U.S. Attorney Davis Announces New Criminal Chief

BOISE – Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin D. Whatcott will be the new Criminal Chief for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Idaho, announced U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis. He succeeds Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Lucoff as the Criminal Chief. Mr. Lucoff was the Criminal Chief for over nine years. At Mr. Lucoff’s request, U.S. Attorney Davis allowed him to step down as Criminal Chief so that he could pursue other opportunities within the Department of Justice. Mr. Whatcott will become the Criminal Chief on March 15, 2020.

Mr. Whatcott is a graduate of the University of Idaho College of Law. There, he served as an intern at the Latah County Prosecutor’s Office and was a dean’s list student. After graduating law school in 2001, he joined the Blaine County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, where he handled a number of major felony cases. In September 2005, Mr. Whatcott joined the Ada County Prosecutor’s Office. In December 2005, he joined the Idaho Attorney General’s Office, serving as Lead Deputy Attorney General in the Special Prosecutions unit. In February 2009, he became the second Gang Special AUSA to work for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Idaho. In September 2010, he took the oath of office to become an Assistant United States Attorney. He served as the District of Idaho’s Immigration Coordinator, Project Safe Childhood Coordinator, and Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property Coordinator. Mr. Whatcott has also been an active criminal litigator throughout his tenure with the office, and will continue to litigate cases in addition to filling the role of Criminal Chief.

“It has been a privilege to have Aaron guide our criminal division for nearly a decade. His service to our District was remarkable and I will always be grateful for the contributions he has made to better our office,” said U.S. Attorney Davis. “I am excited about this new opportunity for Justin to lead our criminal division. He is a natural leader and is well respected within the office. I look forward to working alongside him.”

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