U.S. Attorney Hurwit Appoints Leadership Team

BOISE – United States Attorney Josh Hurwit announced the appointment of the following individuals to the U.S. Attorney’s Office leadership team today: First Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin D. Whatcott, Executive U.S. Attorney Kate Horwitz, Civil Chief Nick Woychick, Deputy Criminal Chief Chris Atwood, Deputy Criminal Chief Kevin Maloney, Coeur d’Alene Branch Manager Traci Whelan, Pocatello Branch Manager Jack Haycock, and Senior Litigation Counsels Joanne Rodriguez and Syrena Hargrove. 

“I have worked alongside each of these talented public servants for many years now,” said U.S. Attorney Hurwit.  “They bring a diverse set of backgrounds and experience to our collective mission of upholding the rule of law in Idaho.  I could not be more excited to continue to work with each of them in their leadership capacities for the benefit of our great state.”

U.S. Attorney Hurwit appointed Justin D. Whatcott as First Assistant U.S. Attorney.  Whatcott has served as Criminal Chief since March of 2020 and was appointed as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in September of 2010.  Whatcott, a native of Post Falls, Idaho, previously served as a state prosecutor in Latah, Blaine, and Ada Counties, as well as for the Idaho Attorney General’s Office.  He is a graduate of the University of Idaho College of Law.

U.S. Attorney Hurwit appointed Kate Horwitz as Executive U.S. Attorney.  Horwitz has served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the District of Idaho since 2016.  Horwitz previously served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Western District of Oklahoma and clerked for the Honorable Robin Cauthron, U.S. District Judge for the Western District of Oklahoma, and for The Honorable Mary Beck Briscoe and The Honorable Robert Bacharach on the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals.

U.S. Attorney Hurwit appointed Nick Woychick as Civil Chief, a position he has held since 2018, and previously held from 2005 to 2010.  Woychick has served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney since 1995 and was the Senior Litigation Counsel from 2010 to 2014.  Woychick previously externed with the Idaho Supreme Court, clerked for the Honorable Harold L. Ryan of the U.S. District Court for the District of Idaho, and worked as a litigation associate at Hawley Troxell Ennis & Hawley in Boise.

U.S. Attorney Hurwit appointed Chris Atwood as Deputy Criminal Chief, a position he has held since 2019.  Atwood has served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney since 2015 and previously served as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney sponsored by the Treasure Valley Partnership to address gang crimes.  Atwood, a native of Blackfoot, Idaho, previously served as an Ada County Deputy Prosecutor, as a District Court law clerk in Ada County, and is a graduate of the University of Idaho College of Law.

U.S. Attorney Hurwit appointed Kevin Maloney as Deputy Criminal Chief.  Maloney has served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney since 2002 and supervised the Asset Forfeiture Unit from 2017 to 2022.  Maloney previously served as an Ada County Deputy Prosecutor and as legislative counsel for the Idaho Prosecuting Attorney’s Association.

U.S. Attorney Hurwit appointed Traci Whelan as Coeur d’Alene Branch Manager, a position she has held since 2003.  Whelan has served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney since 1998, previously served as a Kootenai County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney, and has over 30 years of prosecution experience.

U.S. Attorney Hurwit appointed Jack Haycock as Pocatello Branch Manager, a position he has held since 1999.  Haycock has served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney since 1991, and previously served as a Deputy Attorney General for the Idaho Attorney General’s Office, as an Ada County Deputy Prosecutor, and as a Judge Advocate General in the United States Air Force.

In addition to these appointments, U.S. Attorney Hurwit re-appointed Joanne Rodriguez as Senior Litigation Counsel, a position she has held since 2018.  Rodriguez will retire from the U.S. Attorney’s office at the end of September after almost 40 years as an Assistant U.S. Attorney.  Rodriguez previously was a Deputy District Attorney in Palm Springs, California, for 5 years.  She graduated from the University of California at Davis.

“Ms. Rodriguez was one of my first mentors when I joined our office, and I have relied on her wise counsel throughout my career here,” said U.S. Attorney Hurwit.  “She has had a distinguished career in public service, and while we will miss her in our office, we wish her all the best in her retirement.”

U.S. Attorney Hurwit appointed Syrena C. Hargrove as Senior Litigation Counsel, a change that will take effect on October 1, 2022.  Hargrove has served as Appellate Chief since September of 2010 and will retain that position.  She was appointed as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in March of 2008.  Hargrove previously served as Civil Chief, as an Assistant City Attorney for the City of Boise, as an associate for Bredhoff & Kaiser, and as a law clerk for the Honorable Stephen S. Trott and the late T.G. Nelson, both of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the Honorable B. Lynn Winmill of the United States District Court for the District of Idaho.  She is a graduate of Harvard Law School.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Idaho was created in 1863 when Idaho became a territory.  For 159 years it has been responsible for enforcing federal criminal laws and representing the United States and its departments and agencies in civil actions.  The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Idaho includes the main office in Boise and branch offices in Coeur d’Alene and Pocatello.

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