Bryan Schroder, U.S. Attorney for Alaska, and the case of the missing fisherman

By
Suzanne Downing
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Bryan Schroder, a veteran federal prosecutor in Alaska, was nominated Friday by President Donald Trump to be the U.S. Attorney for the District of Alaska.

Schroder has been the acting head of the Alaska district since Karen Loeffler stepped down after being asked to resign by the Administration.

He had served as First Assistant U.S. Attorney and Criminal Chief for the United States Attorney’s Office, District of Alaska since 2005.

A retired U.S. Coast Guard Captain, Schroder is a graduate of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, and the University of Washington School of Law.

Schroder served in the Coast Guard for 24 years, in Seattle, Long Beach, California, and San Diego.  He then served as a judge advocate in Juneau, Anchorage, Miami, New York, and Colorado Springs.

As an Assistant U.S. Attorney, he has handled cases involving drugs, guns, violent crime, fisheries, environmental crime, tax violations, and fraud.

U.S. Attorneys are the chief federal law enforcement officers within a particular jurisdiction.They are part of the Department of Justice, which is in the executive branch of the government.

IT WAS A DARK AND STORMY NIGHT

In a recent case that Schroder handled, a Port Graham couple has been charged with faking the death of a man who was facing prison time on another count to which he had already plead guilty.

Schroder charged Ryan Riley Meganack, 34, and his girlfriend, Ivy Rose Rodriguez, 25, with conspiracy and false distress. Meganack was also charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Meganack is a long-time commercial fisherman and a boat captain. In December he was scheduled to plead guilty in a case that would result in prison time. He was accused of sexual abuse of a minor.
To avoid prison, Meganack staged his own fake death with the help of his girlfriend.

On Nov. 29, 2016, Meganack piloted his fishing boat to an island near Port Graham and abandoned his skiff to make it appear he had a boating accident. He then went into hiding at a pre-staged campsite.  After his girlfriend helped him get settled in camp, she notified his family that he had not returned. His family then called the Coast Guard. A search and rescue operation was mounted in dangerous weather conditions, with snow, gale-force winds, and low visibility.

While the Coast Guard and other authorities searched for Meganack, he was safely hiding at his campsite. The Coast Guard received a tip and found the man.

The expense to the Coast Guard was nearly $311,000.

Port Graham is near the tip of the Kenai Peninsula, and is not on the road system.

Other high profile cases Schroder has handled include:

  • U.S. v. Wells: a double homicide at Coast Guard Communications Station Kodiak;
  • U.S. v. Brandner: a multi-million dollar wire fraud and tax evasion case, and:
  • U.S. v. Avery: the largest wire fraud and money laundering conviction in Alaska federal court.

Rounding out his credentials, he also served in the Criminal Division as an anti-terrorism prosecutor.

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