Martin Estrada, U.S. attorney for California’s Central District E, has dedicated himself to being a fierce advocate for justice. He says he is driven by a personal commitment to hold everyone — including those holding the most power — accountable for their actions.
Estrada’s commitment to justice is shaped by a childhood experience when he and his family were held up at gunpoint while visiting his parents’ home country of Guatemala. When they brought the issue to the local police, Estrada says they were laughed at and turned away.
“The law only worked for the powerful, the wealthy, the privileged,” he said. “So it told me I wanted to do something about that. I wanted to go into a profession that could create some change.”
In the latest episode of “LA Stories with Giselle Fernandez,” Estrada opens up about some of the biggest cases he’s taken on since coming to power in 2022: from politically corrupt figures — such as the former Los Angeles City Councilmember Jose Huziar case, the former Orange County Board of Supervisors Chair Andrew Do case and the former LA City Councilmember Mark Ridley-Thomas case — to violent street gangs, drug cartels, and neo-Nazi groups.
Estrada famously secured justice for those involved in supplying ketamine to actor Matthew Perry and cracked down on the Shohei Ohtani betting scandal. He has made it his mission to ensure that no one person is above the law — and that the law is put in place to protect all people, no matter the socioeconomic status.
“This district is the largest in the country, 20 million people. We have a lot of independence in terms of setting policy and priorities,” he said. “And that’s important because Los Angeles, Orange County, Ventura, those places are different from the rest of the country. So it’s important that we tailor the priorities to the needs of this community, and that’s what we’ve done.”
While his famous cases make headlines, Estrada is also known for his pro bono civil rights work, such as returning Bruce’s Beach — a property in Manhattan Beach taken from a Black couple in 1924 — to the Bruce family. Repeatedly recognized for his advocacy work, Estrada has reshaped the how the Central District Attorney’s Office prosecutes crime.
While he will likely no longer be serving as U.S. attorney once the new administration takes over in 2025, Estrada says he will continue his mission of fighting for what is right.
“There’s a lot of uncertainty, but one thing that is certain is that I will continue to do work as a benefit to this community. I’m not going anywhere,” he said. “The pro bono work I’ve done, the impactful civil rights litigation I’ve done, I intend to continue that in the future.”