On the evening of October 7, 2021, Christopher R. Kavanaugh was sworn in as the Chief Federal Law Enforcement Official for the Western District of Virginia. The oath of office of the presidentially nominated U.S. Attorney was administered by the Honorable Lisa O. Monaco – Deputy Attorney General for the Department of Justice (DOJ) during a private ceremony at the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. Top Federal Prosecutor Christopher Kavanaugh was nominated to be the United States Attorney for the Western District of Virginia by President Joseph R. Biden on August 10, 2021, following the resignation of former U.S. Attorney Thomas T. Cullen. Attorney Daniel P. Bubar served as the Acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia prior to the appointment of Top Federal Prosecutor Kavanaugh . Attorney Kavanaugh was subsequently confirmed by the United States Senate on October 5, 2021.
Table of Contents
- Educational Background
- Education
- Legal Career of Attorney Kavanaugh
- Internship and Clerkship
- Work at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia
- Work at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Virginia
- Most Significant Litigated Cases by U.S. Attorney Kavanaugh
- 10 Most Significant Litigated Matters Handled by Attorney Christopher Kavanaugh
- Bar and Court Admissions, and Teaching Background
- Bar Admissions
- Court Admissions
- Bar Associations
- Memberships
- Academic and Professional Honors and Awards
- Office Jurisdiction
- Contact Details
- Roanoke Office
- Abingdon Office
- Charlottesville Office
- Public Affairs Office
- Social Media Profiles of Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh
Educational Background
Earning a degree in Bachelor of Science in Industrial and Systems Engineering, U.S. Attorney Christopher Kavanaugh graduated Summa Cum Laude from Georgia Tech in 2002. He then pursued law and attended law school at the University of Virginia School of Law in 2006.
Education
- University of Virginia School of Law, 2003-2006 J.D. – May 2006
- Georgia Tech, 1998 – 2002 Bachelor of Science in Industrial and Systems Engineering – August 2002
Legal Career of Attorney Kavanaugh
Internship and Clerkship
While in law school, U.S. Attorney Kavanaugh managed to gain experience as a Summer Associate at the Hunton & Williams, LLP in the summer of 2005, and then as an Intern at the Appellate Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia the following semester. Subsequent to law school, U.S. Attorney Kavanaugh joined the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia as a Judicial Law Clerk to the Honorable U.S. District Judge James C. Cacheris, wherein he was tasked to conduct research and draft memoranda and opinions. He remained in the capacity for a year, from August 2006 to August 2007, prior to joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia as an Assistant United States Attorney. Following his one-year clerkship, in the next 14 years of his legal career, U.S. Attorney Kavanaugh remained committed to serving the United States of America.
Work at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia
In September 2007, Top Federal Prosecutor Chris Kavanaugh officially became a part of the Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia as an Assistant U.S. Attorney. In the next seven years of his legal career, U.S. Attorney Kavanaugh worked under the Appellate, Felony Major Crimes, Homicide, and Misdemeanor Sections of the Office, and in the Fraud, National Security, and Public Corruption Section of the Office. From 2007 to 2011, U.S. Attorney Kavanaugh developed expertise in handling cases in the Appellate, Felony Major Crimes, Homicide, and Misdemeanor Sections of the Office, and has worked closely with patrol officers, detectives, and investigators, as well as with the Metropolitan Police Department to investigate and prosecute the cases he handled effectively. The latter half of U.S. Attorney Kavanaugh’s service in the Office of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia then emphasized the investigation and prosecution of white-collar crimes and national security offenses within the jurisdiction of the Office.
