The Criminal Law Division is responsible for investigating drug trafficking, child predators, organized crime, public corruption, insurance fraud and other criminal violations. This division also handles criminal cases referred to the Office of Attorney General by Pennsylvania’s 67 District Attorneys or various other government agencies.
The Public Protection Division safeguards the personal rights of the citizens of Pennsylvania and protects the public interest. The Public Protection Division handles consumer complaints through the Bureau of Consumer Protection and the Health Care Section, oversees Tobacco enforcement, Charitable Trusts and Organizations, Antitrust actions and Civil Rights Enforcement.
The Civil Law Division defends the constitutionality of Pennsylvania law, represents Commonwealth agencies, defends the Commonwealth in tax appeals, collects delinquent taxes and other debts owed to the Commonwealth, handles or supervises various appeals and reviews Commonwealth contracts, regulations and bond issues for form and legality.
The Office of Public Engagement prevents crime through outreach in communities across Pennsylvania. The office teaches young adults and parents about drug addiction and shows seniors how to avoid becoming the victim of a scam. Request a presentation and access resources from the office online.
The decision to join the United States Navy after high school would become a defining moment, setting the course for his future and shaping his character, experiences, and opportunities in a profound way. As an enlisted recruit he was deployed to the Persian Gulf where he participated in Operation Desert Strike. Attorney General Sunday was also deployed to South America and conducted numerous counter-narcotics operations in the Caribbean. While serving, he learned what it takes to be an effective leader under tremendous pressure. He proudly carries on the Navy core principles of honor, commitment, and courage to this day.
During Law School, Attorney General Sunday had the opportunity to work as a legal intern at the United Nations Office of the Secretariat in New York where he was assigned to the Department of Peacekeeping Operations.
After graduation from law school, he worked as Law Clerk for the Honorable Joseph C. Adams, York County Court of Common Pleas. Attorney General Sunday has been a prosecutor with the York County District Attorney’s Office since 2009, where he served in various roles. In addition to serving as District Attorney for the past seven years, he supervised Major Crime cases and the Felony Narcotics Unit. Additionally, he served as the Legal Advisor to the District Attorney’s Drug Task Force and York County Quick Response (a.k.a. SWAT) Team.
In 2013, Attorney General Sunday was appointed by the United States Department of Justice as a Special Assistant United States Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, where he assisted in the prosecution of gang, illegal gun, and drug cases in Federal Court. It was during this time period that he led the prosecution of Operation Sunrise, which was a large scale multi-jurisdictional arrest and prosecution of over 100 members and/or affiliates of the “Latin Kings,” a violent criminal gang operating in York County.
As an elected District Attorney, he led York County’s fight against the opioid epidemic, fought to protect seniors through his role on the Elder Abuse Task Force, helped to forge partnerships with healthcare systems and the courts to deal with the increasing challenges surrounding mental health, and personally tried approximately 50 felony jury trials to verdict including the successful prosecution of more than 10 of the most high profile York County murder trials in recent memory.
In addition to homicides, Attorney General Sunday has successfully prosecuted Murder Conspiracies, the Attempted Murder of a Police Officer, multiple Murders for Hire, Felony Narcotics Deliveries, Aggravated Assaults, Burglaries, Armed Robberies, Bank Robberies, Insurance Fraud Cases, Thefts and Elder Fraud Scams to name a few.
Beyond trial work, Attorney General Sunday previously served as President of the York County Bar Association, Chair of the York Opioid Collaborative, Chair of the Education and Training Committee of the Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association (PDAA), was appointed to the Pennsylvania Commission on Sentencing by Speaker of the House Mike Turzai in 2020, and was selected to serve on behalf of the PDAA on the Pennsylvania Commission for Crime and Delinquency’s (PCCD) statewide Mental Health and Justice Advisory Committee.
Attorney General Sunday and his wife have one son and reside in York County.
The heritage of the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General is one of the oldest and most divergent offices of public trust in the United States spanning over three centuries of life in the Commonwealth.
