BOSTON – United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins today announced the appointments of Nadine Pellegrini to serve as Chief of the National Security Unit and Rilwan Adeduntan to serve as Chief of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit.
“AUSA Pellegrini and AUSA Adeduntan have beyond proven their individual leadership ability and commitment to public service,” said U.S. Attorney Rollins. “With their legal acumen and extensive prosecutorial experience handling complex and impactful criminal investigations, AUSAs Pellegrini and Adeduntan will serve to be invaluable resources for my Office and the law enforcement community, strengthening our efforts to serve and protect Massachusetts residents on all fronts. I am supremely confident in each of their abilities to lead their respective units and execute the priorities of the Department of Justice.”
Ms. Pellegrini has more than 24 years of experience serving as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts. Notably, Ms. Pellegrini served as one of the lead prosecutors in the high-profile six-month Boston Marathon bombing trial, U.S. v. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, with thousands of exhibits and dozens of witnesses. Her extraordinary work and dedication in the investigation and subsequent prosecution, secured a conviction and sentencing that brought accountability and justice to hundreds of victims, survivors and the City of Boston.
Over the course of her esteemed career, Ms. Pellegrini has tried hundreds of criminal cases in both the state and federal judicial system. She previously served as Chief of the Major Crimes Unit in the U.S. Attorney’s Office, where she oversaw a wide range of federal criminal violations and managed nearly a dozen criminal prosecutors. More recently, in the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit, Ms. Pellegrini prosecuted and tried numerous complex narcotics trafficking and money laundering cases as well as cases involving the trafficking of endangered and threatened species and international wildlife.
Earlier in her career, Ms. Pellegrini was an Assistant Attorney General for the Office of the Attorney General where she served as Chief of Special Prosecutions Division, prosecuting public corruption, environmental and general crimes. She has also served as the Director of Advocacy for the Animal Rescue League of Boston. Ms. Pellegrini began her legal career as an Assistant District Attorney for the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office in New York. There, she served as Chief of the Violent Felony Offense Bureau and supervised the investigation and prosecution of violent crimes and oversaw approximately a dozen attorneys and investigators. Ms. Pellegrini is a graduate of the University of North Carolina, Albany Law School and Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine Center for Animals and Public Policy.
Tested trial veteran Mr. Adeduntan joins the office from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, where he served as Deputy Chief of the distinguished International Narcotics & Money Laundering Section. As Deputy Chief, he led prosecutors assigned to the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force in the investigation and prosecution of international drug kingpins and high-level narcotics traffickers. Just before joining the District of Massachusetts, Mr. Adeduntan prosecuted and secured the successful conviction of two leaders and an associate of a violent drug trafficking and money laundering organization operating in Miami’s Little Havana in a two-month jury trial with over 40 witnesses and more than 1,000 exhibits.
During his time in Southern District of Florida, Mr. Adeduntan also served as Deputy Chief of the Major Crimes Section. In this role, he led prosecutors assigned to a wide range of crimes such as sex trafficking, Hobbs Act Robbery, obstruction of justice and violent gang activity. Mr. Adeduntan also served as a member of the Special Prosecutions and Major Crimes Section for four years. During this period, he tried 13 jury trials, conducted numerous long-term investigations, and led teams to combat Southern Florida street gangs engaging in criminal conduct. Notably, Mr. Adeduntan received the Florida Gang Investigator’s Association Prosecutor of the Year award in 2020. He also secured a guilty verdict against an individual on the FBI’s Most Wanted List. Mr. Adeduntan began his tenure in Southern District of Florida in the Appellate Division.
Mr. Adeduntan is not new to Massachusetts, having served with distinction as Special Counsel and Special Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Governor Baker in 2015. During that time, he oversaw the Governor’s Drug Lab Task Force. Previously, he served as a highly regarded and well respected Assistant District Attorney for Suffolk County for over seven years and tried more than 50 jury trials. Mr. Adeduntan is a graduate of the University of Georgia and New England Law Boston.
