Patrick A. Miles, Jr. United States Attorney - Western District of Michigan 2012 - 2017

Patrick Miles, Jr. was nominated by President Barack Obama on March 29, 2012 to serve as U.S. Attorney. He is the first African American to hold that position in the Western District of Michigan. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on June 29, 2012 and assumed office on July 9, 2012. He resigned from office effective noon on January 20, 2017 at the end of the Obama Administration.

Prior to serving as U.S. Attorney, Mr. Miles was a member/partner in the Detroit-based international law firm Dickinson Wright residing in the Grand Rapids office and specializing in corporate law. After graduating Harvard Law School in 1991, he joined the Varnum law firm based in Grand Rapids and became a partner in 1997 but left Varnum in 2006 to join Dickinson Wright in its Grand Rapids office. Mr. Miles was the 2010 Democratic nominee to represent Michigan’s Third Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, but lost to Republican Justin Amash during the November 2nd general election.

Mr. Miles was elected to serve as President of the Grand Rapids Bar Association from 2004 to 2005 and as a trustee from 1999 to 2002. He has also served over two dozen charitable and professional boards and committees, including the Aquinas College Board of Trustees, with four years as chairman, Spectrum Health Hospitals Board, Hope Network Board, and Inner City Christian Federation/Nonprofit Housing Board two years as chairman. In 2011, he became the first president of the Grand Rapids Black Chamber of Commerce.

As U.S. Attorney, Mr. Miles placed emphasis on preventing and prosecuting health care frauds, financial frauds, and child exploitation as well as reducing violent crimes in major urban areas through a more localized and focused approach. He also increased and supported efforts to reduce ex-offender recidivism. His office also vigorously addressed the growing problem and prevalence of heroin and heroin overdose deaths. Prescription painkiller abuse is a large contributing factor to the increase in heroin addiction.

Mr. Miles re-structured the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division into four sections to streamline management and increase attorney specialization: Organized Drug Crimes, Financial Crimes, National Security, and Violent Crimes. He formed various Units in the four Criminal Division Sections and in the Civil Division for reactive cases and added more Task Forces to proactively collaborate with law enforcement and government agencies as well as to educate the public to prevent or detect crimes.

Mr. Miles is a third generation Grand Rapids native and attended Grand Rapids Public Schools and graduated at the age of 16 from Ottawa Hills High School. He holds a bachelor’s of science degree in business administration with an economics major from Aquinas College.