The office is marked by several significant periods in its history:
1643-1681: Attorneys General before William Penn
1686-1710: The Era of David Lloyd
1717-1776: Proprietary Attorneys General
1776-1838: Early Constitutional Era
1838-1915: 19th and Early 20th Century Attorneys General
1915-1981: Modern Attorneys General
1981-present: Elected Attorneys General
The position of Attorney General was created in 1643, before the arrival of English Common Law, as an office within government of the area known as New Sweden. Appointees were selected by the King of Sweden.
The arrival of William Penn in 1681 as the proprietor of Pennsylvania began a continuing succession of notable Attorneys General including David Lloyd (1686-1710), who designed Pennsylvania’s first judicial system, and Andrew Hamilton (1717-1726), who defined the early role of the Office by making significant changes from the European systems of justice. (Hamilton later defended printer John Peter Zenger in a case that became the foundation for the concept of freedom of press.)
The “Proprietary” Attorneys General existed until 1776 when the Attorney General became a constitutional officer of the democratic Commonwealth. John Morris was the first Attorney General appointed under the Constitution.
The new constitutional office continued to grow in importance until 1840 when it suffered a period of regression. Various Attorneys General and the Governors who appointed them defined the duties of the Office in different and contradictory ways. By the year 1850, through improperly drafted legislation, the Office was stripped of its authority at the county level and was rendered almost powerless in state government.
It was not until 1915 that the General Assembly established new powers and duties for the Office including the authority to appoint more Deputy Attorneys General. Beginning in 1923, the Administrative Code made the Attorney General the administrator for the Pennsylvania Department of Justice.
Attorneys General
At the primary election of 1978, Pennsylvania voters approved a Constitutional amendment providing for the election of an Attorney General effective with the general election of 1980.
The Constitutional amendment was implemented by the Commonwealth Attorneys Act of 1980 which defined the duties and powers of the Attorney General. The Constitution further provided the Attorney General shall be the chief law enforcement officer of the Commonwealth and shall exercise such powers and perform such duties as may be imposed by law.
Attorney General | Took office | Left office |
LeRoy S. Zimmerman | January 20, 1981 | January 17, 1989 |
Ernie Preate | January 17, 1989 | June 23, 1995 |
Walter W. Cohen (acting) | June 26, 1995 | October 3, 1995 |
Tom Corbett | October 3, 1995 | January 21, 1997 |
Mike Fisher | January 21, 1997 | December 15, 2003 |
Jerry Pappert | January 18, 2004 | January 18, 2005 |
Tom Corbett | January 18, 2005 | January 18, 2011 |
William Ryan (acting) | January 18, 2011 | May 27, 2011 |
Linda Kelly | May 27, 2011 | January 15, 2013 |
Kathleen Kane | January 15, 2013 | August 17, 2016 |
Bruce Castor (acting) | August 17, 2016 | August 31, 2016 |
Bruce Beemer | August 31, 2016 | January 17, 2017 |
Josh Shapiro | January 17, 2017 | January 17, 2023 |
Michelle A. Henry | January 17, 2023 | Present |
Mission
The Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General maintains the highest standards of ethics to protect life, property, and constitutional and consumer rights, so as to ensure safety and freedom for those living in and visiting the Commonwealth. We collaborate with partner agencies and groups to enforce the law and defend the interests of the Commonwealth and its diverse citizens.
Values
- Integrity – We conduct ourselves with uncompromised honesty, honor, and ethics.
- Human Dignity – We recognize the value, circumstances, and rights of all, including those charged under the law.
- Justice – We will be unbiased and impartial in pursuit of accountability for those who breach state and federal laws to harm others.
- Professionalism – We are accountable to the constituents we serve, and to each other, to act in the best interests of Pennsylvanians and will always aim for improvement and advancement.
- Leadership – We demand ethical leadership from our team members while maintaining relationships with partner organizations who can entrust us to set and achieve a standard of excellence.
