U.S. Attorney Kacavas to Step Down Next Week

John P. Kacavas announced today in a press statement that he will be resigning as United States Attorney for the District of New Hampshire, effective next week, after six years as state’s top federal prosecutor.

In the statement, U.S. Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Jr. said, “For nearly six years as United States Attorney for the District of New Hampshire, John Kacavas’ impressive record of public service has reflected his dynamic leadership, his consummate skill, and his unshakeable devotion to justice in the face of pressing concerns and daunting challenges. Through his outstanding efforts, he has safeguarded the people of New Hampshire and left an indelible mark on the nation.”

During his time on the job, Kacavas targeted Internet crimes against children and child predators as top priorities, personally prosecuting and obtaining convictions of high-profile offenders, including John Allen Wright – a school bus driver who videotaped himself sexually assaulting several young, non-verbal autistic boys for which he received a federal prison sentence of 160 years – and Lisa Biron – a Manchester attorney who transported a minor female to Canada for the purpose of manufacturing images of child sexual exploitation for which she received a federal prison sentence of 40 years.

He also targeted cybercrime, prosecuting a number of cybercriminals, including three Romanian citizens who remotely hacked into several hundred U.S. merchants’ point of sale systems, including 250 Subway restaurant franchises, and stole payment card data belonging to more than 100,000 cardholders and causing losses of more than $17.5 million. He also oversaw the investigation and prosecution of serial infector David Kwiatkowski, an Exeter Hospital radiologic technician who infected 45 patients in multiple states with Hepatitis C, for which he received a federal prison sentence of 39 years. He also targeted major domestic and international drug trafficking organizations, including the infamous Sinaloa cartel of Mexico, led by the notorious drug kingpin, “Chapo” Guzman.

Five members of the cartel were convicted for their roles in a conspiracy to deliver thousands of pounds of cocaine by containerized cargo vessels to various ports on the northeastern seaboard of the United States and to Europe.