On the 500th day of the Trump Administration, Attorney General Jeff Sessions and U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana Duane A. Evans 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 the Eastern District of Louisiana, one (1) additional AUSA will be hired for this position. The AUSA will be tasked with affirmative civil enforcement, with an emphasis on health-care fraud and opioid diversion matters. U.S. Attorney Evans commented: “This district has historically enjoyed a robust criminal and civil health-care fraud practice. In addition to combating the opioid crisis in Louisiana, this additional AUSA will help us expand outreach efforts with federal agencies and community partners to increase the quality and quantity of civil referrals."
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
