Andrew M. Luger
As the Chief Federal Law Enforcement Official for the District of Minnesota for a second time, Andrew M. Lugar has been sworn in as the 37th United States Attorney for the District of Minnesota. Nominated for the position by President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. on November 12, 2021, U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger was confirmed by the United States Senate on March 23, 2022, resulting in a bipartisan vote of 60-36. The oath of office of U.S. Attorney Luger was then administered by Chief U.S. District Judge John R. Tunheim on the afternoon of March 30, 2022. Leadership responsibilities were handed off to U.S. Attorney Andy Luger from Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats, who previously served in the position on an interim basis after the departure of former Acting U.S. Attorney Anders Folk, and former U.S. Attorney Erica H. MacDonald on November 7 and February 28, 2021, respectively.
Table of Contents
- Educational Background and Bar and Court Admissions
- Legal Career
- Early Professional Life and Career
- Townley and Updike
- U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York
- U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota
- Green Espel PLLP
- First Stint as U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota
- Notable Work as U.S. Attorney
- Jones Day
- Honors and Awards
- Public Positions and Political Activities
- Memberships and Teaching Background
- Office Jurisdiction
- Contact Details
- Minneapolis Branch Office
- St. Paul Branch Office
- Media
- Social Media Profiles of Attorney Andrew Luger
Educational Background and Bar and Court Admissions
Known for his academic proficiency, U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger is a graduate of Amherst College, from where he received his Bachelor of Arts degree, graduating Summa Cum Laude and a member of Phi Beta Kappa in May 1981. Top Federal Prosecutor Luger then received his Juris Doctorate from Georgetown University Law Center, graduating Magna Cum Laude in May 1985. In the subsequent years, he was admitted into the State Bar of New York in May 1986; and to the State Bar of Minnesota in May 1988. With admission into these state bars, U.S. Attorney Luger was consequently admitted to practice in the New York Court of Appeals and the Minnesota Supreme Court. Years before earning his Juris Doctorate, U.S. Attorney Andy Luger had already been granted permission to practice in several courts, including in the Second and Eight Circuit Court of Appeals since April 1990 and December 1992, respectively; and in the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota since June 1992. Eventually, U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger was permitted to practice law in the United States District Court for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York in February and March of 1987, respectively.
Legal Career
Early Professional Life and Career
In his early years in law school, U.S. Attorney Luger worked as a Research Assistant under Professor Louis Michael Seidman of the Georgetown University Law Center. Halfway through law school, Top Federal Prosecutor Andrew Luger began establishing his legal career by gaining knowledge and experience through internships. From June to August of 1984, U.S. Attorney Luger worked as a Summer Associate at the Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison. This summer program became his stepping stone as U.S. Attorney Luger acquired an internship Intern in Bredhoff and Kaiser from September 1984 to February 1985, and later, in the Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia from January to May 1985.
Townley and Updike
After graduating from law school, Top Federal Law Enforcement Official Andy Luger joined the civil litigation of Townley and Updike, serving as an Associate from September 1985 to April 1987. For two years, his practice area focused highly on civil litigation, such as contract disputes and intellectual property issues. Shifting his focus onto white-collar criminal prosecutions, U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger left Townley and Updike to join the Stillman, Friedman, and Shaw. In the next two years, from April 1987 to February 1989, the work of U.S. Attorney Luger consisted mainly of representing individuals in white-collar criminal defense and partially of representing clients faced with administrative proceedings.
U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York
In February 1989, U.S. Attorney Luger moved from private practice to government service and dedicated three years of his legal career to serving in the Office of the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York. His career in the U.S. Attorney’s Office as an Assistant U.S. Attorney emphasized the prosecution of white-collar criminal prosecutions after being assigned to the office’s white-collar crime unit in 1990. In addition to white-collar handling matters, such as bank fraud, investment fraud, tax fraud, and white-collar money laundering cases, Top Federal Prosecutor Luger has worked on cases involving illegal firearms and narcotics.
U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota
Transferring to Minnesota, United States Attorney Luger joined the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota in May 1992. In the same capacity, U.S. Attorney Andy Luger’s practice area continued to focus on white-collar cases. He also investigated and prosecuted narcotics matters while extending to accommodate several cases of child abuse and immigration prosecutions.
Green Espel PLLP
After three years of service in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota, Top Federal Prosecutor Luger left the office and returned to private practice. In December 1995, he was named Partner at Green Espel PLLP, where he remained until he was called the Chief Federal Law Enforcement Official for the District of Minnesota for the first time. From 1995 through 2014, U.S. Attorney Andy Luger managed to efficiently handle criminal matters, civil litigation, and internal investigations for public and private entities.
