A tip of the bonnet to Cal State San Bernardino and Colton High grad Adam N. Torres, the new U.S. Marshal for the Central Judicial District of California.

The Senate confirmed his appointment Saturday.

His nomination by President Bush was sent to the Senate on March 27.

Torres' wife, Carmela, said the confirmation culminated a year-long process.

In her e-mail sharing the news, she said, "This is a proud moment for us' and also for the Inland Empire where her husband "was born, raised, educated and gained professional experience.'

Torres, 39, has been since 2000 a supervising special agent in the criminal investigation section of the Internal Revenue Service's Los Angeles field office.

In that job, he oversaw probes of possible financial crimes and criminal organizations suspected of violating internal revenue laws, the Bank Secrecy Act or other federal statutes.

A 1981 graduate of Colton High School, Torres graduated from Cal State San Bernardino in 1986 with a bachelor's degree in business administration, accounting emphasis. He became a revenue agent the same year, two years after he started work in federal service.

In addition to his investigative work in the IRS, Torres has been a Treasury Department firearms and defensive tactics instructor, a member of the director's speakers bureau and of the Secret Service Jump Team, a protective detail.

He was a distinguished graduate of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in April 1994 in both academic and physical fitness achievement.

In 2000, Torres received the U.S. Attorney's Award in "recognition for superior performance.'

As U.S. Marshal for the Central Judicial District of California, Torres will be in charge of Marshals Service in a seven-county area: San Bernardino, Riverside, Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo.

What that entails is providing protection for the federal judiciary, transporting federal prisoners, protecting federal witnesses, managing seized assets in criminal cases and arresting federal fugitives.

Torres is a member of the Federal Lawl Enforcement Officer's Association, the Latino Police Officer's Association and the International Association of Law Enforcement Firearms Instructors.

Torres and his wife are the parents of a daughter, 16, and a son, 14. The family lives in Riverside.