ROANOKE, Va – Christopher Kavanaugh is no stranger to the courtrooms in Southwest and Central Virginia.
“It’s been something that I’ve been doing representing the United States and the United States Department of Justice for the last 14 years, and to be able to do it as United States Attorney’s the honor of my life,” United States Attorney for Virginia’s Western District Christopher Kavanaugh said.
President Joe Biden appointed Kavanaugh to the role in August. Some of his most notable achievements include playing a pivotal role in the federal trial for James Fields Jr, who drove his car into a crowd of people in Charlottesville four years ago.
“That is a multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional investigation that requires leadership, and judgment, and that’s exactly what’s needed as a US attorney, and I was able to work with a variety of particular individuals to be able to get those cases across the goal line,” Kavanaugh said.
One of Kavanaugh’s first major cases in the district is the upcoming trial for two members of the Roanoke-based gang, the Rollin 30′s, for their alleged roles in murders that took place in 2017.
“One of the things that we need to do as the United States Attorney’s Office is to work together with our state and local partners to be able to identify some of the worst offenders. Some cases belong in state court and some cases belong in federal court and it’s important that you have an open dialogue with local Commonwealth attorneys with local law enforcement,” Kavanaugh said.
Kavanaugh says his main goal is to work with agencies across the region to address issues like domestic terrorism, hate crimes and the rise in gun violence.
“I very much expect that this job will not be an office job and that it’s important for me to get out and to meet with judges defense counsel community members, commonwealth attorneys throughout the district to be able to know that there is new leadership,” Kavanaugh said.
Kavanaugh will have offices in Charlottesville, Abingdon and Roanoke but plans on traveling throughout the district to get to know local officials.