Criminal

The Criminal Division is responsible for prosecuting a wide range of federal crimes, including crimes involving the distribution of controlled substances; crimes relating to the possession and trafficking of firearms; crimes relating to the possession, distribution, and production of child pornography; violent crimes such as robbery, carjacking, and kidnapping; environmental crimes; civil rights violations; and immigration violations.    

The Criminal Division supports several specialized initiatives including:

• Project Safe Neighborhoods, a nationwide initiative that brings together federal, state, and local law enforcement officials, prosecutors, and community-based leaders to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.
• Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative that utilizes a network of federal, state, and local law enforcement officials and community advocacy organizations to help protect children by investigating and prosecuting offenders involved in child sexual exploitation.
• Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
• Appalachia HIDTA, which provides resources to state and local law enforcement agencies who partner with federal authorities in multi-jurisdictional tasks forces dedicated to the investigation and prosecution of drug trafficking organizations.

The Criminal Division is based in Lexington, with branch offices in Ft. Mitchell and London.  Ron L. Walker, Jr. is the Chief of the Criminal Division.