Largest Increase in AUSAs in Decades Allocates 3 Prosecutors to the Eastern District of Washington to Focus on Violent Crime, Civil Enforcement, and Immigration Crimes
June 4, 2018 - On the 500th day of the Trump Administration, United States Attorney General Sessions, together with Joseph H. Harrington, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced 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 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 AUSA’s will support the newly created Prescription Interdiction & Litigation Task Force which targets the opioid crisis at every level of the distribution system. The three AUSA positons allocated to the Eastern District of Washington will focus on violent crime, civil fraud enforcement, and immigration crimes.
"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 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."
United States Attorney Harrington said: “The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington is committed to combatting violent crime, attacking fraud, and addressing immigration matters together with our federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement partners. The additional AUSA positions that have been allocated to the District will assist significantly in these efforts."
The Eastern District of Washington is comprised of the eastern two-thirds of the State of Washington (approximately 41,826 square miles). The District is bounded by the Canadian border to the north, Idaho to the east, Oregon to the south, and the crest of the Cascade Mountains to the west. The District includes twenty Washington counties and four Indian Reservations.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
