Georgia Attorney General taps Fulton prosecutor to head state gang unit

ATLANTA — Fulton County Deputy District Attorney Cara Convery has been hired to lead Georgia’s first statewide Gang Prosecution Unit, Attorney General Chris Carr announced.

The General Assembly passed legislation this year backed by Gov. Brian Kemp that gives the attorney general’s office jurisdiction to work concurrently with local law enforcement officials to prosecute criminal gang activity.

The Fiscal 2023 budget, which takes effect July 1, includes $1.6 million to establish the new unit.

As a deputy district attorney in Fulton County, Convery oversees a team of lawyers and investigators and works alongside state and local law enforcement to prosecute violent offenders.

“Cara Convery has established herself as a force in the field of criminal gang prosecution and is a proven leader in Georgia’s legal community,” Carr said. “Her years of experience handling complex criminal gang cases, her credibility in the courtroom and her rigorous pursuit of justice make her the ideal candidate to lead our new Gang Prosecution Unit.”

“I am excited and humbled to be joining Attorney General Carr as we build upon the work and innovation of the Department of Law’s Prosecution Division through the vehicle of Georgia’s newest and most expansive gang unit,” Convery said. “By partnering with our local, state and federal partners, we will develop cases that attack our state’s most serious threat to public safety in dangerous criminal street gangs.”

In her new role, Convery will lead a team of 11 attorneys and paralegals in prosecuting serious gang crimes across the state. The unit will partner with state agencies, local and federal prosecutors, and law enforcement to build cases from investigation through trial.

Before joining the Atlanta Judicial Circuit, Convery served as an assistant solicitor general for Cobb County.

She has handled hundreds of felony cases from arrest to trial and has more than 10 years of experience representing the state in high-profile murder cases and major criminal prosecutions.