District Attorney: Joshua Lamancusa

On January 4, 2010, Joshua David Lamancusa was sworn in as the duly elected District Attorney
of Lawrence County, Pennsylvania. District Attorney Lamancusa leads an office of professional
prosecutors, detectives and support staff dedicated to the pursuit of justice and the protection
of the people of Lawrence County and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. He is the Chief Law
Enforcement Officer in Lawrence County and the head of the Lawrence County Drug Task
Force, Special Investigations Unit, Criminal Investigations Unit and the Sexual Assault Task
Force.

District Attorney Lamancusa presently serves as a member of the Lawrence County Drug Court,
Mental Health Court and Veteran’s Court. He is the founder of the “Jail to Job’s” Reentry
Program, neighborhood revitalization “Project Oasis Program,” and the law enforcement Mental
Health Co-Responder Initiative. He is also a member of the Lawrence County Prison Board, a
board member for the Lawrence County Animal Relief Fund, a board member for the United
Way of Lawrence County and a board member of the New Visions organization. District
Attorney Lamancusa is the recipient of the Lawrence County Crisis Shelter Peace Award, a
Pennsylvania State Senate Commendation for Prosecutorial Initiatives, a Pennsylvania State
Senate Commendation for Narcotics Policing, the Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce
Award, an American Legion Post 343 Special Award for Outstanding and Dedicated Service and
the American Legion Post 343 Distinguished Citizen’s Award. District Attorney Lamancusa was
named as a “Forty Under Forty” Honoree by the Shenango Valley Chamber of Commerce,
received TOP GUN Certification from the Pennsylvania State Police and was awarded a
Pennsylvania Narcotics Officer Association Award. He has received the NAACP President’s
Award from the Lawrence County NAACP chapter and was named a Distinguished Alumnus
from his boyhood school district. In 2018 District Attorney Lamancusa was a nominee to fill the
vacant Unites States Attorney position for the Western District of Pennsylvania and received the
YMCA Salute to Courage Award In 2022 he was the recipient of the Boy Scouts of America
Award for Community Service and Dedication.

District Attorney Lamancusa presently maintains membership in the Pennsylvania District
Attorney’s Association, National Technical Investigations Association, Pennsylvania Narcotics
Officers Association, Recovery Coalition, Lawrence County Police Chief’s Association, Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion, Italian American War Veterans, Kiwanis Club, Elks
Association, Lawrence County Law Day Committee and the Butz Scholarship Committee. District
Attorney Lamancusa is a former Naval Officer and member of the United States Navy Judge
Advocate General’s Corps.  In addition to his duties in Lawrence County, District Attorney
Lamancusa served as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law from
2018 to 2022.

Biographical Information

District Attorney Lamancusa was born in New Castle, Pennsylvania on June 4, 1973. He
attended Denison University in Granville, Ohio, and was a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon
National Fraternity and Denison University Football Team. He was active in campus government
holding several elected positions, including Student Body Vice President, Chair of the Board of
Co-Governors, and Chair of the Committee on Residential Life. In 1995, he was the sole
recipient of the Nelson Griely Award for Campus Leadership, and he graduated with a Bachelor
of Arts Degree, majoring in Economics. In 1995, he attended The Ohio State University located
in Columbus, Ohio, to pursue a master’s degree in finance and in 1996, applied for admission to
and was accepted into Case Western Reserve University School of Law in Cleveland, Ohio.
Joshua earned his Juris Doctorate from Case Western Reserve University in 1999, and during his
law school tenure was a member of Case Western Reserve’s National Moot Court Team, a Staff
Editor for the Health Matrix: Journal of Law-Medicine, and an Appellate Brief Advisor.

In 1999, Joshua was accepted into the United States Navy Judge Advocate General’s Corps (JAG
Corps) and was commissioned the rank of Ensign. He attended Officer Indoctrination School
and Naval Justice School in Newport, Rhode Island. Ensign Lamancusa was promoted to the
rank of Lieutenant Junior Grade and was stationed at Trial Service Office East at Naval Station
Norfolk, Norfolk, Virginia. Naval Station Norfolk is the largest naval base in the world, and the
Trial Service Office East is the busiest prosecution office in the U.S. Navy.

Lieutenant Junior Grade Lamancusa promoted through the chain of command and was
designated a Trial Counsel Team Leader, responsible for the supervision and prosecution of all
cases assigned to a team of 3 full time prosecutors and 2 paralegals. He excelled in this
leadership position and shortly thereafter, Lieutenant Junior Grade Lamancusa was promoted
to the rank of Lieutenant and was named Assistant Chief Trial Counsel. He was responsible for
all case prosecutions at Naval Station Norfolk, as well as for the supervision of 11 full time
prosecutors, 4 paralegals and 2 civilians.

Lieutenant Lamancusa completed his three-year tour of duty in Norfolk, Virginia and was
assigned to the Navy Legal Service Command in Naples, Italy. He was assigned the role of
defense counsel and was placed in charge of the Command’s Claims Department. Lieutenant
Lamancusa managed the Naples office, and four branch offices located in England, Spain, Sicily
and Bahrain. While on active-duty Lieutenant Lamancusa received numerous awards and
commendations including two (2) Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals, two (2) Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals, the National Defense Medal, Oversea Service Ribbon
and various weapon medals.

In 2005, then Lieutenant Commander Lamancusa resigned his active-duty commission and
returned to Lawrence County to begin private practice with his father, Carmen F. Lamancusa.
He maintained a general practice, specializing in criminal and civil litigation. He was and
continues to be active in numerous community organizations, including the American Legion
and the Veterans of Foreign Wars. He was formerly the Solicitor and a Member of the Board of
Directors for the United Way, a member of the Board of Trustees for the New Castle Public
Library, an adjunct professor for Central Texas College and Butler Community College and the
University of Pittsburgh School of Law. He has served both the Pennsylvania and Lawrence
County Bar Associations as a Zone Delegate, and Chair of the Executive Committee for the
Young Lawyers Division of the Pennsylvania Bar Association. He maintains a license to practice
law in Pennsylvania, Ohio and the 3rd Circuit of the Western District Federal Court.