Work at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Virginia
Succeeding his service in the U.S. District Court, Top Federal Prosecutor Christopher Kavanaugh began working as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Office of United States Attorney for the Western District of Virginia. In this position, he primarily focused on the investigation and prosecution of matters involving civil rights violations, domestic terrorism, and hate crimes occurring within the jurisdiction of the Office. He was appointed as the Chief of the National Securities Section of the Office through the years. He became the primary point of contact for various federal law enforcement agencies in the District to coordinate and collaborate on investigating potential domestic and/or international terrorism. Moreover, in this capacity, U.S. Attorney Kavanaugh was also the primary point of contact for the National Security Division at the Department of Justice. In September 2020, U.S. Attorney Kavanaugh became a Senior Litigation Counsel and the Counsel to the U.S. Attorney.
Most Significant Litigated Cases by U.S. Attorney Kavanaugh
As a career federal prosecutor with extensive experience having served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for both the Western District of Virginia and District of Columbia, U.S. Attorney Chris Kavanaugh has directed several multi-agency investigations and prosecutions, including the prosecution of an avowed white supremacist who intentionally drove his car into a crowd of racially diverse peaceful protestors, which culminated the 2017 “Unite-the-Right” riots of Charlottesville, Virginia in a mass casualty. In addition, he prosecuted a Blackwater team known as “Raven 23”, who caused the death of 14 Iraqi civilians and the injury of 18 others during a 2007 open fire attack in Nisur Square in Baghdad, Iraq. The litigation of the case against Raven 23 lasted for seven years.
United States Attorney Kavanaugh’s prosecution cases focus on matters involving civil rights violations, national security, white-collar crime, and violent crimes. Another one of his most significantly litigated cases is the 2019 multi-jurisdictional investigation into a white supremacist’s interference in an election and cyberstalking. United States Attorney Kavanaugh also participated as a co-counsel in the investigation and prosecution of Beam Bros. Trucking Company, wherein four defendants have been convicted of misdemeanor conspiracy to violate highway safety regulations, which resulted in a $2 million forfeiture, a $922,00 in restitution to its drivers, and $500,00 in fines.
10 Most Significant Litigated Matters Handled by Attorney Christopher Kavanaugh
- United States v. James Alex Fields, Jr. (2017-2018)
- United States v. Benjamin Drake Daley, et al. (2017-2019)
- United States v. Paul Slough, et al., United States v. Nicholas Slatten (2012-2014)
- United States v. Daniel McMahon (2019-2020)
- United States v. Daniel Mathis, et al 2014-2016 (Trial) 2016-2018 (Appeal)
- United States v. Justin Stallings (2017-2019)
- United States v. Frank Amnott, et al (2018-2021)
- United States v. Brian Gaither, et al (2009-2012)
- United States v. Beam Bros. Trucking, et al (2014-2017)
- United States v. Gilbert Arenas (2009-2010)
Further details regarding the above litigations may be found in the public questionnaire accessible here.
Bar and Court Admissions, and Teaching Background
Top Federal Prosecutor Chris Kavanaugh was admitted to the State Bar of Virginia in 2006 and was granted permission to practice in the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in November 2006; in the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in October 2008; and in the United States District Court for Eastern District of Virginia in December 2007. U.S. Attorney Kavanaugh remains a member of the Virginia State Bar and the Charlottesville Albemarle Bar Association. Apart from working as a prosecutor, U.S. Attorney Christopher Kavanaugh also served as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Virginia School of Law in September 2012.
