U.S. Attorney Cunha Appointed to Serve on Attorney General’s Advisory Committee

PROVIDENCE - Attorney General Merrick B. Garland has appointed U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Cunha to serve on the Attorney General's Advisory Committee of U.S. Attorneys (AGAC).

The AGAC was created in 1973 and advises the Attorney General on matters of policy, procedure, and management impacting the nation's 94 U.S. Attorneys Offices, and elevates the voices of U.S. Attorneys on essential matters facing the Department of Justice. U.S. Attorney Cunha is the third United States Attorney for Rhode Island to have been asked to serve in this role, following former Rhode Island U.S. Attorney Lincoln C. Almond, who served on the AGAC at the time of its creation, as did former U.S. Attorney Peter F. Neronha during his tenure in office.

"I am deeply honored to be asked to serve alongside my distinguished colleagues on the AGAC," said United States Attorney Cunha. "The work of the United States Attorneys is critical to the safety and vitality of the districts in which we serve, and I am grateful for the opportunity to advise the Attorney General and engage with the Department of Justice's senior leadership on the ways in which we can best deliver justice in and for all of our communities."

U.S. Attorney Cunha will serve alongside chair Damian Williams of the Southern District of New York, vice chair Gary Restaino of the District of Arizona, and members Breon Peace of the Eastern District of New York, Matthew Graves of District of Columbia, Kenneth Parker of the Southern District of Ohio, Natalie K. Wight of the District of Oregon, Eric G. Olshan of the Western District of Pennsylvania, Christopher R. Kavanaugh of the Western District of Virginia, Rachelle Crowe of the Southern District of Illinois, Alamdar S. Hamdani of the Southern District of Texas, Alexander M.M. Uballez of the District of New Mexico, Jill Steinberg of the Southern District of Georgia, and Andrew M. Luger of the District of Minnesota.

President Biden nominated Cunha to serve as U.S. Attorney for Rhode Island on September 28, 2021, on the recommendation of U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse. The United States Senate confirmed his nomination on Dec. 7, 2021, and he was sworn into office on Dec. 13, 2021. As U.S. Attorney, Cunha serves as the chief federal law enforcement officer in Rhode Island, responsible for prosecuting and defending the interests of the United States in the federal court.

Mr. Cunha has served in the Department of Justice since 2005, when he was appointed as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of New York; he later served as a prosecutor in the District of Massachusetts before joining the Rhode Island U.S. Attorney's Office in 2013, where he held various roles, including Chief of the Civil Division, prior to his appointment as U.S. Attorney in 2021.

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