DOJ adds permanent prosecutor for rural Alaska’s rape-camp communities

Now, after a visit to Western Alaska by Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, the US Department of Justice is funding a permanent federal prosecutor focused specifically on crimes affecting rural Alaska and tribal communities.

The US Attorney’s Office for the District of Alaska announced Friday that it is accepting applications for a criminal assistant US attorney who will pursue federal cases involving violent crime, child exploitation, illegal firearms, drug trafficking and fraud.

The additional position is a direct result of Blanche’s July 7–8 visit to Anchorage, Bethel and Emmonak, according to the department. During that trip, Blanche met with rural residents, tribal leaders, advocates and law enforcement officials who described the public-safety crisis facing communities far from Alaska’s urban centers.

The statistics are stark.

The Justice Department cited recent reports estimating Alaska’s violent crime rate at 5.4 times the national rate, with aggravated assaults 6.7 times higher and rapes 3.1 times higher. According to 2024 state crime data cited by the department, Alaska Native people accounted for 41% of the state’s murder victims, although they make up less than 15% of the population.

Those figures underscore a long-running crisis in communities where law enforcement may be hundreds of miles away, transportation depends on weather and aircraft, and victims may live in the same small village as their attackers.

Drug trafficking and substance abuse have deepened the danger. Rural leaders told Justice Department officials that illegal drugs and violent crime are closely connected, with traffickers preying on isolated communities and contributing to assaults, exploitation and family destruction.

“Violent crime and drug trafficking have devastated many of our Alaskan communities, particularly those in rural areas,” U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman said. “While we’ve seen some recent improvement, Acting Attorney General Blanche heard our requests for additional federal assistance in addressing public safety concerns in rural and tribal communities.”

Heyman thanked Alaskans who met with federal officials and described what their communities are experiencing.

“This new Indian Country/Rural Alaska AUSA will work with law enforcement in every corner of our state to pursue federal charges against criminals who target women, children and communities with their illegal actions,” he said.

The new prosecutor will coordinate with federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to review cases and identify offenses that can be brought under federal law. The position will be based in Anchorage, Fairbanks or Juneau, with travel to remote communities as required.

The US Attorney’s Office currently has nearly 30 assistant US attorneys handling federal criminal and civil matters across a state more than twice the size of Texas. Geographic isolation, limited village police coverage and the complicated division of authority among state, federal and tribal entities have long made rural cases especially difficult to investigate and prosecute.

One additional attorney will not resolve those structural problems. But assigning a permanent prosecutor to rural and tribal cases provides a point of accountability and signals that the stories Blanche heard in Bethel and Emmonak reached Washington.

The department is seeking an attorney with criminal-law experience and strong research, writing and courtroom skills. Applicants must hold a law degree, belong to a bar in good standing and have at least one year of post-law-school professional experience.

The permanent position pays between $80,000 and $197,100 annually and requires occasional rural travel and eligibility for a top-secret security clearance. Applications are due Aug. 7.

More information is available through the official USAJobs posting. The Justice Department announcement is here.