First Stint as U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota
Branded as a tenacious leader, U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger returned to the public eye as he was nominated and confirmed as the Chief Federal Law Enforcement Official in February 2014. He then held the highest position in the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota for a four-year term under the reign of former President Barack Obama.
Notable Work as U.S. Attorney
In his capacity as United States Attorney, Top Federal Prosecutor Luger oversaw significant, complex white-collar cases, such as the prosecution of two attorneys who pursued a multimillion-dollar scheme to obtain settlements from vulnerable defendants fraudulently. The two attorneys were said to have obtained approximately $6,000,000 from fraudulent copyright lawsuits. During his service as Chief Federal Law Enforcement Official, U.S. Attorney Luger also managed the prosecution of other complex cases, including trade secret cases, another multimillion-dollar embezzlement case, and the prosecution of a federal tax court judge for tax offenses. At the time, U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger also led the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota toward focusing on combatting gang-related activities, hate crimes, human trafficking, and violent extremism.
Jones Day
After his first stint as the U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota, Top Federal Prosecutor Luger joined the Minneapolis Office of Jones Day as a Partner in May 2017. Until he departed from the firm to serve a second time in the top position in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota, U.S. Attorney Andy Luger was dedicated to performing his duties in the firm’s Investigation & White Collar Defense Practice.
Honors and Awards
Throughout his 37 years as an attorney, Top Federal Prosecutor Andrew Luger has been honored numerous times, including being named in the Leading Lawyers for Business by Chambers USA from 2003 through 2013. He was named a Local Litigation Star in Benchmark Litigation from 2011 to 2013. Among his other distinctions include being named in the Best Lawyers in America from 2010 to 2013; in the Top 100 Minnesota Super Lawyers from 2002 through 2013; in the Top 40 Minnesota Business Litigators from 2001 to 2009; and in the 40 Under 40: “Next Generation Leaders” by CityBusiness Magazine in 1997. United States Attorney Luger was also previously a recipient of the 2017 Diversity & Inclusion Award issued by Minnesota Lawyer; and the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office Lifetime Public Leadership Award, also in 2017.
Public Positions and Political Activities
In between his legal career, U.S. Attorney Luger ran as a Candidate for Hennepin County Attorney but, unfortunately, lost in 2016. He also served as a Chair and Member of the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board from March 2011 through August 2013, by the appointment of Governor Mark Dayton. Top Federal Prosecutor Luger has also played several roles in political campaigns, such as being Counsel to Mark Green for the U.S. Senate campaign in 1986 and Advisor to the R.T. Rybak for Governor of Minnesota in 2010.
Memberships and Teaching Background
United States Attorney Andrew Luger has engaged in multiple organizations throughout his professional career. He once served as the Vice President and Board Member of the Sholom Community Alliance from 1995 to 1999 and as a Board Member of Amicus, Inc. Currently, U.S. Attorney Luger maintains an active membership in the Anti-Defamation League, as well as in the National Association of Former United States Attorneys and The Fund for Legal Aid. Top Federal Prosecutor Luger also previously served as an Adjunct Professor in the Hamline University School of Law, sharing techniques available to prosecutors to investigate white-collar cases.
Office Jurisdiction
Upon taking office as Chief Federal Law Enforcement Official for the District of Minnesota, U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger becomes responsible for overseeing a staff of approximately 115 employees, comprising 59 dedicated Assistant U.S. Attorneys and 56 support personnel. He is then in charge of overseeing and leading the prosecution of federal offenses committed within the District of Minnesota, particularly those involving child exploitation, cybercrime, human trafficking, the Indian Country, Narcotics Trafficking, National Security, and Violent Crimes. Additionally, U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger is responsible for supervising the office’s duties in defending and asserting the interests of the United States in all civil proceedings within the District of Minnesota. Ultimately, the Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Minnesota supports Minnesotan municipalities in suitable community-building initiatives to improve public safety.
Contact Details
Full Name: Andrew M. Luger
District/State: Minnesota
Minneapolis Branch Office
U.S. Courthouse
300 S 4th Street
Suite 600
Minneapolis, MN 55415
(612) 664-5600
Main
(612) 664-5787
Fax
St. Paul Branch Office
U.S. Courthouse
316 N. Robert Street
Suite 404
St. Paul, MN 55101
(651) 848-1950
Main
Media
Tasha Zerna
Public Affairs Specialist
(612) 664-5743
Main
Social Media Profiles of Attorney Andrew Luger
Username: Andrew Luger
URL: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andyluger/
Username: U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota
URL: https://www.facebook.com/usaomn
YouTube
Username: U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota
URL: https://www.youtube.com/c/usao-mn
Username: U.S. Attorney MN
Tag: @DMNnews
URL: https://twitter.com/DMNnews
Updated: May 16, 2023