As provided by the Commonwealth Attorneys Act, the fundamental duties of the Attorney General are:
- To be the Commonwealth’s chief law enforcement officer charged with the responsibility for the prosecution of organized crime and public corruption. This law enforcement effort includes a criminal investigation unit and a drug law enforcement program as well as direction of statewide and multi-county investigating grand juries and a Medicaid Fraud Control Section
- To collect, by suit or otherwise, all debts, taxes and accounts due the Commonwealth which shall be referred to and placed with the Attorney General
- To represent the Commonwealth and all Commonwealth agencies and upon request the Auditor General, State Treasurer and Public Utility Commission in any action brought by or against the Commonwealth or its Agencies
- To administer the provision relating to consumer protection laws
- To represent the Commonwealth and its citizens in any action brought about for violation of the antitrust laws of the United States.
The decision to join the United States Navy after high school would become a defining moment, setting the course for his future and shaping his character, experiences, and opportunities in a profound way. As an enlisted recruit he was deployed to the Persian Gulf where he participated in Operation Desert Strike. Attorney General Sunday was also deployed to South America and conducted numerous counter-narcotics operations in the Caribbean. While serving, he learned what it takes to be an effective leader under tremendous pressure. He proudly carries on the Navy core principles of honor, commitment, and courage to this day.
During Law School, Attorney General Sunday had the opportunity to work as a legal intern at the United Nations Office of the Secretariat in New York where he was assigned to the Department of Peacekeeping Operations.
After graduation from law school, he worked as Law Clerk for the Honorable Joseph C. Adams, York County Court of Common Pleas. Attorney General Sunday has been a prosecutor with the York County District Attorney’s Office since 2009, where he served in various roles. In addition to serving as District Attorney for the past seven years, he supervised Major Crime cases and the Felony Narcotics Unit. Additionally, he served as the Legal Advisor to the District Attorney’s Drug Task Force and York County Quick Response (a.k.a. SWAT) Team.
In 2013, Attorney General Sunday was appointed by the United States Department of Justice as a Special Assistant United States Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, where he assisted in the prosecution of gang, illegal gun, and drug cases in Federal Court. It was during this time period that he led the prosecution of Operation Sunrise, which was a large scale multi-jurisdictional arrest and prosecution of over 100 members and/or affiliates of the “Latin Kings,” a violent criminal gang operating in York County.
As an elected District Attorney, he led York County’s fight against the opioid epidemic, fought to protect seniors through his role on the Elder Abuse Task Force, helped to forge partnerships with healthcare systems and the courts to deal with the increasing challenges surrounding mental health, and personally tried approximately 50 felony jury trials to verdict including the successful prosecution of more than 10 of the most high profile York County murder trials in recent memory.
In addition to homicides, Attorney General Sunday has successfully prosecuted Murder Conspiracies, the Attempted Murder of a Police Officer, multiple Murders for Hire, Felony Narcotics Deliveries, Aggravated Assaults, Burglaries, Armed Robberies, Bank Robberies, Insurance Fraud Cases, Thefts and Elder Fraud Scams to name a few.
Beyond trial work, Attorney General Sunday previously served as President of the York County Bar Association, Chair of the York Opioid Collaborative, Chair of the Education and Training Committee of the Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association (PDAA), was appointed to the Pennsylvania Commission on Sentencing by Speaker of the House Mike Turzai in 2020, and was selected to serve on behalf of the PDAA on the Pennsylvania Commission for Crime and Delinquency’s (PCCD) statewide Mental Health and Justice Advisory Committee.
Attorney General Sunday and his wife have one son and reside in York County.
The heritage of the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General is one of the oldest and most divergent offices of public trust in the United States spanning over three centuries of life in the Commonwealth.
The office is marked by several significant periods in its history:
1643-1681: Attorneys General before William Penn
1686-1710: The Era of David Lloyd
1717-1776: Proprietary Attorneys General
1776-1838: Early Constitutional Era
1838-1915: 19th and Early 20th Century Attorneys General
1915-1981: Modern Attorneys General
1981-present: Elected Attorneys General
The position of Attorney General was created in 1643, before the arrival of English Common Law, as an office within government of the area known as New Sweden. Appointees were selected by the King of Sweden.
