U.S. Attorney John H. Durham today announced that Leonard C. Boyle has returned to the U.S. Attorney’s Office to serve as First Assistant United States Attorney, the office’s second-ranking position.
Since July 2009, Mr. Boyle served as Deputy Chief State’s Attorney where he supervised all prosecutions and investigations conducted by the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney. Mr. Boyle previously served in the U.S. Attorney’s Office from 1986 to 1998, the last four years of which he was Chief of the Criminal Division. After a short time in private practice, Mr. Boyle returned to government service in April 1999 as a Special Attorney to the U.S. Attorney General and investigated and prosecuted corrupt relationships between law enforcement personnel and organized crime figures in the Boston area. From January 2003 to August 2004, Mr. Boyle served in the U.S. Attorney’s Office as Counsel to the U.S. Attorney, and also supervised the Office’s Corporate Fraud Unit.
U.S. Attorney Durham notes that in addition to Mr. Boyle’s earlier work as a federal prosecutor, his wealth of law enforcement and management experience includes previous service as the Director of the FBI’s Terrorist Screening Center in Washington, D.C., from March 2007 to February 2009, and as Commissioner of Connecticut’s Department of Public Safety from August 2004 to March 2007.
Mr. Boyle graduated from the University of Hartford in 1980, and from the University of Connecticut School of Law in 1983. From 1975 to 1980, Mr. Boyle was a police officer for the Town of East Hartford.
“Len Boyle is a true public servant, and we and the entire Department of Justice are tremendously fortunate that he has decided to bring his legal skill, extraordinary judgment and decades of professional experience back to our Office," said U.S. Attorney Durham.
In addition to the appointment of Mr. Boyle as First Assistant U.S. Attorney, U.S. Attorney Durham announced a change to the supervisory structure of the office, and the appointment of several Assistant U.S. Attorneys to office leadership positions.
U.S. Attorney Durham has appointed Susan L. Wines as Executive Assistant United States Attorney. Ms. Wines has been an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the District of Connecticut since December 2007, prosecuting complex white collar crime, elder fraud and tax matters. Prior to joining the office, she was in private practice in Los Angeles and, from 1997 to 2002, was an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Central District of California where she prosecuted many violent offenders, including members and associates of the Mexican Mafia.
For several years, the office’s Criminal Division, which continues to be led by Assistant U.S. Attorney William J. Nardini, has included three program-based units: National Security and Major Crimes, Violent Crimes and Narcotics, and Financial Fraud and Public Corruption. The Criminal Division now comprises four units, as the National Security and Major Crimes Unit has been separated into two groups: National Security and Cybercrime, which is responsible for prosecuting matters involving international and domestic terrorism, customs enforcement and identity theft, and the rapidly expanding problem of sophisticated cybercrimes, and Major Crimes, which will be responsible for prosecuting matters including immigration, child exploitation, human trafficking, civil rights and hate crimes, government program fraud and environmental crimes.
U.S. Attorney Durham has appointed Peter S. Jongbloed as Chief of the National Security and Cybercrime Unit and Vanessa Richards as Deputy Chief. Sarah P. Karwan has been elevated to the position of Chief of the Major Crimes Unit and Sarala V. Nagala will serve as Deputy Chief.
The Violent Crimes and Narcotics Unit (VCN), which includes Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) prosecutions, the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), and violent crime, gangs and narcotics investigations, and will continue with S. Dave Vatti as Chief of the unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael J. Gustafson has been named as a new Deputy Chief of the unit and will serve as PSN Coordinator, overseeing firearms prosecutions that seek to deter the illegal possession of guns and reduce gun and gang violence. Anthony E. Kaplan, has been named as the second Deputy Chief of the Unit, and will serve as OCDETF Coordinator, which targets major drug trafficking operations responsible for the distribution of large quantities of narcotics by major drug trafficking organizations.
Within the VCN Unit, Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick F. Caruso has been named Opioid Coordinator, with responsibilities that include managing the Office’s HEAT program and other outreach efforts, prosecuting cases related to the overprescribing and dispensing of opioids, and leading the Office’s statewide initiative targeting narcotics dealers who distribute heroin, fentanyl or opioids that cause death or serious injury to users.
The Financial Fraud and Public Corruption Unit is responsible for investigating matters involving securities and investor fraud, public corruption, bank fraud and embezzlement, mortgage fraud, tax fraud, health care fraud, bankruptcy fraud and Foreign Corrupt Practices Act violations. David E. Novick continues to serve as Chief of the unit, and Michael S. McGarry remains as Deputy Chief.
U.S. Attorney Durham also announced that John B. Hughes remains the longstanding Chief of the Civil Division. In the Civil Division, Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle McConaghy continues to lead the Defensive Unit, which defends claims filed against the U.S., including tort, medical malpractice, employment discrimination, immigration and foreclosures. Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Molot heads the Civil Division’s Affirmative Civil Enforcement and Civil Rights Unit, which pursues claims on behalf of the U.S. in cases involving health care fraud, defense contractor fraud, drug diversion, forfeitures and environmental violations.
U.S. Attorney Durham also notice that Sandra S. Glover and Marc H. Silverman continue as Chief of Appeals and Deputy Chief of Appeals, respectively.
“Throughout my career, I have never failed to be impressed by the number of incredibly bright and talented individuals who choose federal service and work in our Office, and the professionalism with which they do their jobs," said U.S. Attorney Durham. “Every member of this supervisory team and their colleagues are committed to making Connecticut a safer and better place to live, and every day I’m proud to work by their side in the cause of justice."
The U.S. Attorney’s Office is charged with enforcing federal criminal laws in Connecticut and representing the federal government in civil litigation. The Office is composed of approximately 68 Assistant U.S. Attorneys and 57 staff members at offices in New Haven, Bridgeport and Hartford.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
