Death of Judge Patrick NeMoyer

Former NAFUSA member Patrick H. NeMoyer passed away on May 17, 2025, at his home in Orchard Park, New York, after a long illness. He was 72. During his long legal career, he served as Erie County Attorney, and a state appeals judge with the 4th Appellate Division in Rochester, New York, in addition to serving as the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of New York. He was nominated by President Clinton in 1993 and, after Senate confirmation, went on to serve as U.S. Attorney until 1997, when he stepped down to run for a seat on the State Supreme Court (Appellate Court). He presided over a wide range of cases there for the next 26 years. He was named Western New York Judge of the Year by the State Trial Lawyers Association in 2006.

Those who knew Judge NeMoyer remarked on his incredible intellect. He was a member of the Mensa Society. His wife of 47 years, Elyse, commented, “He loved the law. He was a very cerebral guy who enjoyed the intellectual challenges presented by the law.” She went on to say that he even enjoyed the boring parts of the law. He also loved politics and was active in Democratic Party politics before he became a judge. While U.S. Attorney, Judge NeMoyer was proud of the role his office and the Buffalo FBI office played in the investigation that led to the arrest and conviction of Timothy McVeigh, a western New York native, for his role in the 1995 Oklahoma City terrorist bombing. NAFUSA member Denise O’Donnell, who was First Assistant under NeMoyer and who later succeeded him when he stepped down to become a judge, remembers Judge NeMoyer as “…an extremely kind and decent man that you could go to for good, solid advice.”

In addition to his wife, Judge NeMoyer leaves four daughters, Erin, Caitlin, Amanda and
Rachel and four grandchildren. A flag was flown over the Department of Justice in his
honor.

NAFUSA Welcomes New Members in May

Gerard Karam, former U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, has joined
NAFUSA as a lifetime member. He served as U.S. Attorney from 2022-2025 after being
nominated by then President Biden. Prior to his appointment he served as General Counsel to the Housing Authority of Lackawanna County, PA and as Chief Public Defender for that county. After stepping down as U.S. Attorney, he joined the law firm Stevens & Lee as a shareholder where he co-chairs the firm’s White Collar Group.

Chris Kavanagh, also joined NAFUSA in May. He served as U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia (WDVA) from 2021 to 2025. Prior to being appointed U.S. Attorney, he served as an AUSA from 2007 to 2014 in the D.C. U.S. Attorneys Office and from 2014 to 2021 in the WDVA. After stepping down as U.S. Attorney, he joined Cleary Gottlieb in the firm’s Washington, D.C. office as a partner in the Americas Litigation Group. Since 2011 he has also been an adjunct professor at the UVA Law School.

West Virginia native William Thompson is now a member of NAFUSA. He served as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia from 2021 to 2025. Prior to being named U.S. Attorney, he was a Circuit Court Judge in West Virginia’s 25th Judicial District, a position to which he was first appointed in 2007 and elected, then reelected in 2008 and 2016. In May 2025, he joined Spilman Thomas & Battle, PLLC as Counsel. In addition to his legal work, he serves as Dean of Students at the Appalachian School of Law and is a visiting professor there.

NAFUSA Welcomes New Members in April 2025

Please welcome the following new NAFUSA members:

Michael Easley, Jr. served as the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina from November 2021 until February 2025. He is currently a partner at McGuire Woods in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Jonathan Scott Ross was appointed United States Attorney for the Middle District of Alabama in May 2024 after serving as an AUSA in that office for ten years in positions including Senior Litigation Counsel, First Assistant and Acting U.S. Attorney. He resigned in August 2024 to enter private practice and is currently a shareholder with Maynard Nexsen in Birmingham.

Alamdar S. Hamdani served as the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Texas from December 2022 until January 2025 after being nominated by President Biden and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. During his tenure he served on the AGAC and chaired the AGAC’s Border and Immigration Subcommittee. He is currently a partner at Bracewell in Houston, Texas.

Stephanie Hinds served as United States Attorney for the Northern District of California from March 2021 to March 2023. She was appointed by then Attorney General Garland as Director of the Executive Office of U.S. Attorneys in in October 2024 and served there until February 2025.

Rebecca Lutzko served as the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio from June 2023 until January 2025, first as Court appointed and then as the Senate confirmed nominee of President Biden.

Andrew Luger served as the United States Attorney for the District of Minnesota under President Obama from February 2014 until March 2017 and returned to that position under President Biden serving from March 202 until January 2025. After leaving the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the second time, he returned to Jones Day as a partner in the firm’s Minneapolis office.

Trina A. Higgins served as the United States Attorney for the District of Utah from May 2022 until February 2025. She is the first woman to hold that position. After leaving office, she joined the Salt Lake City office of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati as Of Counsel for litigation and appellate practices.

Dena King was sworn in as the United States Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina on November 29, 2021. She served in that position until February 2025. She is
currently a partner at Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Joshua (Josh) Levy served as United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts from May 2023 until January 2025. Following his resignation, he rejoined the firm of Ropes & Gray in its litigation and enforcement practice.

Sandra Hairston was sworn in as United States Attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina in November 2021 after having previously served as Acting U.S. Attorney for that district. She served as U.S. Attorney until January 2025.

Leigha Simonton served as the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas from December 2022 until January 2025. She is currently a member at Dykema Gossett
PLLC in Dallas, Texas.

NAFUSA Board of Directors Meets in Nashville

The NAFUSA Board of Directors met the first weekend in April in Nashville, Tennessee.
Great city! It was the first in-person meeting for the class of 2027 directors elected in the
general membership meeting in September in Oklahoma City. Either in-person or virtually, all but one of our directors was able to attend this meeting.

