Drew H. Wrigley Sworn in as United States Attorney

BISMARCK:  At 1:00 pm today, Drew H. Wrigley took the oath of office as North Dakota’s 19^th Presidentially appointed United States Attorney.  President Donald J. Trump nominated Mr. Wrigley in 2018, and the United States Senate unanimously confirmed the nomination on April 11, 2019.  The Honorable Chief Judge Daniel L. Hovland, United States District Court, swore in Mr. Wrigley in a private ceremony. 

Wrigley’s appointment extends his previous 15 years of law enforcement experience, including over five years as an assistant district attorney in Philadelphia, and eight years as North Dakota’s 17th presidentially appointed United States Attorney (2001-2009).  During his previous service, Wrigley served on the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee of three successive Attorney Generals, the Hons. John Ashcroft, Alberto Gonzales, and Michael Mukasey. 

Mr. Wrigley is approaching his new term with the very same energy and commitment with which he previously served as United States Attorney, during which time he led his office’s successful efforts to combat violent crime, large-scale narcotics trafficking, illegal immigration, financial fraud, Internet crimes against children, and all civil defense actions.  In addition to prosecuting many hundreds of serious felony cases as an assistant district attorney in Philadelphia, Mr. Wrigley personally tried several noteworthy cases during his first tenure as United States Attorney, including: North Dakota’s first federal Internet luring case; a conspiracy and homicide on one of North Dakota’s Indian reservations; narcotics conspiracy and trafficking cases; and United States v. Alfonso Rodriguez, North Dakota’s first federal death penalty case. In the Rodriguez trial, Wrigley served as lead trial and appellate counsel, and for which the FBI Agents Association honored Wrigley with its 2007 National Award of Excellence.

In addition to his extensive law enforcement and other executive leadership experience, Wrigley served as North Dakota’s 37th Lieutenant Governor from 2010 until 2016 when he did not seek re-election.  As Lieutenant Governor, Wrigley served as President of the North Dakota Senate, chaired the North Dakota State Investment Board and its oversight of $11 billion in pension assets, chaired the state’s International Trade Office Board, chaired the Governor’s Cybersecurity Task Force, and led the economic development efforts and oversight authority for North Dakota’s federally sanctioned autonomous aircraft testing facility.  In 2017, Wrigley joined the regional healthcare, insurance and research enterprise, Sanford Health, as a senior enterprise management advisor.

Mr. Wrigley graduated with honors in economics and philosophy from the University of North Dakota in 1988. He graduated from the American University, Washington College of Law in May 1991, followed by a yearlong judicial clerkship in Delaware.

Wrigley and his wife, Kathleen, live in Bismarck, ND, with their three children, Quinn (18), Patrick (16), and Harper (11).

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