High-profile cases 'Operation Denial' Fentanyl trafficking conspiracy involving numerous overdoses with over 30 defendants charged, including Canadian and Chinese nationals (2015 to present)
U.S. v. Modesto Torrez A methamphetamine trafficking case involving the murder of Austin Forsman at the Flyin' J travel plaza in Grand Forks in 2016. Torrez is serving a life sentence.
U.S. v. Valentino Bagola Murder of 9 year old Destiny Shaw and 6 year old Travis Dubois, Jr. on the Spirit Lake Reservation in 2011. Bagola is serving a life sentence.
"I am proud to play a small part in the history of an office that has a strong tradition of handling legendary prosecutions such as Leonard Peltier, involving the murder of FBI Agents Jack Coler and Ron Williams in 1975; Yori Kahl and Scott Faul involving murders of U.S. Marshal Kenneth Muir and Deputy U.S. Marshal Bob Cheshire in Medina, ND in 1983; Alfonso Rodriguez involving the kidnapping and murder of Dru Sjodin in Grand Forks in 2003." - Chris Myers
That's why I enjoy coaching. You can teach kids a lot about life through the game. Chris Myers with former United States Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
Jorvig: Transitions are inevitable especially in the role of U.S. Attorney. How do you ensure your office is ready for a change in leadership, when that time comes? Myers: I've worked with great people over the years; Lisa Borgen was one of my earliest bosses, at the Clay County Attorney's office, and former U.S. Attorneys Drew Wrigley and Tim Purdon. I've learned a ton from them and try to take what I really like about their leadership abilities and incorporate it the best I can into what I do on a day-to-day basis. Even with the uncertainty of how long my tenure as U.S. Attorney would last, our focus has always been on making sure the office functions the best that it can and is always ready for the next leader. I think it's important for leaders to realize that transitions are inevitable, no matter what type of organization you lead and you always should want to leave it in better shape than you found it. We've had a great office for as long as I've known about the office and that tradition will continue. Jorvig: What does success mean to you in life? Myers: Success to me really is about
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having peace of mind. Knowing that when I look in the mirror, I reflect upon what I've done, whether it's in my personal life or professional life, I want to be able to say I did what I could to make a difference. I think at the end of the day if I can finish my career with that feeling and that reflection, I feel it has been a success. Similarly, as my kids grow up and they transition into adulthood, I hope that they transition into good people. If I accomplish that, I feel that it's been a really good life. Jorvig: I am passionate about work as well and we have talked a little bit offline about just having fun and really enjoying your craft. Why do you love what you do? Myers: I enjoy the work because of working with law enforcement to solve the crime, so to speak. Whether it is a criminal organization or somebody that committed a murder, we work with law enforcement to try to identify the folks involved and to target them and to dismantle, for example, a criminal organization. There is a lot of work that is involved, there is a lot of strategy that is involved and, to a certain extent, it is a chess game of trying to catch folks that are trying not to be caught. And some of them are very smart. That part, most days, doesn't seem like work. It seems like a calling. The folks that work around here, not only in our office but local law enforcement, absolutely love where we live and want to keep this place as safe and