U.S. Attorney Cindy Chung Names Leadership Team, Reorganizes Criminal Division | USAO-WDPA

PITTSBURGH – United States Lawyer Cindy Chung has introduced the workplace’s new government management crew and a restructuring of the Prison Division that may permit the workplace to greatest effectuate the Administration’s priorities.

“This restructuring aligns the authorized experience and abilities of the 59 Assistant United States Attorneys working in our Pittsburgh, Johnstown, and Erie places of work with our priorities to uphold the Structure, making use of the regulation equally and pretty, and defending the residents of western Pennsylvania,” mentioned U.S. Lawyer Chung.  “I’m assured that this reorganization will permit us to focus our consideration on lowering violent crime, confronting the rising fentanyl risk and the rise of extremist ideology, prosecuting cyber criminals, and focusing on those that exploit kids and different susceptible populations.”

Ms. Chung named Assistant U.S. Lawyer Troy Rivetti as First Assistant U.S. Lawyer. Mr. Rivetti served as Chief of the Prison Division since 2019. Mr. Rivetti obtained his Bachelor of Arts diploma from Dickinson Faculty and his Juris Physician from Georgetown College. Following commencement from regulation faculty, Mr. Rivetti was employed for 5 years as a litigation affiliate at a big Pittsburgh regulation agency. He then served as a regulation clerk for 2 years for the Honorable D. Brooks Smith. Mr. Rivetti has been employed as an Assistant U.S. Lawyer within the Western District of Pennsylvania for over 20 years. His major areas of focus have concerned the investigation and prosecution of large-scale drug trafficking organizations, firearms offenses, and different violent crime. 

Ms. Chung named Assistant U.S. Lawyer Soo C. Track as Chief of the Prison Division. From October 2010 via March 2018, Ms. Track served because the First Assistant U.S. Lawyer and Appearing U.S. Lawyer (November 2016 – December 2017). She additionally lately served because the Antiterrorism Advisory Coordinator and Senior Litigation Counsel for the Western District of Pennsylvania. Ms. Track is a founding member of the Veterans Therapy Court docket in Pittsburgh. Previous to becoming a member of the Western District of Pennsylvania, Ms. Track labored as an Assistant U.S. Lawyer within the District of Arizona and served as Deputy Director of the Workplace of Tribal Justice on the U.S. Division of Justice in Washington, D.C. Ms. Track has been acknowledged for her service to crime victims and is a recipient of the U.S. Lawyer Common’s Award, Director’s Award, and Western Pennsylvania LEAD Award. She is a graduate of Yale College and the George Washington Legislation College.

Ms. Chung named former Appearing U.S. Lawyer Stephen R. Kaufman as Govt Assistant U.S. Lawyer. Mr. Kaufman served as First Assistant U.S. Lawyer from 2018 to 2021, and beforehand served as Chief of the Prison Division from 2010 to 2018. In his 29 years as a federal prosecutor, Mr. Kaufman has dealt with all kinds of violent crime, narcotics, baby exploitation and white collar circumstances. Notable circumstances embrace the profitable eight-week trial of the Pittsburgh La Cosa Nostra organized crime household on RICO costs, the prosecution of the distributors of China White, a lethal artificial type of heroin which brought on the overdose deaths of 17 people in 1988, the prosecution of Michael Carlow, proprietor of Pittsburgh Brewing and Clark Sweet, for perpetuating a $31 million greenback examine kiting scheme towards PNC Financial institution, and acquiring the conviction of and an 11-year jail sentence for Dr. Oliver Herndon, a doctor who was probably the most prolific unlawful distributor of oxycodone within the Pittsburgh space previous to his arrest. Mr. Kaufman is a graduate of Allegheny Faculty and Harvard Legislation College.

Assistant U.S. Lawyer Lee J. Karl has been named Chief of the Civil Division. Mr. Karl joined the workplace in 2004 as an Assistant U.S Lawyer within the civil division the place he defended the USA, its companies and workers in a variety of civil lawsuits. In 2010, he transferred to the Financial Crimes Part of the Prison Division, the place he prosecuted a  number of crimes, together with frauds schemes, embezzlements, public corruption, tax violations and baby exploitation. In 2018, he grew to become the Deputy Chief of the Financial Crimes Part and assisted with supervising the part. Mr. Karl has held different positions inside the workplace, together with Ethics Officer, Asset Forfeiture Coordinator, Monetary Litigation Coordinator and District Election Officer. Previous to becoming a member of the Workplace, Mr. Karl spent two years as a Litigation Affiliate at a big Pittsburgh regulation agency and spent one yr as a Federal Judicial Legislation Clerk for the Hon. Ronald Buckwalter within the Japanese District of Pennsylvania. He’s a graduate of Ohio College and the College of Pittsburgh College of Legislation.

