Steven F. Gruel was born on September 24, 1956, in Savannah, Georgia. He developed his professional career in Wisconsin and California, combining legal education in Madison with later federal prosecutorial and private-practice work in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Gruel received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire in 1980 and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1985. The University of Wisconsin system provided the statewide public-university setting in which he completed his undergraduate and legal education, while the Madison law school prepared graduates for practice in Wisconsin and the federal legal system.
Gruel began his legal career with a litigation firm in Madison, Wisconsin, in 1985. In 1987 he joined the United States Department of Justice, initially working with the Immigration and Naturalization Service before moving to the United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California in San Francisco. The Department of Justice administers federal law enforcement and legal representation, while the Northern District of California prosecutes federal offenses in the Bay Area and adjoining districts.
Beginning in 1991, Gruel was assigned to the Organized Crime Strike Force. He later served as acting chief of the Organized Crime Section in 2002 and was selected chief of the Major Crimes Section. His federal work included organized-crime and racketeering prosecutions, immigration and smuggling matters, wiretap-based human-trafficking cases, and investigations involving public-sector misconduct.
In 2005 he began a solo private practice through the Law Offices of Steven F. Gruel. His practice has included criminal defense, white-collar defense, immigration matters, corporate and business litigation, civil litigation, and related federal cases. He represented Anthony Pellicano in federal proceedings and has continued practicing from offices serving San Francisco and other California communities.
As a federal prosecutor, Gruel worked on a Chinese Vessel Smuggling Task Force whose prosecutions culminated in 27 criminal convictions for smuggling and conspiracy violations.
He prosecuted organized-crime and racketeering matters, including a large federal RICO prosecution involving a prison gang.
He handled an early wiretap-based human-trafficking prosecution involving 20 defendants and the international exploitation of women for prostitution.
He lectured at the International Asian Organized Crime Conference on wiretap prosecutions involving international trafficking and organized crime.
Gruel has been associated with the State Bar of Wisconsin, the Dane County Bar Association, and the American Bar Association. These organizations support professional standards, legal education, advocacy, and collegial work within the legal profession.
