Passing of Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Joseph Fica

BOISE – It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of renowned federal prosecutor Michael Joseph Fica on Sunday April 8, 2018.  Mike was admitted to the bar in 1997, and began his career with a two-year clerkship with the Honorable Chief Judge B. Lynn Winmill.  He was hired by then-U.S. Attorney Betty H. Richardson in 1999.  Over Mike’s nineteen-year career with the United States Attorney’s Office, working under four United States Attorneys, he filed more than 500 indictments and prosecuted more than 1,000 defendants.  He prosecuted a broad range of cases, but focused on illegal drugs and organized crime, working closely with federal agencies and with the Idaho State Police in eastern Idaho and around the state.  He became the head of the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force in 2011.

In addition to Mike’s prosecutorial duties, he brought his tremendous energy and humor to teaching, working as an instructor for Trial Advocacy and other courses for the Department of Justice at the National Advocacy Center in Columbia, South Carolina.  He played a key role in bringing the National High School Mock Trial Championship to Boise in 2016, and enjoyed working with high school students on mock trials for years.  Mike also worked as a 5^th District Official high school sports referee for eighteen years.

Mike’s absence will be felt particularly strongly in Pocatello, where he worked closely with five colleagues.  He will also be missed by all 62-members of the office and by countless others with whom he worked over the years.

“Mike used his tremendous intelligence, his remarkable ability to juggle many things, his empathy, and his humor to tremendous effect.  His devotion to public service, to his community, and to his family was profound,” said U.S. Attorney Bart Davis.  “He will be missed, and his positive effect on the world around him will be missed as well.”

“Mike was a remarkable colleague.  He had an inherent sense of justice and fair dealing.  He had tremendous energy, smarts, and humor.  And he brought all those things to his job every day.  We will all miss him very, very much but we will work diligently to honor his memory,” said Pocatello Branch Manager, AUSA Jack Haycock.

Mike leaves behind him his wife, Ila Marie Fica, to whom he was married for 27 years; their five children, Zachary, Emily, David, Joseph and Benjamin; his brother, Thomas; his mother, Dorothy; his mother-in-law, Bette Woolsey; and his father-in-law, Ray Bingham.  Mike was 49 years old. 

Mike was preceded in death by his father, Thomas Cruz Fica.