Source: Office of United States Attorneys
KANSAS CITY, KAN. – United States Attorney for the District of Kansas Kate E. Brubacher announced that she has submitted her resignation to President Joe Biden effective January 19, 2025. Brubacher was sworn in as the 42nd presidentially appointed U.S. Attorney (USA) for the District of Kansas on March 10, 2023. She was nominated by President Biden and confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the first woman to serve as the chief federal law enforcement officer for the District.
“Serving the People in my home state as United States Attorney for the District of Kansas has been a high honor,” said Brubacher. “I am grateful to President Biden for nominating me. I am also grateful to Senators Jerry Moran and Roger Marshall for their support for the U.S. Attorney’s Office and prioritizing the rule of law in Kansas.”
The District of Kansas employs Assistant U.S. Attorneys and support staff who work in three offices associated with the federal courts which are in Kansas City, Kan., Topeka, and Wichita. The jurisdiction covers all 105 counties of Kansas, with a population of approximately 2.9 million.
“I leave this position with overwhelming respect for the career attorneys, professional staff, and the dedicated law enforcement officers who work diligently and in good faith every day to protect the public and uphold our Constitution,” Brubacher said. “Together, we focused on confronting the fentanyl epidemic and keeping Kansans safe from violent crime, including crimes against children, and we paid just amounts when there were just claims against the United States. The people and partnerships in Kansas are unsurpassed, and I look forward to seeing the continued success of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the years ahead.”
The District of Kansas’ mission is to protect citizens from terrorism, enforce federal laws, and advance the interests of the U.S. government. Some accomplishments under Brubacher’s tenure include disrupting international drug trafficking cartels, bringing child pornography offenders to justice, and prosecuting white collar criminal acts. Here are some of the noteworthy cases.
FINANCIAL FRAUD
• A Kansas man was sentenced to 293 months in prison for using his former position as chief executive officer (CEO) of a bank to embezzle tens of millions of dollars in a cryptocurrency scheme which led the bank to fail at a complete loss of equity for investors.
• A federal grand jury in Kansas indicted seven defendants, including five current and former high-level officers of the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Iron Ship Builders, Blacksmith, Forgers and Helpers (Boilermakers Union) for their alleged roles in a 15-year, $20 million embezzlement scheme.
CIVIL RIGHTS
• A Kansas jury convicted six members of a religious cult on charges related to compelling forced the labor on victims including multiple minors as young as eight years old.
• A Kansas man was sentenced to 80 months in prison for threatening multiple Black people in and around the Wichita area, and for interfering with the housing rights of a white woman because he believed that she was dating and associating with Black people.
NATIONAL SECURITY
• A grand jury in Kansas City, Kansas, indicted a North Korean national for his involvement in a conspiracy to hack and extort U.S. hospitals and other health care providers, launder the ransom proceeds, and then use these proceeds to fund additional computer intrusions into defense, technology, and government entities worldwide. The ransomware attacks prevented victim health care providers from providing full and timely care to patients.
• Two U.S. businessmen pleaded guilty to conspiring to circumvent U.S. export laws prohibiting the sale, repair and shipment of U.S.-origin avionics equipment to customers in Russia and in other countries that operate Russian-built aircraft, including the Federal Security Service of Russia (FSB).
FENTANYL & OTHER NARCOTICS TRAFFICKING
• A Kansas man was sentenced to 25 years in prison for giving a man a fentanyl pill which caused his death.
• Indictments charging hundreds of individuals in alleged drug trafficking rings.
o https://www.justice.gov/usao-ks/pr/eight-defendants-indicted-drug-trafficking-ring
o https://www.justice.gov/usao-ks/pr/man-sentenced-kansas-city-drug-ring-tied-mexican-cartel
o https://www.justice.gov/usao-ks/pr/multiple-people-indicted-meth-trafficking
Kate E. Brubacher
Brubacher is a native of Newton, Kansas. She previously served as an assistant prosecuting attorney in the Jackson County, Missouri Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. Prior to her government service, She was an associate at Cooley LLP and Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP, both in New York, New York.
Brubacher received her bachelor’s degree from Stanford University and her law degree from Yale Law School. She also holds a Master of Arts in Religion from Yale Divinity School.
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