Ryan M. Pacyga
Top rated Criminal Defense attorney in Saint Paul, Minnesota
Ryan Pacyga Criminal Defense
Practice areas: Criminal Defense, White Collar Crimes, Personal Injury; view more
Licensed in Minnesota since: 2002
Education: William Mitchell College of Law
Selected to Super Lawyers: 2014 - 2026 
Selected to Rising Stars: 2008 - 2013 Call today:
612-474-5420
Free Consultation Ryan Pacyga Criminal Defense
860 Blue Gentian RdSuite 175
Saint Paul, MN 55121 Visit website
Ryan Pacyga practices criminal defense in Federal and State court. He is based in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota, but he represents accused people across the nation. Ryan defends people accused of serious felony offenses, including murder, manslaughter, criminal sexual conduct, mail/wire fraud, assault, conspiracies, RICO/racketeering, controlled substances/drugs, criminal vehicular homicide, firearm and white collar charges, as well as all levels of DWI/DUI. He also advises and protects people under investigation for alleged crimes or in search warrant situations.
Mr. Pacyga has obtained several high profile not-guilty verdicts and dismissals in cases including murder, aggravated robbery, domestic strangulation, assault, criminal sexual conduct, controlled substance sale/possession, federal mail and wire fraud, federal controlled substances, state and federal firearm possession, DWI and other crimes. He has also prevailed in appeal issues. Highly regarded by his peers, he has received an "Excellent" rating from Avvo, has been featured in the New York Times, CNN, Fox News Now, the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, and has been named by Minnesota Law & Politics magazine to its list of "Who's Who in Criminal Defense". He has represented several high profile athletes.
Ryan Pacyga served on the Board of Directors of the Minnesota Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and is a lifetime member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. He also serves on the Board of the Lawyer's Guild of St. Thomas More. Ryan believes in not only getting an excellent result in the courtroom, but on improving his clients' lives outside of the courtroom.
Regularly asked to share his tips, Ryan advises other criminal defense lawyers and is hired by other lawyers to take over their criminal trials. Active in his community, he coached youth football, baseball and hockey, and also volunteers mentoring law students and new criminal defense lawyers.
Practice areas
Criminal Defense, Criminal Defense: White Collar, Personal Injury - General: PlaintiffFocus areas
Assault & Battery, Brain Injury, Construction Accident, Criminal Fraud, Criminal Law, Criminal Law - Federal, Drug & Alcohol Violations, False Accusations, Felony, Murder, Sex Offenses, White Collar Crime, Wrongful Death
- 50% Criminal Defense
- 40% Criminal Defense: White Collar
- 10% Personal Injury - General: Plaintiff
First Admitted: 2002, Minnesota
Professional Webpage: https://www.arrestedmn.com/attorney-profile/ryan-m-pacyga-es...
Bar / Professional Activity
- Lifetime Member, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
- Board of Directors, Lawyers Guild of St. Thomas More , 2025
- Vice-Chair, Professionalism Committee, Hennepin County Bar Association's
- Member, Minnesota State Bar Association
- Board of Directors: Minnesota Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
- Member, Minnesota Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
- Treasurer, American Inns of Court, Richard T. Oakes Chapter
Verdicts / Settlements (Case Results)
- State v. I.O.: Charges of Criminal Sexual Conduct Dismissed after victory in suppression hearing., 2020
- State v. D.P. Three counts of criminal sexual conduct in the third, fourth and fifth degrees. After a year and a half of litigation, all charges dismissed. , 2025
- State v J.E. Not guilty two counts of 1st degree murder, as well as two counts of second degree murder , 2025
- State v. Gilbertson: 3rd degree criminal sexual conduct. Allegation was that defendant and the accuser had been drinking together, got drunk, and had sex. Accuser woke up and had a blackout where she remembered parts but not others. State alleged Defendant knew or should have known that the accuser was "physically helpless" or "mentally incapacitated." The state also filed for aggravating factors which, if found guilty, would have permitted a 96 month prison sentence. Ryan and his client took the case to trial. He showed biases and lies of the state's witnesses, including the accuser. After a week and a half trial, the jury only deliberated for 3 hours before finding the defendant NOT GUILTY. The jury relied on, among other things, a key recording where Ryan pointed out the change in a story and how the detective was helping coach the accuser into this change. The jury listened to the recording again in deliberations, and the part that Ryan pointed out. , 2024
- State v. Vasquez: 1st degree Criminal Sexual Conduct. Facing a 12-year prison sentence, Ryan Pacyga took the case to trial and earned a not guilty verdict for his client., 2024
- United Stats v. Somerville: 8th Circuit Court of Appeals. Ryan Pacyga was trial counsel on federal felon in possession of firearm case. Ryan raised a 6th Amendment issue and Due Process issue on appeal, arguing that the Court interfered with Defendant's right to a fair jury. The 8th Circuit shared the concerns that Ryan had raised and remanded the case back to the trial court for further proceedings., 2023
