Benjamin J. Cheeks is currently an Assistant United States Attorney in San Diego. For the past three years, he has investigated and prosecuted a variety of federal crimes, including importation and possession of large quantities of narcotics, firearms trafficking, fraud, bank robberies, and immigration-related crimes. Before working as a federal prosecutor, he was a state prosecutor in New York City at the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. During his seven-year tenure, he specialized in prosecuting narcotics crimes and fraud. In addition, he wrote numerous appellate briefs and conducted oral arguments in New York appellate court. As both a state and federal prosecutor, he has tried many cases to verdict before a jury. Professor Cheeks earned his Juris Doctorate from American University Washington College of Law in Washington D.C., and he received his Bachelor Degrees in Political Science and Religious Studies from the University of Miami.