U.S. Attorney Announces Leadership Team

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Robert M. Duncan, Jr., the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, has announced changes to the leadership team for his Office.  The changes include creating an Executive Assistant United States Attorney position, promoting a new Criminal Chief, and replacing the manager of Ft. Mitchell Branch Office.      

“I believe the changes I am announcing will help the Office continue to be successful and strong,” stated U.S. Attorney Duncan.  “I am grateful for the opportunity to lead such an outstanding Office, with such dedicated public servants who are committed to the mission of justice.  I especially want to thank the men and women listed below who have agreed to help me serve in leadership of the Office.  I am confident that the leadership team will help me execute the priorities of the Department of Justice and continue to be of service to the citizens of the Eastern District of Kentucky.”   

The changes listed below became effective on April 18, 2018.

Carlton S. Shier, IV – First Assistant United States Attorney

 Mr. Shier will continue to serve as the First Assistant United States Attorney.  He has served as the First Assistant U.S. Attorney since April of 2013 and served as the Acting U.S. Attorney from January to November of 2017.  As First Assistant, Mr. Shier will continue to serve as second in command and act as United States Attorney in the absence of U.S. Attorney Duncan.  In addition to his executive duties, Mr. Shier will directly supervise the Administrative Division, Civil Division, the Community Relations functions, and the Litigation Support Unit. 

Effective April 27, 2018, Mr. Shier will also serve as Acting Administrative Officer, until a new Administrative Officer is selected.  Rhonda Trent, the current Administrative Officer, will retire on April 27, 2018, after more than 30 years of service with the government.    

Mr. Shier joined the USAO in 2010, as the Chief of the Civil Division.  Prior to joining the office, he served as the Deputy General Counsel for Kentucky’s health services agency, the Cabinet of Health and Family Services.  He has also served as a state court prosecutor, both with the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office and the Fayette County Attorney’s Office, and worked in the private practice of law in Lexington.  Mr. Shier received a J.D., in 1997, and an M.S., in Justice Administration, in 1994, from the University of Louisville.  He received his undergraduate degree from Centre College, in 1992.

“I am very appreciative of Carlton’s assistance to me as I have transitioned to the job of U.S. Attorney,” stated U.S. Attorney Duncan.  “Carlton has provided me with good advice, which I have, and will continue to rely on.  Carlton has a wealth of experience, from serving as both the First Assistant and as the Acting U.S. Attorney.  He is well respected for his legal skills and good judgment, and he is also a skilled administrator.  I appreciate very much his willingness to take on expanded responsibilities and for his continued service to the Office.” 

Kevin C. Dicken – Executive Assistant United States Attorney

Mr. Dicken will serve as the Executive Assistant United States Attorney.  As part of his executive duties, he will directly supervise the Office’s Criminal Division, Fraud Division, Appellate Division, and two Branch Offices, in Ft. Mitchell and London.  Mr. Dicken will also be involved in the District’s effort to reduce violent crime through the Project Safe Neighborhoods program.  Since 2010, Mr. Dicken has served as the Criminal Chief.  Prior to becoming Criminal Chief, Mr. Dicken served as Deputy Criminal Chief, supervising narcotics and white-collar crime, from 2007 to 2010.  From 1998 to 2007, Mr. Dicken served as the Lead OCDETF Attorney.  He joined the Office in 1995; and from then until 1998, he worked in the Office’s General Crimes Unit. 

Prior to joining the Office, Mr. Dicken served from 1987 to 1995 as a law clerk for two magistrate judges, in the Eastern District of Kentucky:  the Honorable James Cook and the Honorable James Todd.  Mr. Dicken graduated from the University of Kentucky College of Law in 1986 and from Alma College, in Michigan, in 1983.   

“Kevin is a skilled litigator and supervisor, and a respected leader within the Office,” stated U.S. Attorney Duncan.  “Kevin’s background and expertise make him especially well-suited for this new role.  I have relied on his advice throughout my career, and will continue to do so.  I am excited for him and our Office, and appreciate very much his willingness to continue to serve in leadership.”   

Ron L. Walker Jr. – Chief of the Criminal Division

Mr. Walker will serve as the Chief of the Criminal Division.  Mr. Walker has served as an Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) since 1999, and previously served as the Deputy Criminal Chief and Lead Attorney for the OCDETF program.  He is formerly a partner in the law firm of Brooks & Fitzpatrick, practicing in the areas of education law, family law, civil rights, constitutional rights, personal injury, criminal law, probate law, and litigation.  Mr. Walker served as law clerk for Hon. George E. Barker, Judge, Fayette Circuit Court from 1987-1988.  He is a 1984 graduate of Furman University and he received his J.D. from the University of Kentucky College of Law, in 1987.

“Ron is a talented and respected prosecutor, both inside and outside the Office,” stated U.S. Attorney Duncan.  “He has served for several years with distinction as Deputy Criminal Chief, and I believe his transition to the role of Criminal Chief will be seamless.” 

Paul McCaffrey – Chief of the Fraud Division

Mr. McCaffrey will continue to serve as Chief of the Fraud Division, a hybrid unit comprised of white-collar criminal AUSAs, Affirmative Civil Enforcement AUSAs, and associated support staff.  Mr. McCaffrey joined the United States Attorney’s Office in February 2010, from private practice with an international law firm, and previously served as Deputy Chief of the Fraud Division and as Chief of the Civil Division.  In 2016, Mr. McCaffrey won an EOUSA Director’s Award, for Superior Performance as a Civil AUSA, for his work on a $40.9 million False Claims Act settlement involving unnecessary cardiac stents.  He is a graduate of the University of Kentucky and Washington University School of Law.

