Criminal Division

The primary responsibility of the Criminal Division of the United States Attorney's Office is the prosecution of federal crimes in the United States District Court. A dedicated team of Assistant United States Attorneys, Special Assistant United States Attorneys, and Legal Support Staff ensure Kansas is a highly productive medium-sized District. These cases encompass a wide range of criminal activities, including complex drug and money laundering activities, violent crimes, child pornography, immigration violations, firearms violations, complex corporate and financial institution fraud, computer fraud, health care fraud, and public corruption.

The Criminal Division is focused on Operation Take Back America (TBA) using existing programs and resources such as the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) project and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) project. The District of Kansas hosts two Homeland Security Task Forces (HSTF), dedicated to combat and eliminate criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and dismantle cross-border human smuggling and trafficking networks. The Criminal Division staffs the regional HSTF in the Kansas City metro area, serving Kansas and surrounding states. The Division also supports and staffs the dedicated Kansas HSTF located in Wichita, KS.

The HIDTA program provides federal funding for a variety of drug enforcement projects and multi-jurisdictional drug task forces. In Kansas, the project has included funding for two Special Assistant United States Attorneys who are dedicated exclusively to the federal prosecution of drug trafficking crimes by individuals and criminal organizations. Project Safe Neighborhoods is a nation-wide initiative designed to reduce firearm related crimes and violence in local communities. The program has been implemented by United States Attorney throughout the United States in collaboration with state and local law enforcement and prosecution officials. HITDA, like PSN, is an example of existing federal-state-local law enforcement and prosecution cooperation.