Spanberger taps Daniel Young to lead government watchdog office

Gov. Abigail Spanberger has appointed Daniel Young, a former federal prosecutor whose cases included an $80 million defense procurement fraud scheme, as Virginia’s next state inspector general. 

Young’s appointment is subject to confirmation by the General Assembly. The state inspector general serves a four-year term and oversees an office responsible for investigating alleged fraud, waste and abuse in Virginia government, conducting performance audits and reviewing state facilities and operations.

Most recently, Young served as an assistant general counsel at the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, which Congress created after the collapse of Enron to protect investors and oversee audits of public companies.

His career also includes work at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and more than five years as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia, according to the governor’s office. 

In announcing the appointment Friday, Spanberger highlighted Young’s experience prosecuting fraud and overseeing accountability. 

“Mr. Young has a demonstrated record of prosecuting fraud, protecting taxpayers, and holding government accountable,” Spanberger said in a statement.

She also thanked former State Inspector General Mike Westfall, who was first appointed in 2018 by then-Gov. Terry McAuliffe, for his years of service and the office’s managers for sustaining the agency’s work during the search for a new permanent leader. 

“The commonwealth must always work with a focus on serving the public and protecting taxpayer dollars,” Spanberger said.

Young said combating fraud and corruption has been a focus throughout his public service career.

“As a proud Virginian, I am honored to have been entrusted by Governor Spanberger with the responsibility of serving as the next state inspector general,” he said in a statement. 

He also credited the inspector general’s staff for its work on government transparency and accountability. 

“The dedicated public servants who work in the Office of the State Inspector General are committed to making government more transparent and more accountable for all Virginians, and it is a privilege to support their efforts,” Young said. 

During his time as a federal prosecutor in Norfolk and Alexandria, Young focused on white-collar crime and appellate matters. Beyond the $80 million defense procurement fraud scheme, his major cases included a prosecution involving NASA contracting fraud. 

Both prosecutions received awards recognizing excellence from the Council of Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency. Young also handled appeals in major cases involving national security, a gang-related murder and crimes against children. 

At the SEC, Young defended enforcement actions involving fraud. He previously clerked for two federal judges after law school and worked as a litigator in private practice. 

That work included an active pro bono docket, according to the governor’s office. Young handled voting rights litigation and represented victims of loan-modification scams following the 2008 financial crisis. 

A Hampton Roads native and the son of a police officer, Young attended Princess Anne High School in Virginia Beach before graduating with honors from the University of Virginia, where he was a Jefferson Scholar. 

After college, he received a Jack Kent Cooke Graduate Fellowship and was selected as a fellow at Harvard’s Center for Public Leadership. He later earned his law degree from Yale Law School and a master’s degree in public policy from Harvard Kennedy School.

Young lives in Reston with his wife and their two sons.