New assistant DA brings experience prosecuting financial crimes

After an international career, Castine resident ‘grew restless not being involved in the law’

Sept. 23, 2026

By John Boit

Michael Gunnison, center, shakes hands with Senior Maine Supreme Court Associate Justice Andrew Mead at Gunnison’s swearing-in ceremony to the Maine Bar at the Penobscot County Judicial Center in Bangor on Aug. 31. At left is Hancock County District Attorney Bob Granger. Photo courtesy of Hancock County DA’s Office.

ELLSWORTH–A former federal prosecutor who spent much of his career combating terrorism financing and prosecuting international money-laundering cases, has been named as a new assistant district attorney for Hancock County.

Michael Gunnison, a Castine resident, started the new job this month. His previous work has included serving as a U.S. Department of Justice investigator and legal advisor overseeing an eight-country area of responsibility while operating out of United States embassies in Qatar, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates, according to a press release from the Hancock County District Attorney’s Office.

A significant portion of Gunnison’s career was spent as a special prosecutor and advisor investigating large financial fraud, bribery and money-laundering cases associated with U.S. overseas contracts, many of which involved U.S.-funded contracts for the rebuilding of Afghanistan following military operations in that region. His work also focused on combatting counter financing of terrorism, including investigations involving Hezbollah groups.

“We are very fortunate to have Mr. Gunnison join our office,” Hancock County District Attorney Bob Granger said. “He’s an extremely seasoned prosecutor with an incredible background in prosecuting financial crimes. I’ve already designated him to assume responsibility for prosecuting all of our financial crimes in our Prosecutorial District.”

Gunnison, 67, retired to Castine but “he grew restless not being active in the law,” the release said. When Granger learned Gunnison was exploring options to practice law locally, Granger “called him and invited him to the DA’s Office for a chat.” 

“Mr. Gunnison’s resume was impeccable,” Granger said. “My biggest question for someone who had spent his career prosecuting international crimes involving tens of millions of dollars is how did he feel about prosecuting a $10 shoplifting case involving a stolen fish fillet from the local grocery store?”  

He said Gunnison paused and said, “the basic concepts are the same. I think it will be interesting.” 

Reached by phone, Gunnison told The Rising Tide he is looking forward to learning from the fellow prosecutors in the district attorney’s office.

“I’m low on the learning curve for doing the work in Hancock County courts, but I’m in awe of my colleagues who are terrific prosecutors and I’m really happy to be part of the office,” Gunnison said.

In his prior career, Gunnison was also involved in educational programs during his tour in the Middle East. He served as an adjunct professor at Hamad Bin Khalifa University School of Law in Doha, and provided investigations training for Qatari judges, prosecutors and financial regulators.

In Iraq, he was appointed by the Department of Justice as the lead U.S. official for promoting the rule of law in the country. He was the primary rule of law advisor to the U.S. ambassador in Baghdad, and was the rule of law liaison to Iraq’s chief justice, minister of justice, coalition forces and the international diplomatic community, according to the release.

Some of the most notable cases he worked on during his career included the prosecution of the organizer of a fraudulent scheme to acquire Aristotle Onassis’s yacht Christina from the government of Greece; prosecution of a former U.S. attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia for racketeering, money laundering and securities violations; and prosecution of the manager of a New York-based hedge fund in a $5 million scheme to sell fraudulent assets to investors, the release said.

Gunnison has received the U.S. Department of Justice Director’s Award for Superior Performance as an Assistant United States Attorney, been named Prosecutor of the Year from the International Association of Financial Crime Investigators, and named the Daniel Webster International Lawyer of the Year.

“I’m looking forward to working with Michael given his experiences because I might just learn a few things from him. I think we all will,” Granger said. “But that will likely work both ways because state prosecutions operate at a much faster pace and with much higher caseload. It’s going to be interesting.”