Here's who Merced County DA named as the new supervising deputy
The Merced County District Attorney's Office announced on Friday it will fill a vacant supervising deputy district attorney's spot from within.
Matthew Serratto, 37, was promoted to the supervising position, the office said in a release. He's been with the office since 2007.
Serratto replaces Steve Slocum, who was appointed to be a Merced County Superior Court commissioner about a month ago.
In his time with Merced County, Serratto has taken 56 trials to verdict, according to a news release.
He was also the lead prosecutor on Operation Scrapbook, a year-long investigation that ended on May 10 with the arrest of more than 60 Sureno gang members. At least 23 of those arrested have so far been convicted and sentenced, according to a news release.
Serratto has "distinguished himself as a prosecutor," according to District Attorney Larry Morse II. “His commitment to both public safety and improving the quality of life in Merced County is exemplary," Morse said in the release. "He will be a great addition to the management of the district attorney’s office."
As a supervising district attorney, Serratto will handle significant, high-profile cases as assigned, assist with charging cases as they are referred to the district attorney’s office and supervise other attorneys, the release said. There are 25 deputy district attorneys, including two in the supervising position, the release said. The other is Nicole Silveira, who was promoted in 2016.
A San Francisco native, Serratto was elected in District 5 of the Merced City Council in November 2016.
Serratto has also organized a charity basketball tournament for the past five years, coached Mock Trial at Mariposa County High last year and was featured in the Sun-Star's "20 under 40" last year. He's on the board of Merced Youth Connect and vice president of the Merced Attorney's Association, according to the release.
He earned a bachelor's at University of California at Davis and his law degree at UCLA, the release said.
This story was originally published February 16, 2018 at 1:25 PM with the headline "Here's who Merced County DA named as the new supervising deputy."