States Attorney.

Peter E. Deegan, Jr.

Peter Deegan State's Attorney for northern district of Iowa

Currently serving as the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Iowa, Peter E. Deegan is the leading federal law enforcement official in the district. In the year 2017, U.S. Attorney Peter Deegan was nominated to the office by President Donald Trump on July 19 and was unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate on September 14. He took the oath of office from the United States District Judge, Linda R. Reade, on September 21, 2017.

Education and Early Career

In 1992, Peter Deegan earned his undergraduate degree in Philosophy and Middle East Studies at the University of Notre Dame. He later earned his Juris Doctor degree at the Wayne State University Law School in 1995, graduating as cum laude in both degrees. Attorney Deegan began his career in 1995 as an associate attorney in the United States District Court of the Eastern District of Michigan, under Honorable Lawrence P. Zatkoff, before practicing law in Chicago in 1997 as an associate attorney at Murphy Smith & Polk PC, where he emphasized on labor and employment litigation.

Legal Career 

In the succeeding years, Peter E. Deegan, Jr. Deegan served as a Special Assistant United States Attorney, employed through the Iowa Attorney General’s Office, Area Prosecutions Division, in the Northern District of Iowa’s Sioux City branch office, in 1998. His first cases as a federal prosecutor involved methamphetamine manufacturing, distribution, and conspiracy cases. A year later, his career flourished to prosecuting a wider variety of federal cases such as firearms, narcotics, and general crimes. In 2001, Mr. Deegan moved from Sioux City to Cedar Rapids, and so began his years serving as the Assistant U.S. Attorney of the Northern District of Iowa. From 2004 to 2006, he became an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of Michigan, conducting grand jury investigations, and prosecuting general criminal cases such as alien, and medical device smuggling, narcotics, and firearms, while also successfully convicting two men for illegal possession of weapons and drugs, after a multi-agency investigation involving the federal law.

Most Significant Litigated Matters

Peter E. Deegan, Jr., upon returning to Cedar Rapids in 2006, has co-led several huge criminal cases such as the $215M fraud involving the Peregrine Financial Group, Inc. – one of the biggest financial fraud cases in the history of the Northern District of Iowa. Furthermore, he has recently led a case related to the largest food-borne salmonella outbreak in the nation’s history.

Affiliations

Prior to joining the office, Mr. Deegan also took part at St. Matthew’s Catholic Church as a Board Member of the Board of Education in 2008, and soon, as the Board President from 2010 to 2014, while also being the Co-chairperson from 2011 to 2014 in the Capital Campaign Committee. In 2015, Mr. Deegan served as the Criminal Chief in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Iowa, overseeing federal criminal litigation.

Teachings 

Having prosecuted a full-variety of federal offenses focusing on complex white-collar, business crimes, and child sexual exploitation, Atty Deegan has taught at the University of Iowa Law School, in the spring semester of 2016, as an adjunct faculty, speaking of Federal White Collar Crime. On top of that, he is a volunteer presenter at the Iowa Donor Network since 2011.

Bar Associations

Peter E. Deegan, Jr. is a current member of the State Bar of Iowa, and the State Bar of Michigan, and a retired member of the State Bar of Illinois. Moreover, he has served as a regular trial advocacy instructor at the Department of Justice’s National Trial Advocacy Center in Columbia, and a visiting instructor at the University of Notre Dame Law School, giving presentations to local criminal justice students.

Honors and Awards

With his involvement as a federal prosecutor, Mr. Deegan has received several Department of Justice honors and awards, such as the Special Achievement Award in 2001, Director’s Award for Superior Performance by a Litigation Team in 2014, and Special Commendation for Outstanding Service in the Civil Division in 2015. He has also received a Certificate of Appreciation for Outstanding Contributions in the Field of Drug Law Enforcement from the Drug Enforcement Administration in 2001, a Certificate of Appreciation from the United States Marshals Service in 2003, and a Meritorious Achievement Award from the West Central Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force in 2004. In the year 2010, he has received several awards, such as Certificate of Recognition, Special Recognition Award, Honor Award for Excellence from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Office of Investigations, and the United States Department of Agriculture, respectively. Mr. Deegan has also been granted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigations, the Award for Distinguished Service, in 2015. Moreover, he has received the Gaston L. Gianni, Jr. Better Government Award from the Council of the Inspectors General, also in 2015.

Office Jurisdiction

As the incumbent U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Iowa, he oversees a staff of 46 employees with 25 attorneys and 21 non-attorney support personnel. His office is in charge of federal crimes involving public corruption, firearms, financial fraud, and narcotics, among others. Additionally, the office manages civil cases involving the United States and recovers debts owed to the United States.

Contact Details

Full Name: Peter Eugene Deegan, Jr.
District/State: Northern District of Iowa

Cedar Rapids Office

111 7th Ave, S.E.
Cedar Rapids, IA 52401

(319) 363-6333
Main

(319) 363-1990
Fax

(319) 286-9258
TDD

Sioux City Office

600 4th Street,
Sioux City, IA 51101

(712) 255-6011
Main

(712) 252-2034
Fax

(712) 258-4761
TDD

Postal Mail

In Cedar Rapids:

U.S. Attorney’s Office
111 7th Ave, S.E.
Box #1
Cedar Rapids, IA 52401

In Sioux City:

U.S. Attorney’s Office
Ho-Chunk Building, Suite 670
600 4th Street
Sioux City, IA 51101

Social Media Profiles of Peter Deegan

Twitter Field

Username: U.S. Attorney N. Iowa
Tag: @USAO_NDIA
URL:  https://twitter.com/usao_ndia

Updated: June 15, 2020

 

Sean R. Berry is the next State’s Attorney for the Northern District of Iowa. Read his biography here.

Updated: February 23, 2021

 

Timothy T. Duax is the next State’s Attorney for the Northern District of Iowa. Read his biography here.

Updated: November 4, 2022

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