Jesse Laslovich will be U.S. Attorney for Montana, following a Tuesday voice vote by the U.S. Senate.
Laslovich, 41, was nominated by President Joe Biden in January. He is currently regional vice president for SCL Health Montana-Wyoming. Laslovich has spent most of his adult life in public service. He was chief legal counsel to Montana State Auditor Monica Lindeen from 2009 to 2016.
Both Montana senators supported the confirmation.
“Just got off the phone with Jesse Laslovich and thanked him for his willingness to serve. Congratulations to Montana’s new US Attorney,” U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, a Republican, said in an email.
Following the vote, Sen. Jon Tester, a Democrat, said on Twitter that Laslovich "is a lifelong Montanan who will root out corruption and defend our local communities."
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During his time with the state auditor, Laslovich prosecuted cases of insurance and securities fraud in state district courts and in federal court in collaboration with the U.S. attorney's office as a special assistant.
Laslovich told Lee Montana Newspapers in January that the work with the U.S. attorney stuck with him. "It was meaningful work to me. I've enjoyed thoroughly the last five years being in the private sector, learning about how hospitals function and SCL Health has been very good to me. But, when you have something that's in your core, and I'm not trying to be corny, but it's something I did for seven and a half years, and the little taste of the work as a special assistant U.S. Attorney, it just doesn't leave you."
Cases involving securities or insurance are consumer advocacy cases at their core, which is what the auditor's office does. The victims are often older Montanans and homeowners.
Some Republicans, including current State Auditor Troy Downing, congratulated Laslovich, who is also a former Democratic state legislator.
The confirmed nominee was previously endorsed by former U.S. Attorney Bill Mercer, an appointee of President George W. Bush who served the Montana District for eight years. Mercer is a current member of the Montana House representing Billings.
Laslovich was a special assistant to the U.S. Attorney’s office for Montana in 2011 and 2012. It was an arrangement created under former U.S. Attorney Mike Cotter, who saw usefulness in collaborating with State Auditor Lindeen's office on securities cases. It allowed Laslovich access to federal courts when Montana investors had been defrauded in cases that were broader in scope. Laslovich's role ended in 2012 when he became a candidate for state attorney general.
The Hatch Act, which prevents civil service employees in the executive branch of the federal government from engaging in political activity, meant Laslovich couldn't remain a special assistant to the U.S. Attorney and run for office. He was defeated in the 2012 Democratic primary by Pam Bucy.
In 2016, Laslovich was the Democratic candidate for state auditor, but lost to Republican Matt Rosendale, who is now Montana's representative in the U.S. House.
Laslovich's highest-profile case was the prosecution of former stockbroker Arthur LeRoy Heffelfinger for a $2 million Ponzi scheme that preyed on elderly investors for eight years. Heffelfinger sold the victims bogus real estate investment trusts. The oldest victim was a 97-year-old woman with dementia.
"Montanans are inherently trusting people. And these cases the office is involved in, especially in the securities fraud arena, the sort of underlying consistency in each case is the trusting nature from the victim to the defendant," Laslovich said in an earlier interview.
When people abuse trust, "there is that absolute need to hold the person accountable, to be that, as you say, that consumer advocate by trying to get the victims their money back, but also to hold the person accountable," he added. "And the one thing I remember from my time in the auditor's office was the prevalence of these kinds of cases."
In 2015, Laslovich worked with the Montana Legislature to protect homeowners from insurers eager to cancel policies after damaging hailstorms. The effort followed a bad 2014 hail year in which 3,000 homeowners in Billings lost their insurance. In that case, insurers were looking back 10 years or more for old claims to justify cancelling policies. Laslovich persuaded lawmakers to limit the look-back period to five years.
Key collaborative efforts between state and federal justice officials in Montana have been profiled by past U.S. attorneys. Montana's Missing Indigenous Persons Task Force emerged in 2019 to coordinate the response between federal prosecutors, the FBI and state officials to the crisis of violence and missing persons cases involving American Indians. Former U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme rolled out a $65 million investment in local communities to fight human trafficking and help victims in 2020.
Laslovich was also Montana assistant attorney general in 2007 and 2008.
Laslovich is a 2006 graduate of the Alexander Blewett III School of Law at the University of Montana. As an undergraduate at UM, he served in the state House of Representatives at age 20, representing Anaconda. He later served briefly in the state Senate. That early start in politics shows in a long resume for Laslovich.
He is the cousin of Dylan Laslovich, chief of staff to Tester.
Last week, when Senate Judiciary Committee voted to advance Laslovich's nomination to the full Senate, there were holdouts. Republican Sens. Ted Cruz, of Texas, Josh Hawley, of Missouri, and Mike Lee, of Utah, voted against Laslovich.