Gov. Noem appoints new South Dakota Attorney General

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) - Mark Vargo, Pennington County State’s Attorney, has been appointed by Gov. Kristi Noem to serve as interim Attorney General of South Dakota. This appointment comes after the state Senate convicted the former attorney general on two impeachment charges related to a deadly crash.

“Mark Vargo returns integrity, experience and stability to the Attorney General’s Office,” said Governor Noem. “He is an outstanding prosecutor who has the respect of law enforcement agencies and prosecutors statewide. Mark will provide the leadership the office needs until the next Attorney General is elected in November and takes office in January.”

Vargo has more than 30 years of professional and public legal experience. He has served as an Assistant State’s Attorney for Florida’s Dade County, Assistant United States Attorney for the District of South Dakota and has been Pennington County State’s Attorney since 2013. He was nominated in 2010 for a U.S. Department of Justice’s Director’s Award and was named the South Dakota Prosecutor of the Year in 2015.

“I am honored to have been asked by Governor Noem to serve as the Attorney General,” said Vargo. He also said that he wants to return to the Pennington County State’s Attorney’s Office after serving in this role through January 6, 2023.

South Dakota Attorney General election will take place on Nov. 8. Republicans nominated former Attorney General Marty Jackley. The state Democratic Party will nominated it’s AG choice at a convention in July.

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