Largest Increase in AUSAs in Decades Allocates Nine Prosecutors to Eastern District of New York to Focus on Violent Crime, Civil Enforcement, and Immigration Crimes
Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Richard P. Donoghue, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, announced today that the Department of Justice is taking a dramatic step to increase resources to combat violent crime, enforce our immigration laws, and help roll back the devastating opioid crisis.
In the largest increase in decades, the Department of Justice is allocating 311 new Assistant United States Attorneys (AUSAs) to assist in priority areas. Those allocations are as follows: 190 violent crime prosecutors, 86 civil enforcement prosecutors, and 35 additional immigration prosecutors. Many of the civil enforcement AUSAs will support the newly created Prescription Interdiction & Litigation Task Force that targets the opioid crisis at every level of the distribution system.
“Under President Trump's strong leadership, the Department of Justice is going on offense against violent crime, illegal immigration, and the opioid crisis-and today we are sending in reinforcements," said Attorney General Jeff Sessions. “We have a saying in my office that a new federal prosecutor is ‘the coin of the realm.’ When we can eliminate wasteful spending, one of my first questions to my staff is if we can deploy more prosecutors to where they are needed. I have personally worked to re-purpose existing funds to support this critical mission, and as a former federal prosecutor myself, my expectations could not be higher. These exceptional and talented prosecutors are key leaders in our crime fighting partnership. This addition of new Assistant U.S. Attorney positions represents the largest increase in decades."
In the Eastern District of New York, five of these AUSAs will focus on violent crime, two on civil enforcement, and two on prosecuting immigration cases.
“The addition of nine new Assistant U.S. Attorneys in the Eastern District of New York will accelerate our Office’s efforts to bring prosecutions against the most violent criminals in our communities, including gang members, international narcotic traffickers and terrorists; secure our ports of entry and communities against illegal immigration and immigration fraud and increase our civil enforcement efforts against opioid abuse, elder fraud, health care fraud and other financial crimes," stated United States Attorney Donoghue. “Today’s announcement underscores the Department of Justice’s commitment to make the Eastern District of New York a safer place by providing new resources to address the unique and complex challenges we face."
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