Assistant U.S. Lawyer Laura Irwin will proceed to function Appellate Division Chief. Ms. Irwin is a 1991 graduate of the College of Pittsburgh College of Legislation. Following her commencement from regulation faculty, she served as a regulation clerk to the Hon. William W. Wilkins, Jr. on the U.S. Court docket of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. After a number of years in personal observe in Pittsburgh following her clerkship, Ms. Irwin joined the U.S. Lawyer’s Workplace in 2000 as a member of the Civil Division. She transferred to the Appellate Division in 2004. In September 2018, she was named the Chief of the Appellate Division.

Don Haley will proceed to function the Administrative Officer for the District.

Along with naming her management crew, Ms. Chung introduced a restructured Prison Division with two sections. The Violent Crime/Narcotics Part can be led by Assistant U.S. Lawyer Tonya Goodman as Chief, and the Deputy Chief can be Assistant U.S. Lawyer Barbara Doolittle. The Financial/Cyber/Nationwide Safety Crimes Part can be led by Assistant U.S Lawyer Eric Olshan as Chief. 

Tonya Goodman is a graduate of the College of Michigan and the College of Virginia College of Legislation. Following her commencement from regulation faculty, she served as a regulation clerk to the Hon. Robert I. Richter within the Superior Court docket of the District of Columbia. In 2001, Ms. Goodman joined the U.S. Lawyer’s Workplace for the District of Columbia, the place she prosecuted each native and federal crimes, from misdemeanor home violence to federal drug offenses to murder and violent crimes. From 2006 to 2012, she labored as an Affiliate at Reed Smith, LLP, the place she centered on White Collar Prison Protection and Inside Investigations. In 2012, Ms. Goodman joined the U.S. Lawyer’s Workplace in Western Pennsylvania, initially working within the White Collar Part earlier than transferring to Violent Crimes. Ms. Goodman has beforehand served as Chief and Deputy Chief of the Narcotics/Organized Crime Part.

Eric G. Olshan joined the workplace in 2017 as an Assistant U.S. Lawyer within the Financial Crimes Part. Throughout his time within the workplace, he has served because the Civil Rights Coordinator, Well being Care Fraud Coordinator, Public Corruption Coordinator, Environmental Crime Coordinator, and District Election Officer. From 2007 to 2017, Mr. Olshan was a Trial Lawyer and Deputy Chief within the Public Integrity Part on the Division of Justice in Washington, D.C., the place he prosecuted public corruption and election crimes in federal districts all through the USA. Mr. Olshan joined the Division via the Lawyer Common’s Honors Program following a clerkship for the Honorable Richard C. Tallman of the USA Court docket of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Mr. Olshan is a graduate of the College of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the Northwestern Pritzker College of Legislation.

Barbara Okay. Doolittle joined the USA Lawyer’s Workplace in 2009, after serving for 2 years as an Assistant Public Defender for Allegheny County. In her years as an AUSA, she has prosecuted violations of legal guidelines associated to narcotics, firearms, Hobbs Act robberies, financial institution robberies, and human trafficking, amongst others. Ms. Doolittle was acknowledged as an Excellent Prosecutor for her work on a prolonged wiretap investigation into drug trafficking in and round Fayette County. She has served most lately as a Deputy Chief within the Main Crimes part of the Prison Division. Ms. Doolittle is a graduate of Brown College and Boston Faculty Legislation College.

The U.S. Lawyer’s Workplace prosecutes civil and legal issues on behalf of the USA of America and its companies and defends claims towards the USA within the 25 counties that make up the western a part of the Commonwealth. The workplace presently employs 59 Assistant U.S. Attorneys throughout the Prison, Civil and Appellate Division, and 55 assist workers in Pittsburgh, Erie, and Johnstown.