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Division Chief
Megan O’Donnell serves as the Division Chief of both the Criminal Investigations Division and the Central Islip Division. In this role, she oversees four bureaus – two which consist of the most junior prosecutors in the Office, and two which consist of some of the most senior prosecutors in the Office.
Chief O’Donnell has over twenty-five years of experience in leading successful investigations and prosecutions. She collaborates with a vast number of law enforcement agencies to enhance her divisions’ prosecutions, and works with advocates and state lawmakers to implement legislative changes pertaining to public safety, especially issues related to the current fentanyl and overdose crisis.
Chief O’Donnell received her Bachelor of Arts from the State University of New York at Stony Brook University, and her Juris Doctor from Hofstra University, School of Law. In 1998, Chief O’Donnell began her career as a prosecutor in the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, serving as a trial attorney throughout various bureaus and prosecuting a wide range of crimes, including sexual assaults, gang violence, major narcotics offenses, and homicides.
Chief O’Donnell handled the prosecutions of seven teenagers, who became known as the “Patchogue Seven,” for their involvement in the death of Marcelo Lucero, an Ecuadorian immigrant living in Suffolk County. Chief O’Donnell conducted the state’s first ever trial for murder charged as a hate crime. Her tireless dedication to this case resulted in the convictions of all seven defendants.
In 2010, Chief O’Donnell was named Attorney-In-Charge of the Anti-Gang Unit. Shortly thereafter, she was named Deputy Bureau Chief of the Special Investigations Bureau, which was comprised of a number of specialized units to combat gangs, organized crime, and human trafficking. That bureau has since evolved into the Violent Criminal Enterprise Bureau, which Chief O'Donnell currently oversees, in addition to the Intake and Discovery Compliance Bureau, the District Court Bureau, and the Narcotics Bureau.
In 2013, Chief O’Donnell left the District Attorney’s Office and was appointed an Assistant County Attorney for Suffolk County. While at the County Attorney's Office, Chief O’Donnell handled a breadth of cases in Federal Court including employment discrimination and constitutional claims brought against the County. She later returned to the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office in 2018.
In 2010, Chief O’Donnell was named Prosecutor of the Year in Trial Advocacy by the New York Prosecutors Training Institute (NYPTI) for her work on the "Patchogue Seven" case.
Meet the Team Leading the Office’s Initiatives
Chief Assistant District Attorney
Division Chief
Division Chief
General Counsel
Chief Investigator
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