Bar Admissions
- Virginia, October 2006
Court Admissions
- United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit (November 2006)
- United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (October 2008)
- United States District Court for Eastern District of Virginia (December 2007)
Bar Associations
Memberships
- Wertland Commons Condominiums (February 2020 – Present)
Board of Directors (February 2020– Present) - Holy Comforter Catholic Church, Member (2018 – Present)
- St. Thomas Catholic Church, Member (2015 – Present)
- The Raven Society – University of Virginia, Member (2006 – Present)
- Hessian Hills Condominiums (November 2019 – October 2020)
Board of Directors (November 2019 – October 2020) - Law Alumni Council, University of Virginia School of Law (2016 – 2019)
- Fry’s Spring Beach Club (2018 – 2019)
- South Korean International Symposium on National Security (December 2016)
Academic and Professional Honors and Awards
- Shaping Justice Award for Extraordinary Achievement, 2020
University of Virginia School of Law - SHIELD Award, Anti-Defamation League, 2020
- John Perry Alderman Award for Superior Service, 2019
United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Virginia - John Perry Alderman Award for Superior Service, 2017
United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Virginia - Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service, 2016
United States Department of Justice - SHIELD Award, Anti-Defamation League, 2015
- Service Award, Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2015
- Trial Advocacy Award, Virginia Trial Lawyers, 2006
- Ritter Scholar, University of Virginia School of Law, 2005
- Best Oralist, University of Virginia School of Law, 2005
- Raven Honor Society, University of Virginia, 2005
- Dean’s Scholar, University of Virginia School of Law, 2003-2006
- President’s Scholar, Georgia Tech, 1998
A rising prosecutor with 16 years of experience in the legal field, U.S. Attorney Kavanaugh has been recognized on numerous occasions for his remarkable work in the field. In 2006, he received the Trial Advocacy Award from the Virginia Trial Lawyers. In 2015, he was recognized by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and was given the Service Award. In 2015, U.S. Attorney Kavanaugh earned his first U.S. Department of Justice – SHIELD Award, Anti-Defamation League, which he received a second time from the University of Virginia School of Law in 2020. Moreover, among the awards he received from the Office of the United States Attorney for the Western District of Virginia include the Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service in 2016 and the John Perry Alderman Award for Superior Service in 2017 and 2019. Top Federal Prosecutor Kavanaugh was also a recipient of the Shaping Justice Award for Extraordinary Achievement in 2020. The excellent professional career of U.S. Attorney Kavanaugh is rooted in his great academic career. In 1998, he was named a President’s Scholar by Georgia Tech. From 2003 to 2006, he maintained a Dean’s Scholar status at the University of Virginia School of Law. In 2005, he became a part of the Raven Honor Society, was named the Best Oralist and received the Ritter Scholarship in the University of Virginia School of Law.
Office Jurisdiction
In the role of Chief Federal Law Enforcement Official for the Western District of Virginia, U.S. Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh has a mission of serving the citizens of the District through prosecuting violations of federal criminal law and representing the United States and its agencies in civil litigation.
Contact Details
Full Name: Christopher Robert Kavanaugh
District/State: Western District of Virginia
Public email ID: christopher.kavanaugh@usdoj.gov
Roanoke Office
Shipping Address:
310 1st Street, S.W., Room 906
Roanoke, Virginia 24011
Mailing Address:
Post Office Box 1709
Roanoke, Virginia 24008-1709
(540) 857-2250
Main
(540) 857-2614
Fax
(540) 857-2037
TTY
1-877-220-8014
Toll-Free
Abingdon Office
Shipping Address:
310 Cummings Street, Suite A
Abingdon, Virginia 24210
Mailing Address:
180 West Main Street
Abingdon, Virginia 24210
(276) 628-4161
Main
(276) 628-7399
Fax
Charlottesville Office
Shipping & Mailing Address:
U.S. Courthouse and Federal Building
255 West Main Street, Room 130
Charlottesville, Virginia 22902
(434) 293-4283
Main
(434) 293-4910
Fax
Public Affairs Office
Brian McGinn
Public Affairs Specialist
(434) 295-8672
Main
Brian.McGinn@usdoj.gov
Email Address
Social Media Profiles of Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh
Username: Chris Kavanaugh
URL: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-kavanaugh-92aa74146/
Username: N/A
URL: N/A
YouTube
Username: USAO Western District of Virginia
URL: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOcqpWcdSr9sCO_3Fd5c9pQ
Username: U.S. Attorney WDVA
Tag: @WDVAnews
URL: https://twitter.com/WDVAnews
*personal account
Username: U.S. Attorney Chris Kavanaugh
Tag: @USAttyKavanaugh
URL: https://twitter.com/USAttyKavanaugh
Updated: February 19, 20222