U.S. attorney retires after 30 years as a prosecutor

CEDAR RAPIDS — U.S. Attorney Sean Berry of the Northern District of Iowa has retired after more than 30 years as a federal prosecutor.

“I am truly grateful for the opportunity to serve in the United States Attorney’s Offices for the Northern District of Iowa and the Central District of California,” Berry said in a statement.

“Representing the United States for more than 30 years has been a great honor,” he said.

“It has been a particular privilege to work with the extraordinary attorneys and staff in the Northern District of Iowa. Their deep commitment to the Department of Justice’s mission is demonstrated in everything they do.”

Berry also commended “fantastic” federal, state and local law enforcement officers and other agency partners who make the prosecutions possible. Their dedication make communities better and safer, he said.

Berry was appointed U.S. attorney for the Northern District — the northern half of Iowa — in December by U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland.

U.S. Attorney Peter Deegan Jr. retired last year, and Berry was named acting U.S. attorney. A prosecutor in the acting role can only serve so many months before a justice department or presidential appointment must be made, which led to the Garland’s appointment of Berry to the post in December.

Garland has appointed First Assistant U.S. Attorney Tim Duax, the branch chief in the district’s Sioux City office, as acting U.S. attorney in the Northern District.

Appointments made by the U.S. attorney general aren’t unusual because presidential appointments have not been made in many federal districts. As of December, 37 U.S. attorney appointments have gone to the U.S. Senate for confirmation, with 31 confirmed, according to media reports.

Bentley case

Berry has worked in the Cedar Rapids federal office for about 22 years, serving as first assistant U.S. attorney and criminal chief.

He had extensive experience prosecuting complex white collar crimes and child exploitation cases, including a well-known Cedar Rapids case against James Bentley of Vinton.

Bentley was convicted in 2007 of possession of child pornography and sexual exploitation of 10-year-old Jetseta Gage of Cedar Rapids. He is serving a 100-year sentence in federal prison.

Jetseta was killed by James’ brother, Roger Bentley, in 2005 after she was kidnapped from her grandmother’s home and sexually abused. Roger Bentley was convicted in state court in 2006 of kidnapping, sexually abusing and killing Jetseta. He is serving two life prison terms without parole.

Berry received a U.S. Justice Department Director’s Award for Superior Performance for his work on the James Bentley case.

Berry served in a number of leadership roles in the Cedar Rapids office. He was acting U.S. attorney in 2017 after Kevin Techau was asked to step down and President Donald Trump appointed U.S. Attorney Peter Deegan Jr. to the position.

Before coming to Iowa, Berry was a civil litigator with a Los Angeles law firm before working 10 years as an assistant U.S. attorney in Los Angeles, where he was chief of the major frauds section and prosecuted complex white-collar cases.

Berry graduated in 1987 from Northwestern University Law School in Chicago. He also graduated in 1982 from the University of Notre Dame.

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