U.S. Attorney Troy Eid spends weekends outside on his deck, at times smoking a cigar, while reviewing a stack of investigations and pre-indictments that his prosecutors have prepared.
“I want to know exactly what they are working on – not to meddle – but to support them when problems arise,” Eid said. “I wanted to run the office well, the way I ran state governments and the way I ran departments in business. I wanted to encourage (prosecutors) and shield them from criticism.”
Colorado’s 43-year-old chief federal law enforcement officer says that even a year after moving into the office he wanted for 20 years, he still relishes every aspect of the job.
Eid, former legal counsel to Gov. Bill Owens and an environmental and tribal law attorney, was sworn in a year ago.
Eid’s predecessor says it’s too early to tell whether his term has been a success.
“It’s hard to judge a person’s performance after only one year when many of the things that happened in that office were in the works for a long time,” said William Leone, a former acting U.S. attorney now in private practice.
“It’s much more meaningful to judge that performance after two, three or four years of work.”
While a year may not be long enough, the time hasn’t been ordinary.
During his term, former Qwest chief executive Joe Nacchio was convicted of insider trading, and the state’s largest bust of gang members took place when the Rollin’ 30s Crips were rounded up on crack-cocaine-dealing charges.
The U.S. attorney’s office also has increased prosecutions of child pornography, and half the office caseload involves illegal immigrants with prior felonies who have re-entered the United States.
“From prosecuting one of the largest gang takedowns ever in the district to leading a significant increase in prosecutions of child predators, Troy has done a great job representing the Department’s priorities in Colorado,” U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales wrote in a statement.
A moment that Eid – the only son of an Egyptian immigrant – did not see coming occurred when he toured the Supermax prison in Florence this year. A prisoner in the terrorist wing called Eid his “Egyptian homeboy” and taunted the prosecutor, accusing him of turning on his own people.
“I actually engaged one of the guys who got into my face,” Eid said. “I asked him, ‘Why do we have to continue this blood feud? Why can’t we make this better?’ … The symbolism comes with the job, but I never expected to encounter that.”
Building strong relationships between law enforcement agencies may be an easier task for Eid.
“He reached out not just to heads of agencies but asked to meet with the working- level agents,” said Richard Powers, former special agent in charge of the Denver FBI. “He talked to them about cases and got input on how his office could serve them better. He quickly became well-respected by the rank and file.”
Aurora Police Chief Dan Oates said Eid was invaluable during the Metro Gang Task Force investigation of the Rollin’ 30s Crips.
“There were competing law enforcement interests with all the jurisdictions involved,” Oates said. “He was good at shepherding all of us.”
The Colorado State Patrol, now charged with immigration enforcement and frequently on the scene of large drug-trafficking busts, relies on the U.S. attorney’s office to prosecute those cases. Eid is working on getting troopers cross-deputized to work on federal tribal lands in order to assist American Indians with law enforcement.
“We have two Indian tribes in the state, and Mr. Eid’s taken an active role in promoting relationships with those Indian tribes,” Colorado State Patrol Chief Mark Trostel said. “We find that refreshing and very progressive and expect great things.”
Jim Peters, former district attorney of the 18th Judicial District who was in the running for Eid’s job, also has praise.
“My impression is that he has been very capable and effective this year,” Peters said. “The Nacchio case, focusing on white-collar crime and terrorism, I know he has met with the Muslim community.
“He’s dealt with the meth issue as well as crimes involving guns.”
Eid said he has no aspirations to run for higher office and wants to keep the job he has as long as he can. He said he plans to stay in Colorado for the rest of his life.
“I am enjoying every single minute of it,” Eid said. “I want to leave this office even better than it was when I got here.”
Staff writer Felisa Cardona can be reached at 303-954-1219 or fcardona@denverpost.com.
