CONTACT: Joshua Hasko
jhasko@messerlikramer.com
612.672.3665
Former federal prosecutor, who along with her colleagues made national news earlier this year when they resigned in the aftermath of Renee Nicole Good’s killing, brings more than two decades of DOJ experience, 40-plus jury trials, senior leadership credentials, and nationally recognized investigations and trial experience to the firm.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN — June 1, 2026 — Messerli Kramer is pleased to announce that Melinda A. Williams, a 21-year veteran of the U.S. Department of Justice and former Criminal Chief of the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota, has joined the firm’s Business Litigation Group.
Williams is a nationally recognized trial lawyer and former senior federal prosecutor whose career has focused on complex investigations, major fraud schemes, money laundering, public corruption, human trafficking, violent crime, and high-stakes federal prosecutions. She has tried more than 40 jury trials to verdict, charged hundreds of defendants, and served in multiple senior leadership roles at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Minnesota, including Criminal Chief, Senior Litigation Counsel, and Counsel to the United States Attorney.
Her arrival significantly expands Messerli Kramer’s capabilities in complex commercial litigation, internal investigations, fraud-related matters, and cases involving parallel civil, criminal, regulatory, and reputational risk.
“This is a tremendous opportunity for our firm as we continue to strategically grow and expand our practice areas,” said Joshua Hasko, President of Messerli Kramer. “Melinda is a perfect fit, both professionally and personally. She has spent her career handling difficult, high-stakes matters with clarity, credibility, and compassion. Our firm, and especially our clients, will benefit immediately from her experience and integrity, especially in complex litigation and investigations.”
As Criminal Chief of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota, Williams guided and led the criminal division and supervised dozens of attorneys and staff. She worked closely with federal, state, and local law enforcement and helped guide enforcement strategy on matters of significant public importance. She also served on the Criminal Chief’s Working Group, a select nationwide group of federal criminal chiefs that advises and consults on issues of national importance to the Department of Justice. Williams, along with several other prosecutors, made national news earlier this year when they resigned in the aftermath of Renee Nicole Good’s killing.
Williams’ trial and investigative record includes some of the most significant federal cases brought in Minnesota in recent years. She served as lead trial counsel in “The Magazine Case,” one of the largest elder fraud prosecutions in the country, charging 64 defendants and involving approximately $250 million in alleged losses. She also led the prosecution of Anton Lazzaro, widely known as “Minnesota’s Jeffrey Epstein,” in a high-profile sex-trafficking case involving victims who were minors.
Williams also led the investigation, indictment, and trial of the Bangkok Dark Nights prosecution, one of the largest human trafficking cases ever brought in federal court. The decades-long international trafficking enterprise involved hundreds of women from Thailand, a sophisticated $40 million hawala-based money-laundering operation, and investigative coordination across Southeast Asia, Europe, and the United States. That case earned Williams the Attorney General’s David Margolis Award for Exceptional Service, the Department of Justice’s highest award.
Her additional notable matters include the prosecution of a $32 million stock manipulation scheme involving the co-founder of Dakota Plains, Inc.; the prosecution of a mining company CEO for defrauding a business partner and evading nearly $2 million in employment taxes; a 41-defendant wiretap investigation targeting a heroin pipeline from Chicago and Detroit to the Red Lake Indian Reservation; and numerous major cases involving organized crime, narcotics, violent crime, crimes against children, and appellate litigation.
“Melinda has a reputation that precedes her, not just as a trial lawyer, but as someone people trust,” said Kevin Hofman, Chair of Messerli Kramer’s Business Litigation Group. “She has worked with judges, prosecutors, defense lawyers, law enforcement, victims, witnesses, and community leaders in some of the most difficult matters in this district. That kind of credibility and judgment matters, and it is exactly what clients need.”
Before joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Minnesota, Williams served as an Assistant United States Attorney in Washington, D.C., where she handled organized crime, narcotics, homicide, firearms, appellate, and complex conspiracy matters. In that role, she tried dozens of jury trials, briefed and argued appeals before the D.C. Circuit and the D.C. Court of Appeals, and handled some of the most complex matters in the jurisdiction, including one of only four “no-body” homicide prosecutions ever brought in D.C., a 32-count conspiracy case involving the shooting of a government witness, and an international heroin-smuggling case involving coordination with Canadian law enforcement. She began her legal career as a law clerk to the Honorable Alexander Williams, Jr., of the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland and as an associate in the White Collar Group at Sidley Austin LLP.
At Messerli Kramer, Williams will focus on complex business litigation, investigations, fraud matters, crisis management, and trial strategy. Her practice will be particularly valuable to businesses and individuals facing government investigations, enforcement scrutiny, internal crises, high-stakes commercial disputes, fraud claims, and matters where litigation risk intersects with reputational, regulatory, or criminal exposure.
“I am thrilled to join private practice, and even more so to be a part of Messerli Kramer,” said Williams. “After more than two decades with the Department of Justice, I am excited to bring my trial and investigations experience to clients facing their most difficult disputes and most sensitive legal challenges. Messerli Kramer has a strong litigation platform, a practical approach to client service, and deep roots in Minnesota’s business and legal communities. This felt like the perfect fit.”
Williams has received numerous honors for her work, including the aforementioned Attorney General’s David Margolis Award for Exceptional Service, the Women in Federal Law Enforcement Foundation’s Top Prosecutor Award, the Federal Bar Association Younger Federal Lawyer Award, and recognition as a Minnesota Lawyer Attorney of the Year.
In addition to her courtroom and leadership experience, Williams is a respected teacher and speaker on trial advocacy, criminal procedure, human trafficking, and complex prosecutions. She served as an adjunct professor at the University of Minnesota Law School, taught trial advocacy to federal prosecutors at the Department of Justice’s National Advocacy Center, and led international human-trafficking training coordinated by the U.S. State Department for Qatar’s specialized human-trafficking courts.
Williams earned her J.D., cum laude, from Georgetown University Law Center, where she was an assistant editor of the American Criminal Law Review and a member of the National Mock Trial Team. She earned her B.A., magna cum laude, from Saint Louis University.
About Messerli Kramer
Founded in 1965, Messerli Kramer is a full-service law firm headquartered in Minnesota, dedicated to serving our clients in complex legal and business matters locally and across the world. With offices in Minneapolis, St. Paul, Plymouth, and St. Michael, along with satellite offices across the country, MK has a storied history of entrepreneurialism and innovation. With an emphasis on building lasting relationships with clients, MK’s professionals take the time to listen and understand their legal issues within the larger framework of their business as a whole. Known for dedication and responsiveness, the firm’s attorneys and staff are focused on finding pragmatic solutions and producing remarkable results for clients.
MK’s Business Litigation Group handles complex commercial disputes, contract and financing disputes, fraud claims, shareholder and ownership disputes, employment-related litigation, investigations, and high-stakes trial matters.