There are 15 article(s) tagged U.S. Attorney Michael Dunavant:

• February 2021

  • US Attorney Michael Dunavant discusses tenure as he prepares to leave

    Outgoing U.S. Attorney Michael Dunavant reflects on his four years on the job as chief federal prosecutor in the Western District of Tennessee. 

    By Yolanda Jones February 27, 2021

  • Dunavant to resign as U.S. Attorney

    The top federal prosecutor for the Western District of Tennessee, which includes Memphis, was appointed in 2017 by then-President Donald Trump.

    By Yolanda Jones February 10, 2021

• January 2021

  • Memphis man charged in Capitol riots

    Memphian Matthew Bledsoe has been charged as one of the rioters at the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C., Wednesday, Jan. 6.

    By Yolanda Jones January 16, 2021

  • Dunavant: Local prosecutions could come for Capitol rioting

    U.S. Attorney Michael Dunavant issued a statement Friday saying the Department of Justice and the FBI would pursue charges against Mid-Southerners who participated in rioting at the U.S. Capitol.

    By Yolanda Jones January 08, 2021

  • Operation LeGend results in more than 200 arrests in Memphis

    As Operation LeGend ends, the federal violent crime initiative resulted in 266 arrests locally and seizure of 210 guns even as homicides in the city set a new record. 

    By Yolanda Jones January 05, 2021

• December 2020

  • Sanford: A Biden presidency means Dunavant’s days as federal prosecutor are numbered

    Democrat Joe Biden’s election as the 46th president brings the virtual certainty that there will be a new U.S. attorney and U.S. marshal for West Tennessee.

    By Otis Sanford December 03, 2020

• October 2020

  • Inside the election process: how and where absentee, early voting ballots are counted

    Election officials put trust in people’s respect for meticulous process.

    By David Waters October 31, 2020

  • Feds charge 3 with defrauding COVID-19 relief loan program

    Three employees with Better Days Tax Service have been charged with wire fraud, accused of scamming $1.1 million from a COVID-19 loan relief program aimed at helping small businesses impacted by the pandemic. 

    By Yolanda Jones October 20, 2020

• August 2020

  • Operation LeGend to bring added resources to fight violent crime

    Forty federal agents will be deployed to Memphis as part of Operation LeGend, a federal initiative designed to fight violent crime, officials announced Thursday, Aug. 6.

    By Yolanda Jones August 06, 2020

• July 2020

  • DeCarcerate Memphis calls for transparency in federal law enforcement initiative

    DeCarcerate Memphis, a task force made up of criminal justice advocates and others, formed to demand transparency and accountability of the federal Operation Relentless Pursuit initiative launched in January in the city. The initiative includes a federal task force to fight violent crime. 

    By Yolanda Jones July 27, 2020

• April 2020

  • Attack on critics of the justice system is ‘irresponsible’

    U.S. Attorney Michael Dunavant falsely claims activists seek the “indiscriminate, wholesale release of prisoners.” Activists, nationally and locally, have called for a plan to release anyone who can be safely released. A very different thing indeed.

    By Bill Powell April 14, 2020

• January 2020

  • City’s violent crime rate continues decline but homicide count rises

    The overall violent crime rate in Memphis dropped more than 8% in 2019 from the previous year. However, the number of homicides increased. 

    By Yolanda Jones January 17, 2020

• December 2019

  • Violent crime reduction plan to launch in Memphis

    Federal authorities announce new violent crime reduction plan in seven cities nationwide, including in Memphis. The federal surge will pair federal and local enforcement in Operation Relentless Pursuit. 

    By Yolanda Jones December 19, 2019

  • Sanford: Does Trump also support law enforcement?

    U.S. Attorney Michael Dunavant voiced support when the attorney general criticized communities that fail to show proper respect for law officers. Were they also concerned when Trump attacked FBI leaders? 

    By Otis Sanford December 19, 2019

• November 2019

  • Attorney General William Barr will be in Memphis to announce plan to reduce gun violence

    U.S. Attorney William Barr is visiting Memphis Wednesday, Nov. 13 to announce the launch of a nationwide plan to reduce gun violence. 

    By Yolanda Jones November 12, 2019