U.S. assistant attorney named to supervise Yuma office

Patrick Cunningham will be joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Arizona as the chief of the Phoenix Criminal Division, including Yuma.

Cunningham will supervise the Yuma office and the Victim-Witness Section.

The Yuma office for the U.S. attorney has five employees, among them three attorneys. Cases filed in Yuma for violations of federal law, such as immigration and arrests made by federal agencies, are heard in federal court in Phoenix once the initial appearance is made before the magistrate in Yuma.

Cunningham, originally from Kingman, has extensive experience in the Arizona Attorney General’s Office. He served as chief counsel of several divisions, including the Criminal Division, the Environmental Enforcement Section and the Civil Rights Litigation Section.

Prior to joining the Attorney General’s Office, Cunningham was an assistant U.S. attorney from 1986 to 1991. Previously, he was a prosecutor, defense counsel and an appellate attorney from 1980 to 1986 in the U.S. Army JAG Corps in Europe and Washington, D.C.

Most recently, he has served since 2003 as the deputy director of the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality. In his position at ADEQ, Cunningham acted as the chief of staff to the director, supervised the daily operations of the agency and attended to selected enforcement cases and policy issues including legislative affairs and rulemaking.

He also co-chaired the Governor's Smart Growth Scorecard Committee and worked on climate change issues for Arizona in the Western Climate Initiative.

Cunningham is expected to assume his duties in January. Until then, Joseph Lodge will serve as the acting criminal chief. Lodge is the branch chief of the Flagstaff office.

“We are very excited in having Pat join this office. He is an outstanding attorney and one of the most accomplished prosecutors in Arizona,” said Dennis K. Burke, U.S. attorney for the District of Arizona. “He possesses the prosecution and management skills and experience to take this office to the next level in one of the most active federal districts in the country.”

For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit www.usdoj.gov/ usao/az.