On January 8, 2021, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa welcomed a new Acting U.S. Attorney. Richard D. Westphal assumes the Office’s position following the resignation of former U.S. Attorney Marc Krickbaum on January 7, 2021. Richard Westphal shall serve as the Chief Federal Law Enforcement Officer for the Southern District of Iowa until November 16, 2021. A new presidential nominee is chosen and approved by the Senate prior to the aforementioned date.
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Education
Born and raised in Davenport, Iowa, U.S. Attorney Westphal graduated from the University of Iowa and received his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration in 1986. Four years later, U.S. Attorney Richard Westphal graduated from the University of Iowa’s College of Law and subsequently earned his Juris Doctorate in 1990. In the same year, U.S. Attorney Westphal was admitted into the State of Iowa Bar, in which he has remained as an active member.
Legal Career
Beginning in private practice, U.S. Attorney Richard D. Westphal commenced his legal career as an attorney at the Reynolds and Kenline in Dubuque, Iowa. The firm handles a variety of matters in several areas, including bankruptcy, criminal defense, employment law, mediation, personal injury, probate, real estate, and workers compensation, among other areas of practice. U.S. Attorney Westphal was a part of the Reynolds and Kenline, L.L.P. from 1990 to 1993.
Becoming an Assistant County Attorney, Richard Westphal served in the Johnson County and Muscatine County from 1993 to 1996. In this position, U.S. Attorney Westphal performed professional legal work and assisted the County Attorney. Moreover, he was expected to perform his duties in assisting as a legal counsel and criminal prosecutor for the Johnson and Muscatine Counties.
In April of 1996, U.S. Attorney Richard Westphal was designated as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Northern and Southern Districts of Iowa, wherein he specialized in methamphetamine prosecutions. Through this appointment, U.S. Attorney Westphal was able to gain exposure to the Offices and was also able to obtain valuable litigation experience. In addition, his assignments in the position included the investigation and prosecution of counterfeiting fraud, drug trafficking, explosives, firearms, immigration, and other violent crimes. He also conducted legal research and drafted several appellate and post-conviction petition responses. A year later, in June of 1997, U.S. Attorney Richard Westphal was promoted into being an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of Iowa. From then onwards, he was further elevated and assigned to different positions.
In 2013, U.S. Attorney Westphal became the Branch Chief of the Davenport Branch Office of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa. In June of 2018, he was appointed as the Chief of the Criminal Division, where he was given the responsibility to enforce federal criminal laws within the district by working closely with the community and a wide variety of local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies. Furthermore, as the Chief of the Criminal Division, he managed and oversaw the different sections of the division, including the Appellate Unit, the Asset Recovery Team–Forfeiture and Collections, the Civil Rights Section, the Computer Crimes, Child Exploitation, and Human Trafficking Section, the section for Environmental and Wildlife Crimes, the Fraud and Corruption Section, the Immigration Crimes and Program Fraud Section, the Narcotics Trafficking and Violent Crime Section, and the Terrorism and National Security Section.
Prior to becoming the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Iowa, he was primarily appointed as the First Assistant United States Attorney to the former U.S. Attorney Krickbaum in the early days of January 2021.
Office Jurisdiction
Being the current Top Federal Law Enforcement Officer in the Southern District of Iowa, United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal holds the responsibility to serve the district. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa has jurisdiction over 47 of the 99 counties of Iowa. U.S. Attorney Westphal shall maintain the Office’s main branch in Des Moines, as well as the two branch offices located in Davenport and Council Bluffs. In addition, U.S. Attorney Richard Westphal oversees about 50 employees, including 20 attorneys. The office is in charge of federal crimes involving public corruption, firearms, financial fraud, and narcotics, among other criminal matters. Moreover, the office manages civil cases involving the United Sta and recovers debts owed to the United States.
Contact Details
Full Name: Richard D. Westphal
District/State: Southern District of Iowa
Public email ID: Rich.Westphal@usdoj.gov
Des Moines Office
110 East Court Avenue
Des Moines, Iowa 50309-2053
(515) 473-9300
Main
(515) 473-9288
Fax
(515) 473-9299
TDD
Davenport Office
131 East 4th Street
Davenport, Iowa 52801
(563) 449-5432
Main
(563) 449-5433
Fax
Council Bluffs Office
8 South 6th Street
Council Bluffs, Iowa 51502
(712) 256-5009
Main
(712) 256-5112
Fax
Delivery Service
Des Moines Office:
U.S. Courthouse Annex
110 East Court Avenue, Suite # 286
Des Moines, Iowa 50309-2053
Davenport Office:
U.S. Courthouse
131 East 4th Street, Suite # 310
Davenport, Iowa 52801
Council Bluffs Office:
United States Attorney’s Office
8 South 6th Street, Room 348
Council Bluffs, Iowa 51502-1887
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Updated: January 19, 2021