Meet the U.S. Attorney
Nicola T. Hanna
United States Attorney Nicola T. Hanna is the chief federal law enforcement officer for the Central District of California. Mr. Hanna oversees the largest United States Attorney’s Office outside of Washington, DC. The office employs approximately 260 attorneys, and over 250 staff who serve over 19 million residents – half the state’s population. The Office not only prosecutes the entire range of federal crimes, it also defends the United States in civil actions and represents the government’s interest in tax matters.
Prior to his appointment as United States Attorney, Mr. Hanna was a partner at the law firm of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, where his practice focused on litigation, investigations and compliance.
Mr. Hanna was an Assistant United States Attorney for the Central District of California from 1990 to 1994, handling matters involving major narcotics traffickers, money laundering, and other violent and economic crimes. From 1995 to 1998, Mr. Hanna was an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of California in San Diego, where he served as Deputy Chief of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force. In that capacity, he was responsible for prosecuting cases involving major money laundering and narcotics trafficking organizations, criminal tax violations, and international chemical diversion.
As an Assistant United States Attorney, Mr. Hanna represented the government in numerous federal court jury trials and has briefed and argued cases before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He has received numerous awards and commendations from state and federal agencies, including the FBI, DEA, and IRS.
Mr. Hanna received his law degree magna cum laude from Georgetown University Law Center in 1987, where he served as Associate Editor of the Georgetown Law Journal. He earned his B.A. degree from the University of California, San Diego in 1984. As an experienced trial lawyer, Mr. Hanna was inducted as a Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers in 2009.
