Criminal Division

Criminal Division

The Criminal Division is responsible for prosecuting federal criminal cases in the District of Nevada. The Criminal Division has three litigating sections and an Anti-Terrorism Advisory Council. Assistant U.S. Attorneys (AUSA) assigned to one of the litigating sections prosecute cases that further the mission of the Department of Justice and work in coordination with federal law enforcement agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Homeland Security Investigations, Immigration Customs Enforcement, Internal Revenue Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Bureau of Land Management, Fish and Wildlife Service, Forest Service, the National Park Service, the U.S. Marshals Service, and Veterans Affairs, as well as task forces such as High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA). Additionally, AUSAs work closely with state and local law enforcement throughout Nevada to prosecute cases prioritized by the Department of Justice.

Narcotics and Criminal Enterprise Section

The Narcotics and Criminal Enterprise Section (NCE) investigates and prosecutes international and domestic drug trafficking organizations and violent transnational and local street gangs. The goal is to dismantle the criminal organization by using federal drug trafficking, money laundering, and racketeering laws. NCE AUSAs also investigate and prosecute overdose death cases. This section actively partners with the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) to effectively prosecute large multi-defendant, multi-district cases involving gang violence, narcotics trafficking, and money laundering. The Section is also responsible for overseeing and implementing the Department of Justice’s flagship program—Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).

White Collar Crime Section

The White Collar Crime Section investigates and prosecutes a wide range of sophisticated economic crimes that cause financial harm to the government, financial institutions, businesses, and private individuals. Cases handled by this section involve bank fraud, wire fraud, mail fraud, bankruptcy fraud, securities fraud, tax fraud, investor fraud, mortgage fraud, health care fraud, government program fraud, transnational fraud, immigration fraud, Ponzi schemes, identity theft, mail theft, and cybercrime. Additionally, the USAO’s immigration related prosecutions are handled by this section.

General Crimes Section

The General Crimes Section focuses on investigations and prosecutions involving violent crime, child exploitation, human trafficking, opioid abuse, public lands, money laundering, public integrity, and theft of trade secrets.

Anti-Terrorism Advisory Council (ATAC) and Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF)

The Anti-Terrorism Advisory Council (ATAC) was created at the direction of the Attorney General after the tragic events of September 11, 2001. The National Security AUSA is responsible prosecuting international and domestic terrorism crimes, threats, hoaxes, counter espionage, and cyber intrusions as well overseeing crisis response and management in the District of Nevada.

The ATAC works with agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and other members of the District of Nevada’s Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF). The JTTF is comprised of local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies. The ATAC also coordinates with the Counterterrorism, Counterespionage, and Computer Crimes and Intellectual Property sections at the Department of Justice.