Biden appoints career prosecutor as US Attorney for Arizona

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FILE - Generic gavel on wooden table.

PHOENIX (AP) - President Joe Biden has picked a career prosecutor to be the top federal law enforcement officer in Arizona.

The president announced Wednesday he’s picked Gary M. Restaino to be the United States Attorney for Arizona. Restaino has been a federal prosecutor in Arizona since 2003 and was previously the chief of the criminal division and the white collar crime section.

Restaino has also worked as a trial attorney for the Justice Department’s Public Integrity Section.

He worked on some of the highest profile cases of the past decade in Arizona, including the prosecution of former Fiesta Bowl executives in a scheme to make illegal campaign contributions to politicians. He also was among the lawyers who successfully prosecuted former U.S. Rep. Rick Renzi for extortion and bribery in connection with a federal land swap deal. Renzi, a Republican, was later pardoned by President Donald Trump on his last day in office.

Before joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Restaino was a civil rights lawyer for the Arizona Attorney General’s Office and represented farmworkers for a Phoenix-based legal aid service. He also served in the Peace Corps in Paraguay.

Restaino must be confirmed by the Senate before he can take on the role. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Arizona has been led by Glenn McCormack, the office’s 1st Assistant U.S. Attorney, since April.

Restaino, a 1996 graduate of the University of Virginia law school, was among four U.S. Attorney nominees announced Wednesday.