Michael W. Cotter
United States Attorney
District of Montana
Mission of the District of Montana
The Mission of the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Montana is:
To protect and serve the citizens of the District of Montana through the ethical, vigorous and impartial enforcement of the laws of the United States and in so doing to defend the national security, improve the safety and quality of life in our communities, protect the public funds and financial assets of the United States, maintain a courteous and professional working environment, fostering an environment in which diversity is valued, understood and sought and with skill, diligence and integrity, seek to do justice in every matter.
What We Do
The United States Attorney's Office conducts the majority of the criminal prosecutions handled by the Department of Justice. We receive criminal referrals from federal investigative agencies, state and local investigative agencies, and occasionally from citizens. After careful consideration of each criminal matter, the U.S. Attorney decides the appropriateness of bringing criminal charges and, when deemed appropriate, initiates prosecution. We investigate and prosecute a wide range of criminal activities and now handle a more diverse workload than ever before. The caseload includes violent crime, complex and time consuming financial institution fraud, computer fraud, environmental crime, public corruption, organized crime, complex drug and money laundering activities, child pornography, and cases involving multiple defendants and criminal enterprises.
We also conduct the majority of the civil litigation handled by the Department of Justice. Our work in the civil arena entails the initiation of civil actions, or affirmative litigation, to assert and protect the interests of the United States. We also defend the interests of the government in lawsuits filed against the United States, referred to as defensive litigation. Finally, our office handles other civil cases when the United States is a third party plaintiff or defendant, a creditor, or an intervenor.
