SIOUX FALLS – U.S. Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell has announced a new senior management team to lead the District‘s enforcement mission. “The mission of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Dakota is today as always – to impartially enforce and uphold U.S. law with the central goal of strengthening safety in our communities. That work will continue under the experienced leadership of our senior management team. Each of these individuals has dedicated his or her career to the pursuit of justice and brings a great deal of wisdom and integrity in support of the District’s mission. “
U.S. Ramsdell named Gregg S. Peterman as U.S. First Assistant Attorney. Mr. Peterman joined the office as an Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA) in 1995 and has been the Assistant Supervisor of the U.S. Attorney in Rapid City since January 2012. As an AUSA, Mr. Peterman processed violent crimes in an Indian country, including murder, sexual abuse. , aggravated assault, child abuse, and theft. Mr. Peterman received the U.S. Attorney General’s Award for Exceptional Service in the Indian Country in 2017, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office Executive Director’s (EOUSA) Award for Superior Performance in the Indian Country in 2013. He currently serves in the Department of the Interior Non-Invisible Act Commission, and a former member of the U.S. Attorney General’s Advisory Task Force on Domestic Violence in the Indian Country. Mr. Peterman grew up in New Jersey and is a graduate of Syracuse University and the Brooklyn School of Law.
U.S. Ramsdell also named U.S. Assistant Attorney John E. Haak to serve as Head of the Criminal Division. Mr. Haak joined the office as AUSA in 2002 and has served as Deputy Chief Criminal for the District since 2015. Mr. Haak also served as the District’s Senior Litigation Attorney, as well as the Attorney General’s Organized Crime Contact Point and Drug Enforcement Task Force. In 2016 and 2018, Mr. Haak was recognized by the Drug Enforcement Administration for his outstanding contributions in the field of federal drug law enforcement. Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Mr. Haak spent fourteen years in the South Dakota Attorney General’s Office, first in the appeals division and then as a prosecuting attorney. -drug. Mr. Haak grew up in Howard, South Dakota, and earned both B.A. and J.D. from the University of South Dakota.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Diana J. Ryan will continue to serve as Chief of the Civil Division. Ms. Ryan joined the office in 1989 as a criminal prosecutor dealing with violent crime in an Indian country. In 1997, Ms. Ryan went on to civil litigation, and in 2004, she became the Civil Chief. As Civil Chief, Ms. Ryan oversees all affirmative and defensive litigation for the District and heads the Financial Litigation Unit, which collects federal civil debts and enforces court orders for criminal restitution. Ms. Ryan is an experienced litigator who has been a leading attorney in more than 150 criminal cases, 750 civil cases, and 89 appeals. She has served on the National Civil Chief’s Working Group and continues to serve as an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) consultant for EOUSA. In 1999, Ms Ryan received the EOUSA Director’s Award for Superior Achievements in Promoting Equal Employment Opportunities. Mrs. Ryan grew up in Mobridge, South Dakota, and earned both B.A. and J.D. from the University of South Dakota.
U.S. Assistant Attorney Kevin M. Koliner will continue to serve as Head of the Appeals Division. Mr. Koliner joined the office as AUSA in 2006 and has served as Chief of Appeal since January 2013. Over the past sixteen years, Mr. Koliner has processed large-scale human trafficking cases, including several cases of sex trafficking which resulted in many life sentences. , and represented the federal government before the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals over the full range of district-managed issues, including complex civil cases, white-collar crimes, sexual abuse and other violent crimes, violations of the civil rights, cybercrime, armed crime, and drug conspiracy. He has been honored to serve as a representative of the Department of Justice in international expert meetings aimed at shaping multinational policies on trafficking in human beings and human rights. Mr. Koliner grew up in Yankton, South Dakota, and is a graduate of the University of Minnesota and the University of Virginia Law School.