The arrival of William Penn in 1681 as the proprietor of Pennsylvania began a continuing succession of notable Attorneys General including David Lloyd (1686-1710), who designed Pennsylvania’s first judicial system, and Andrew Hamilton (1717-1726), who defined the early role of the Office by making significant changes from the European systems of justice. (Hamilton later defended printer John Peter Zenger in a case that became the foundation for the concept of freedom of press.)
The “Proprietary” Attorneys General existed until 1776 when the Attorney General became a constitutional officer of the democratic Commonwealth. John Morris was the first Attorney General appointed under the Constitution.
The new constitutional office continued to grow in importance until 1840 when it suffered a period of regression. Various Attorneys General and the Governors who appointed them defined the duties of the Office in different and contradictory ways. By the year 1850, through improperly drafted legislation, the Office was stripped of its authority at the county level and was rendered almost powerless in state government.
It was not until 1915 that the General Assembly established new powers and duties for the Office including the authority to appoint more Deputy Attorneys General. Beginning in 1923, the Administrative Code made the Attorney General the administrator for the Pennsylvania Department of Justice.
Attorneys General
At the primary election of 1978, Pennsylvania voters approved a Constitutional amendment providing for the election of an Attorney General effective with the general election of 1980.
The Constitutional amendment was implemented by the Commonwealth Attorneys Act of 1980 which defined the duties and powers of the Attorney General. The Constitution further provided the Attorney General shall be the chief law enforcement officer of the Commonwealth and shall exercise such powers and perform such duties as may be imposed by law.
Attorney General | Took office | Left office |
LeRoy S. Zimmerman | January 20, 1981 | January 17, 1989 |
Ernie Preate | January 17, 1989 | June 23, 1995 |
Walter W. Cohen (acting) | June 26, 1995 | October 3, 1995 |
Tom Corbett | October 3, 1995 | January 21, 1997 |
Mike Fisher | January 21, 1997 | December 15, 2003 |
Jerry Pappert | January 18, 2004 | January 18, 2005 |
Tom Corbett | January 18, 2005 | January 18, 2011 |
William Ryan (acting) | January 18, 2011 | May 27, 2011 |
Linda Kelly | May 27, 2011 | January 15, 2013 |
Kathleen Kane | January 15, 2013 | August 17, 2016 |
Bruce Castor (acting) | August 17, 2016 | August 31, 2016 |
Bruce Beemer | August 31, 2016 | January 17, 2017 |
Josh Shapiro | January 17, 2017 | January 17, 2023 |
Michelle A. Henry | January 17, 2023 | Present |
Mission
The Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General maintains the highest standards of ethics to protect life, property, and constitutional and consumer rights, so as to ensure safety and freedom for those living in and visiting the Commonwealth. We collaborate with partner agencies and groups to enforce the law and defend the interests of the Commonwealth and its diverse citizens.
Values
- Integrity – We conduct ourselves with uncompromised honesty, honor, and ethics.
- Human Dignity – We recognize the value, circumstances, and rights of all, including those charged under the law.
- Justice – We will be unbiased and impartial in pursuit of accountability for those who breach state and federal laws to harm others.
- Professionalism – We are accountable to the constituents we serve, and to each other, to act in the best interests of Pennsylvanians and will always aim for improvement and advancement.
- Leadership – We demand ethical leadership from our team members while maintaining relationships with partner organizations who can entrust us to set and achieve a standard of excellence.
As provided by the Commonwealth Attorneys Act, the fundamental duties of the Attorney General are:
- To be the Commonwealth’s chief law enforcement officer charged with the responsibility for the prosecution of organized crime and public corruption. This law enforcement effort includes a criminal investigation unit and a drug law enforcement program as well as direction of statewide and multi-county investigating grand juries and a Medicaid Fraud Control Section
- To collect, by suit or otherwise, all debts, taxes and accounts due the Commonwealth which shall be referred to and placed with the Attorney General
- To represent the Commonwealth and all Commonwealth agencies and upon request the Auditor General, State Treasurer and Public Utility Commission in any action brought by or against the Commonwealth or its Agencies
- To administer the provision relating to consumer protection laws
- To represent the Commonwealth and its citizens in any action brought about for violation of the antitrust laws of the United States.