U.S. Attorney’s Office to receive four additional prosecutors, including two for Indian Country cases

BILLINGS  — The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Montana will be receiving four new full-time federal prosecutor positions, including two positions dedicated to addressing cases arising in Indian Country, one position for violent crime and one position for eLitigation work, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said today.

The U.S. Department of Justice allocated additional resources for U.S. Attorney’s Offices throughout the country from funding within the President’s budget passed last year.

“These new Assistant United States Attorney positions are a significant investment from the Justice Department and will strengthen our ability to address public safety across the state, especially in Indian Country,” U.S. Attorney Laslovich said.

One of the new Indian Country prosecutors will be located in either the Great Falls or Helena branch office, while the second new position will be in the Billings branch office. Duties will include prosecuting assaults, burglaries, sexual assaults, murders, and drug cases, and serving as a liaison between the reservation and the U.S. Attorney. Prosecutors assigned to Indian Country, which is a legal term in federal law, prosecute major crimes arising in six Montana Indian reservations within federal jurisdiction, including the Blackfeet, Rocky Boy’s, Fort Belknap, Fort Peck, Crow and Northern Cheyenne.

The new violent crime prosecutor will be assigned to the Billings branch office, while the eLitigation prosecutor will be assigned to either Missoula, Helena or Billings. The eLitigation position will be the district’s first lawyer assigned to this field and will focus on enhancing the District’s electronic litigation efforts, particularly in the intake, processing, and production of discovery in criminal and civil cases.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Montana currently has 31 Assistant U.S. Attorneys working in its criminal and civil divisions in branch offices located in Missoula, Helena, Great Falls, and Billings. The hiring process is underway and expected to take several months. When the four positions are added, the office will have a total of 35 assistant U.S. attorneys.

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