- Idaho v. Randall (Idaho Supreme Court). Ryan Pacyga was trial court counsel, litigated a suppression issue based upon unconstitutional canine/dog search of vehicle. The district court denied the suppression motion but the case went up on appeal to the Idaho Supreme Court. The Supreme Court agreed with Ryan Pacyga's arguments and reversed the trial court and suppressed the evidence, creating new constitutional search/seizure law in Idaho., 2021
- State v. M.F.: Dismissal of felony assault charges at trial., 2020
- State of Minnesota v. A.O.N. Trial resulting in dismissal of all 5 charges of criminal sexual conduct. The defendant had a DIFFERENT lawyer at first. He went to trial on 5 charges of criminal sexual conduct. The jury voted 9 guilty and 3 not guilty. The defendant fired his lawyer and hired Ryan Pacyga. Ryan Pacyga took the case and went to trial. This time, with Ryan Pacyga as the lawyer, the jury voted 11 NOT GUILTY and one guilty. The prosecution dismissed all charges after that trial and the defendant is free., 2019
- United States v. Lachlan McConnell: not guilty 46 counts of fraud and controlled substances; State v. R.M.: Not guilty assault with firearm via self defense; State v. L.F.: criminal vehicular homicide no adjudication, blood test suppressed; State v. B.L.: Not Guilty criminal sexual conduct; State v. J.H.: Not Guilty felony domestic assault; State v. E.Z.: Not Guilty 1st Degree Assault; State v. M.W.: Felony drug distribution dismissed; State v. A.W.: Solicitation of Prostitution dismissed; State v. J.D. 1st degree controlled substance sale dismissed; State v. T.L.: solicitation of prostitution dismissed; State v. J.M.: violation of Order for Protection dismissed; State v. Yang.: 3rd degree controlled substance dismissed; State v. Milton.: obstructing legal process dismissed; State v. B.B.: Not Guilty 1st Deg. Assault; State v. S.S.: Not Guilty 2nd Degree Assault; State v. C.C.: Not Guilty Felony Violation of Order for Protection; State v. Hartwig: Not Guilty of aiding a murder and felon in possession of a handgun. State v. Benedict: Not Guilty of burglary. State v. Wilmes: 9 counts of attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon: jury verdict "not guilty" on every count; State v. T.B.: 14-count attempted murder: dismissed; State v. Kpedua: domestic strangulation jury trial: not guilty; State v. Zweber: drug possession: evidence suppressed, case dismissed; State v. A.L.: DWI jury trial: not guilty, State v. Khan: Not Guilty, domestic stragulation. State v. Jacques: Not Guilty, DWI. State v. Johnson: Case dismissed after 18 pounds of cocaine suppressed due to unconstitutional search; State v. Shoen: Not guilty, felony assault. State v. Bielke: Not Guilty, 1st Degree Assault. State v. Craig: Not Guilty, felony violation of OFP; State v. Yang: 3d Controlled Substance Suppressed, case dismissed; State v. Williams: Not Guilty strangulation, terroristic threats, domestic assualt; State v Hamilton: Not Guilty Felony Domestic Assault; State v. Cook: Not Guilty felony DWI; State v. Gibbs: Malicious Punishment of Child Dismissed.
Videos
- Criminal defense lawyer Ryan Pacyga explains what Criminal Sexual Conduct is in Minnesota, including the five different degrees of charges., Series on Criminal Sexual Conduct, Criminal Defense, Law, 2020
Pro bono / Community Service
- Volunteer mentor to college and law students 2002-present
- Volunteer: Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers, 2025
- Volunteer: Salvation Army, Minneapolis, MN, 2022
- Volunteer Union Gospel Mission St. Paul, MN, 2023
- Volunteer mentor, University of St. Thomas School of Law, 2022
- Axelberg v. Commissioner of Public Safety (Minn. 2014). Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers
- Volunteer youth hockey, football, and baseball coach
Educational Background
- University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN, B.A., in Speech Communications, Honors: Dean's List, 1999
Scholarly Lectures / Writings
- Training lawyers how to raise and use the defenses of self defense and defense of another in murder and assault trials, author/presenter, The Law of Self Defense and Defense of Another, 2014
- How to obtain additional evidence in criminal cases that can uncover helpful facts for a criminal defendant., author/presenter, Paradee Requests, 2015
- The law of entrapment in a criminal case is complex. How to discover if your client was entrapped, and if so, how to present that in court to obtain a successful result., Presenter/Author, Entrapment: How to use the defense at trial, 2015
Honors
- Named to Top 100 Trial Lawyers by the National Trial Lawyers 2014, 2015, Top 100 Trial Lawyers, The National Trial Lawyers
- Minnesota Law & Politics, "Who's Who in Criminal Defense"
- Top 40 Trial Lawyers Under 40 by the National Trial Lawyers, Top 40 Under 40, The National Trial Lawyers, 2013
Industry Groups
- Assaults
- Drug Crimes
- DWI & DUI Defense
- Federal
- Federal Crimes
- Felonies
- Fraud
- Murder
- Sex Crimes
Office location for Ryan M. Pacyga
860 Blue Gentian Rd
Suite 175
Saint Paul, MN 55121
Phone: 612-474-5420
Selections
- Super Lawyers: 2014 - 2026
- Rising Stars: 2008 - 2013
