Congratulations to Amanda M. Bettinelli

Spotlight Member Award

Amanda M. Bettinelli has worked for the U.S. Attorney's Office (Central District of California), Los Angeles, California as an Assistant United States Attorney since 2008. She is part of the Environmental Crimes and Community Safety Section and serves as the Environmental Justice Coordinator. She investigates and prosecutes federal crimes, secured convictions in jury trials, and handles appellate work. The excellence of her work is demonstrated not only by the depth and extensive record of her caseload, but also her impressive results, including a recent win in the matter of United States v. Willard, CR22-224-SVW. In Willard, Ms. Bettinelli successfully convicted a defendant charged with assaulting a victim within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States, specifically Mexican waters, during a four-day cruise to Ensenada. The defendant was ultimately sentenced to 46 months custody and payment of restitution awarded to the victim to cover lost wages and out of pocket medical expenses.

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Ms. Bettinelli has served on the U.S. Attorney's Office Diversity Committee and the Italian American Lawyers Association honored her last year with a Diversity and Inclusion Award for her work to promote diversity in the legal profession. Ms. Bettinelli was most recently a finalist for U.S. Attorney in the Central District of California, an honor for which she also appears to be the first and only African American woman. AUSA Bettinelli continues to serve as a prosecutor on the STAR Drug and Reentry Court and to serve in leadership roles in law enforcement task force initiatives both nationally and locally. She serves as Co-Chair for the Just the Beginning Summer Legal Institute in Los Angeles with high school students, is Co-Facilitator on Project Lead with 5th grade students, and does pro bono work on behalf of foster youth. Ms. Bettinelli currently serves on the executive board of the John M. Langston Bar Association.