Largest Increase in AUSAs in Decades Allocates Two Prosecutors to Montana to Focus on Violent Crime and Civil Enforcement
BILLINGS - On the 500th day of the Trump Administration, Attorney General Jeff Sessions and U.S. Attorney for the District of Montana Kurt Alme 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.
“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 Montana, one new AUSA will join the Project Safe Neighborhood initiative to help reduce violent crime in the state, which, according to the FBI, increased almost 35% from 2010 to 2016. The second AUSA will litigate cases involving opioids, health care fraud and other frauds committed against the United States. These new AUSAs will increase the total number in Montana to 30.
United States Attorney Kurt Alme added, “These new prosecutors will help reduce violent crime by prosecuting violent criminals and those who cause violent crime by trafficking meth into our state, and will help stop the improper use of opioids and frauds committed against taxpayer dollars. Our office looks forward to continuing to work with our federal, state, tribal and local partners to address these important problems in Montana."
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