In addition to financial reporting, organization business and membership updates covered in the meeting, the board voted on the Bradford Award Committee’s recommendation for the 2025 recipient of this prestigious award. There was also spirited discussion of issues of general concern and issues impacting our non-partisan association. The conference committee reported on plans for this year’s conference and panel leaders were appointed for the CLE program areas to be presented at the conference at the Willard Hotel in Washington DC in October. If you are interested in being a part of the conference planning, please let me or Lisa know or contact any of the NAFUSA officers or directors.

Additionally, there was discussion of recommendations for new directors which will be
presented to the membership for voting in October at the 2025 annual conference.
NAFUSA Directors play an important role in the operation of the organization. They are
instrumental in planning and presenting relevant, timely and interesting programs for our annual conferences, in recruiting sponsors, promoting the organization and seeking new members. It’s not all work, however. Our mid-year meetings are a great opportunity to get to know each other and enjoy the camaraderie and spirit of our shared experiences in interesting and fun locations. Please let us know if you are considering serving on our Board of Directors in the future. It’s a great opportunity to connect with other former U.S. Attorneys and take an active role in NAFUSA.

 

Death of Former U.S. Attorney Jessica Aber

Jessica Aber, who served as the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia for most of the Biden administration died in her home in Alexandria, Virginia, on March 26 of natural causes. She was 43. The news of her death greatly shocked and saddened her family and many friends in the U.S. Attorney and Department of Justice community. Her friends and colleagues were “heartbroken” to learn of her passing.

Ms. Aber, a career federal prosecutor, took office in October 2021, after being nominated by President Biden and unanimously confirmed by the Senate. She resigned from that position in January 2025. She was known for prosecuting high-profile cases involving organized crime and national security. U.S. Attorney Erik Seibert, who currently heads that office, remarked that “[Ms. Aber] was unmatched as a leader, mentor, and prosecutor, and she is simply irreplaceable as human being.”

Flag Ceremony for Family of Victor Ortega

 

As reported in the December 2024 NAFUSA newsletter, former U.S. Attorney for the District of New Mexico and founding NAFUSA member Victor Otega died in May 2024, at the age of 91.

On February 6, 2025, a ceremony was held in the U.S. Attorneys Office in Santa Fe, New Mexico during which the flag flown over the Department of Justice in honor of former U. S. Attorney Ortega was presented to Carol Ortega, his widow. The presentation was made by lifetime NAFUSA member and former president Bill Lutz on behalf of NAFUSA. In addition to Mrs. Ortega, the ceremony was attended by current U.S. Attorneys Holland Kastin, Judge Harris Hartz from the 10th Circuit, who worked for Mr. Ortega in the 1970’s, and former U.S. Attorneys Fred Federici and Alexander Euballez , among others. Mrs. Ortega expressed her gratitude and thanked NAFUSA for the ceremony and flag honoring her late husband.

Update From 2024 Bradford Award Winner

New Jersey Assistant U.S. Attorney John Romano captivated NAFUSA’s 2024 Annual Conference attendees as he related the long and twisted history of the prosecution of foster parents Carolyn and Keith Jackson, who brutally tortured and starved young children in their care. The original trial judge sentenced the couple three times, twice after remand from the Third Circuit, significantly lower than the verdict and sentencing guidelines called for. The case went up to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals three times. The sentence was finally vacated and the case remanded for resentencing before a different judge. The link to the Third Circuit’s opinion on the appeal of the new sentence is below. Spoiler alert: John’s perseverance once again prevailed. Congratulations, John, and thank you!

Jackson Case Update

NAFUSA Conference 2025 – Golf!

The 2025 annual conference in Washington D.C. October 8-10 will open early for NAFUSA golfers. Conference attendees will be able to play a round of golf with fellow members and guests at the historic Army Navy Country Club on Army Navy Drive in Arlington, Virginia. Registration for the reserved tee times on Wednesday morning, October 8, and for transport to the golf course from the conference hotel, will open concurrently with conference registration this summer.

The Army Navy Country Club was established in 1925. It sits in part on the site of Fort Richardson, a Union fort which commanded the highest ground of the forts on the Virginia side of D.C. defending the nation’s capital during the Civil War. It is a private, member-owned country club whose membership ranges from civilians to Active Duty and Retired Commissioned Officers and is ranked in the top 4% of private clubs in the U.S. The club has been featured in Virginia Golfer magazine. The course is considered challenging with a variety of holes and is certainly beautiful. We are pleased to offer an opportunity to play on this legendary golf course to NAFUSA conference attendees.

Death of Morton Susman

Well-known Houston attorney Morton Susman passed away surrounded by loving family on January 21, 2025. He was 90. Following graduation from Southern Methodist University Law School he enlisted in the United States Navy and served in the Navy’s JAG Corps for three years of active duty. Following his military commitment he moved with his family to Houston, Texas. He began his career with the U.S. Department of Justice as an Assistant United States Attorney and later, in 1966, was appointed U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas by President Johnson. Susman, a former
NAFUSA member, had a long-distinguished career in private practice. He concluded his legal career as a senior partner at the New York law firm Weil, Gotshal & Manges in 1997.

In retirement, Susman and his wife Nina traveled the world and spent much of his retirement years at their vacation home in Canyon Ranch in Tucson, Arizona. He loved scuba diving, underwater photography and flying radio-controlled airplanes.