BOSTON – John Verner, a former assistant district attorney, has been appointed chief of the Massachusetts Criminal Bureau, Attorney General Martha Coakley announced last month.

According to a news release, Verner most recently served as chief of the Public Protection, Anti-Terrorism, Corruption and Technology Unit at the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office.

A Cambridge resident, Verner is a graduate of Suffolk University School of Law and Providence College. Verner has served as assistant district attorney in Middlesex District Court, where he tried approximately 50 trials and received the 2002 Scott Harshbarger Special Achievement Award for his “outstanding” contributions to the district court, the release said.

In 2007, Verner was appointed Chief of the PACT Unit at the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office and held that position until recently joining Coakley’s office. •