March 19, 2008
ROBERT E. (BOB) MYDANS APPOINTED TO BE ACTING CHIEF OF US ATTORNEY’S DURANGO OFFICE;
Branch Chief Jim Candelaria to Serve in Zambia for one year to support U.S. State Department
DENVER – United States Attorney Troy Eid announced today that he has appointed veteran Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert E. (Bob) Mydans to serve as Acting Chief of the U.S. Attorney’s Durango Branch Office.
Mydans, who has been with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Colorado since 1991, will lead the Durango Branch Office during the absence of Assistant U.S. Attorney James Candelaria, who is scheduled to be the Resident Legal Advisor at the U.S. Embassy in Zambia, Africa, for one year as part of a U.S. State Department program aimed at strengthening the prosecution of crimes against women and children.
As Acting Chief of the Durango Branch, Mydans will oversee the day-to-day operations of the office, which includes serving Colorado’s two sovereign Indian nations, the Southern Ute and Ute Mountain Ute Tribes. Mydans will be based in Denver, and dedicated full-time to the Durango Office. He will commute from Denver to Durango at least two times per month.
Eid praised Mydans’ 28-years’ experience with the U.S. Department of Justice as a criminal prosecutor. Mydans currently serves as the Senior Litigation Counsel for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Denver, overseeing office training and professional development. He is a member of the Economic Crimes Section, focusing on white collar criminal cases, and has also handled major criminal investigations in Indian Country.
“Bob Mydans is a ‘prosecutor’s prosecutor,’ and will keep strengthening our Durango Branch Office,” Eid said.
Mydans started his career with the Department in 1980 with the Organized Crime and Racketeering Section assigned to the Kansas City Field Office. While there, he prosecuted traditional organized crime in Kansas City, Denver, and Oklahoma City. During that period, he prosecuted the Smaldone family from North Denver for organized crime related offenses. From 1985 to 1991, he was in the U.S. Attorneys Office in Oklahoma City. He served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney, Criminal Division Chief, and as United States Attorney. From 1991 to the present, he has been in the U.S. Attorneys Office in Denver. In 2004, he prosecuted seven prison guards from the penitentiary in Florence, Colorado, for civil rights violations. He has taught extensively both internationally and domestically over the past 25 years.
Jim Candelaria’s temporary assignment in Zambia, Africa is funded through the State Department, and administered by the Department of Justice. While in Zambia, Candelaria will focus on implementing the Women's Empowerment and Justice Initiative ("WEJI"), which provides training and education to the host country's judges and prosecutors in an effort to strengthen their prosecution of crimes against women and children. Once his assignment is over, Candelaria – a graduate of Durango High School – plans to return to the Durango Branch Office and resume his position as chief.
“Jim will be a superb ‘ambassador’ to Zambia because he reflects the best of the American criminal justice system,” Eid said.
U.S. Attorney Troy Eid has made staffing the Durango Branch Office a top priority. As U.S. Attorney, Eid has increased the number of Assistant United States Attorneys from two to three; recruited an experienced and respected paralegal, Melodee Horton; and added a student position for the office. In partnership with the Southern Ute Tribe and the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ Indian Police Academy, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has developed a successful pilot program that has trained and federally deputized more than 100 tribal, state and local officers to enforce federal laws on Indian reservations in Colorado.
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