Carlie Christensen named acting U.S. Attorney for Utah

SALT LAKE CITY — With the term of U.S. Attorney for Utah Brett Tolman officially coming to a close Thursday, his first assistant will take the post until a new attorney is nominated and appointed by the president.

Carlie Christensen, who has been with the U.S. Attorney's office for 19 years, will become the acting U.S. Attorney for Utah as Tolman's resignation goes into effect, said spokeswoman Melodie Rydalch.

"Carlie is very experienced and is an exceptional leader," Rydalch said. "The office will be in good hands during this transition."

Christensen was the first assistant to Tolman the past three-and-a-half years and headed up the civil division for the eight years prior to that. She has worked on such cases as the southern Utah artifacts sting, which identified 26 individuals who are charged with removing and selling archeological items illegally, and the Clear One case in which two of the communications company's former executives were charged with falsely inflating revenue.

Christensen received her undergraduate degree from Westminster College and her law degree from the University of Utah. She will act as the U.S. attorney for Utah until President Barack Obama nominates a candidate for the position, who will then have to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

— Emiley Morgan