of two decades he was based in Orlando. He held numerous managerial positions within the U.S. Attorney’s Office before taking the top job in December 2021. Biden formally nominated Handberg to be U.S. attorney the following year, and he was confirmed by the U.S. Senate.Prior to his appointment, Handberg was perhaps best known for leading the fraud prosecution against former Backstreet Boys and NSYNC manager Lou Pearlman . He also led the sex trafficking and fraud case against former Seminole County Tax Collector Joel Greenberg , which spawned a separate investigation involving former U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, though no charges were filed against Gaetz.A news release announcing Handberg’s departure highlighted numerous data points and successes the office saw during his tenure. They included a 60% increase in the overall number of criminal cases prosecuted.