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Do public prosecutors work for a city, county, or state, or does it vary by location? Are they called district attorneys, attorneys general, prosecutors, or something else. Specifically, if I have been a victim of monetary criminal matter, how do I find the prosecutor that has jurisdiction and how can I contact that person? Is there only one prosecutor that has jurisdiction or do I have a choice among several, such as depending on where I live, where the criminal lives, or where the crime took place? (I am asking specifically about a matter that involves a wrong-doer in Atlanta and a victim in New York.) To make initial contact, do I send an email, do I make an appointment, do I just show up at the prosecutor's office?

On reflection, perhaps the crime took place over the internet. I paid by paypal and the other party did not use the money as agreed upon, pocketing it instead. So, where did the crime take place?

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    I think in most cases, if you have a crime to report, you would begin by talking to the police, not the prosecutors.
    – Nate Eldredge
    Nov 11, 2015 at 14:39
  • @NateEldredge Again the same question applies. Can I approach the local police dept or must I go to Atlanta?
    – user3270
    Nov 11, 2015 at 14:43
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    Usually it is based on where the crime took place. But you could always call your local police and see what they say. Note that you don't have to go to Atlanta to report the crime; a phone call should be perfectly sufficient. (You might at some point need to travel there to testify as a witness; if so, I believe your travel expenses would be paid.)
    – Nate Eldredge
    Nov 11, 2015 at 14:46
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    I don't know. But I bet your local police will. Ask them. (Note that if the "crime" was simply that another party didn't do something they agreed to do, it might not be a crime but a civil matter.)
    – Nate Eldredge
    Nov 11, 2015 at 15:36
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    @user3270 call your local police non-emergency number.
    – Viktor
    Nov 12, 2015 at 19:06

2 Answers 2

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You do not contact the District Attorney's Office, the Police do that. You call your police department and they will dispatch a car to you. Meet with them and tell them the case. They will take the report back and get it to the D.A.'s office. The D.A.'s office will decide if there is a case or not. If they find there is a case, they will contact you for the next steps.

It starts with a phone call to the police.

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Because you have a victim in NYC and an accused individual in Atlanta, I would advise ringing the FBI field office in New York as all crimes that cross state lines are automatically Federal Crimes. The FBI in NYC does have a lot of financial forensics specialists, given that NYC is a major economic center. Fraud is also typically handled by them by default.

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    It would need to be a lot of money before the FBI became interested.
    – George White
    Apr 18, 2019 at 16:48
  • @GeorgeWhite: But it is an interstate crime.
    – hszmv
    Apr 18, 2019 at 18:12
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    From their web site - FBI priorities - presumably in order of decreasing importance -Protect the United States from terrorist attack Protect the United States against foreign intelligence operations and espionage Protect the United States against cyber-based attacks and high-technology crimes Combat public corruption at all levels Protect civil rights Combat transnational/national criminal organizations and enterprises Combat major white-collar crime Combat significant violent crime
    – George White
    Apr 18, 2019 at 18:34

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