KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - J. Douglas Overbey, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Tennessee, today announced changes in some of the management and supervisory personnel for the district.
“The decision to implement the changes outlined below was made with due and thoughtful consideration," said U.S. Attorney Overbey. “All of these individuals are well qualified for the position for which they have been chosen. Also, as they all currently serve in supervisory positions, the transition to their new roles should be seamless and keep the district moving forward in support of the priorities and initiatives of the Department of Justice," added Overbey.
Charles E. Atchley, Jr. will now serve as the First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the district. Atchley most recently served as Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division and supervisor of the National Security Unit. He joined the office in 2001 as an Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA). Prior to this, Atchley was an Assistant Attorney General in the Fourth Judicial District of Tennessee. His memberships include the Tennessee Bar Association; State Bar of Georgia; Alabama State Bar; Knoxville Bar Association; Hamilton Burnett Inns of Court; Sevier County Bar Association; and serves on the Board of Directors of the East Tennessee Historical Society and Zoo Knoxville. After graduating from the University of Tennessee, he received a law degree from the Cumberland School of Law at Samford University.
Nancy Stallard Harr will now serve as Senior Litigation Counsel (SLC). Harr, a native of Bristol, Virginia, joined the U.S. Attorney’s office as an AUSA in 1995. Since that time, she has served as supervisor of the Greeneville branch office and First AUSA. Upon the retirement of the presidentially appointed U.S. Attorney in 2015, she became the Acting U.S. Attorney. In October 2016, she was appointed by the court as U.S. Attorney for the district and served in that role until November 2017. Prior to joining the office, Harr was a prosecutor with the Second Judicial District Attorney’s office in Blountville. She received her law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law.
Francis M. (Trey) Hamilton III, has been chosen to serve as a Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division, supervising fraud and white collar crime prosecutions. Hamilton joined the office in 2002 as an AUSA. Since that time, he has served as SLC and the Criminal Division’s Coordinator for Health Care Fraud, Financial Institution Fraud, and Asset Forfeiture matters. Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Hamilton was a law clerk to the Honorable Jerome Turner, U.S. District Judge for the Western District of Tennessee, and worked as an associate attorney for two national law firms. He received his law degree from Washington & Lee University School of Law, where he graduated summa cum laude, was elected to the Order of the Coif, and served as a member of the Washington & Lee Law Review. His undergraduate degree is from Rhodes College, where he graduated magna cum laude and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. Hamilton is licensed in Tennessee, Georgia, and the District of Columbia.
Caryn L. Hebets has been chosen to serve as a Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division supervising violent crime and drug prosecutions. Hebets, a native of Dearborn, Michigan, joined the office as an AUSA in October 2005. She most recently served as the lead Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Attorney for the district. Prior to joining the U.S Attorney’s office, Hebets was an Assistant Prosecuting Attorney for Berrien County, Michigan, and also worked with the FBI. She received her law degree from Wayne State University after receiving an undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan. She is a member of the Michigan bar.
In addition to announcing the changes above, U.S. Attorney Overbey announced that the following individuals would remain in their current management and supervisory roles in the district:
David Jennings will remain in his current position as the Chief of the Criminal Division. Jennings joined the office as an AUSA in 1994. Prior to becoming Criminal Chief, he was an AUSA in asset forfeiture, violent crime and OCDETF. In 2008, he became supervisor of the violent crime and OCDETF prosecutions, and eventually added general crimes to this list. Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney’s office, he spent four years on active duty in the Army JAG Corps and worked as an Assistant District Attorney in the Knox County District Attorney’s Office. Jennings has a law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law and an undergraduate degree from the University of Tennessee.
Loretta Harber will remain as Chief of the Civil Division. Harber, a native of Brooklyn, New York and raised in Lexington, Kentucky, began with the office as an AUSA in 1987. She received her undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Tennessee.
Robert C. McConkey, III will continue to serve as Deputy Chief of the Civil Division. McConkey has been an AUSA with the office since 2010. Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney’s office, he worked as an associate in private practice handling commercial and general civil litigation and served as a Deputy Law Director for Knox County, Tennessee. He received his law degree from the Cumberland School of Law at Samford University after receiving an undergraduate degree from East Tennessee State University.
The Greeneville branch office will continue to be supervised by Branch Chief Donald Wayne Taylor. Before joining the office as an AUSA in 2007, Taylor served as the Chief Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney in Floyd County, Kentucky. He also has experience as an associate in a private law firm. He received a law degree from Widener University School of Law in Wilmington, Delaware, after receiving an undergraduate degree from Penn State University.
Finally, the Chattanooga branch office will continue under the supervision of Branch Chief Steven Neff. Neff joined the office as an AUSA in 2000. Prior to joining the U.S Attorney’s office, he served on active duty for five years in the U.S. Army as a JAG Corps lawyer. In addition to his duties as an AUSA, he also served overseas on detail from the DOJ as the Resident Legal Advisor at the U.S. Embassy in Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia. He has a law degree from Mercer University Law School in Georgia, and an undergraduate degree from Davidson College.
The U.S. Attorney’s office for the Eastern District of Tennessee represents the interests of the United States both criminal and civil, in federal court. The eastern district is the largest federal district in Tennessee, with a population of over 2.6 million, encompassing 41 of the 95 counties, and spanning 420 miles. In addition to the headquarters office in Knoxville, there are branch offices in Chattanooga and Greeneville. U.S. Attorney Overbey, who was sworn in as the presidentially appointed, senate confirmed U.S. Attorney in November 2017, serves as the top-ranking federal law enforcement official in the district.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