Christine Corndorf - Deputy Chief of the Fraud Division

Mrs. Corndorf will continue to serve as the Deputy Chief of the Fraud Division.  She will also supervise the Office’s Litigation Support Unit.  Mrs. Corndorf is responsible for supervising and handling affirmative civil matters, including those that arise under the False Claims Act, Controlled Substances Act, and civil rights statutes.  In her role as supervisor of the Office’s Litigation Support Unit, she oversees litigation support functions and leads the effort to manage the office’s discovery workflow.  Mrs. Corndorf is a member of the EOUSA eLitigation Working Group, through which she serves as a mentor to other offices across the country on eLitigation issues.   Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office, she worked in private practice at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, in New York City, and at Fultz Maddox & Dickens, in Louisville, where she handled complex commercial litigation and internal investigations.  Earlier in her career, she served as a law clerk for the Hon. Faith S. Hochberg in the District of New Jersey.  She is a graduate of Dartmouth College and Stanford Law School.

Lee Gentry - Chief of the Civil Division

Mr. Gentry will continue to serve as the Chief of the Civil Division.  He has been an AUSA for 26 years and has done criminal prosecutions and defensive civil litigation, asset forfeiture, and financial litigation.  Mr. Gentry previously served as the branch supervisor of the London, Kentucky office and as Chief of the Civil Division.  Prior to coming to the Office, he was in private practice and served as a part-time Assistant Commonwealth Attorney.  Mr. Gentry is a retired 22-year veteran of the Army National Guard, where he served as a JAG officer and on active duty during the Iraq War.

Charles P. Wisdom Jr. – Chief of the Appellate Division  

 Mr. Wisdom will continue to serve as the Chief of the Appellate Division.  He joined our Office in 1991; and since 1998, he has supervised the Office’s appellate practice.  He served on an appellate working group, under the direction of the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee, from 2002 to 2009 and helped develop the Department of Justice’s appellate standards for United States Attorney’s Offices.  Mr. Wisdom is a graduate of the University of Louisville School of Law and a former law clerk for the late U.S. District Judge, the Hon. Charles M. Allen. 

Jason Parman – Branch Manager of the London Office

Mr. Parman will continue to serve as the Branch Manager of the London Branch Office.  He has been an AUSA for ten years and has served as the London branch manager since 2013.  Mr. Parman graduated from Eastern Kentucky University, with a degree in police administration, and from the University of Kentucky College of Law.  Prior to joining the Office, Mr. Parman worked as a criminal defense lawyer in both federal and state court, before serving as a United States Probation Officer for five years.

Elaine Leonhard – Branch Manager of the Ft. Mitchell Office

Mrs. Leonhard will serve as the new Branch Manager of the Ft. Mitchell Office.  She replaces Bob McBride who recently left government service for private practice, after a thirty-year career. 

Mrs. Leonhard has served as an Assistant United States Attorney since 2006, prosecuting a wide variety of criminal cases, including violent crime, drug trafficking, immigration, child pornography, and white-collar crime.  Prior to joining the Office, she clerked for U.S. District Judge David L. Bunning.  Mrs. Leonhard graduated from Northern Kentucky University’s Chase College of Law, where she was a member and editor of the Northern Kentucky Law Review and a member of the Moot Court Board.  She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Cincinnati, where she was a member of Phi Beta Kappa, in 2001.

“I am pleased to welcome Elaine to the leadership team,” said U.S. Attorney Duncan.  “Elaine has had a wide range of experiences during her career with the Office, and I believe that she is well-suited for her new role.” 

Hydee R. Hawkins – Senior Litigation Counsel 

Mrs. Hawkins will continue to serve as the Senior Litigation Counsel.  She has been an AUSA in the Eastern District of Kentucky since August of 2002.  In addition to her duties as Senior Litigation Counsel, Mrs. Hawkins serves as the Criminal Discovery Coordinator and the Civil Rights Coordinator.  She handles criminal and civil cases involving civil rights violations.   Mrs. Hawkins previously worked at the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office and the Kentucky State Police legal office.  She moved to Kentucky nineteen years ago, after working as a local prosecutor in California.  Mrs. Hawkins graduated from Oakland University, in Rochester, Michigan, in 1988 and received her J.D., from the University of San Diego School of Law, in 1991.  

Other Office Points of Contact 

In addition to the management team, the following AUSAs serve as Office points of contact for various Department of Justice priorities, including the opiate and opioid reduction efforts, Project Safe Neighborhoods program, the Project Safe Childhood program, immigration enforcement, and terrorism-related matters. 

Todd Bradbury – Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Lead Attorney and Opioid Coordinator

Andrew Smith – Opioid Fraud and Abuse Healthcare Coordinator

Cynthia Rieker – Project Safe Neighborhood Coordinator

David Marye – Project Safe Childhood Coordinator

Andrew Boone – Anti-Terrorism Coordinator 

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Kentucky prosecutes criminal and civil matters on behalf of the United States of America and defends claims against the federal government in the 67 eastern-most counties of the Commonwealth of Kentucky.  The Office employs a staff of approximately 45 AUSAs and 45 support staff and contractors. 

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