Attorney General and Deputy Attorney General meet with U.S. Attorneys on Violent Crime

On June 14, Attorney General Merrick Garland and Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, along with DOJ law enforcement heads from DEA, FBI, ATF and the USMS, met with all 93 U.S. Attorneys to discuss the DOJ’s summer anti-violent crime strategy. The meeting followed up the Department-wide strategy launched two years ago to leverage federal resources, including grant programs and federal law enforcement, with state and local partners to combat violent crime.

In his remarks, the Attorney General announced the upcoming launch of the third phase of the U.S. Marshals Operation North Star aimed at locating and arresting fugitives charged with the highest levels of violence. Additionally, he announced that the DEA will be launching the third phase of Operation Overdrive. The first two phases resulted in the seizure of over 13 million deadly doses of fentanyl and 1300 illegal guns as well as over 1700 arrests. The AG also described efforts by the ATF to use its powerful ballistic tools to generate leads on violent criminals from evidence collected at crime scenes. In the last year these tools produced nearly 200,000 leads.

In the meeting with U.S. Attorneys, the AG and DAG discussed the Department’s strategy, which includes providing resources to communities across the country through DOJ grant making components. The Office of Justice Programs and Office of Community Oriented Policing Services are anticipated to award over $1.3 billion to support state and local law enforcement efforts to combat violent crime.

The Attorney General applauded the work of DOJ prosecutors who have prosecuted more than 6000 individuals for violent crimes so far in 2023.

Looking ahead to NAFUSA Conference 2024

Although it’s been barely two months since NAFUSA members enjoyed a successful conference in beautiful Half Moon Bay, California, we are already looking forward to Conference 2024. As previously announced, the Board of Directors voted to return the annual conferences to the fall of the year as was traditional prior to the pandemic. Consequently, the next conference will be held in the fall of 2024. Please mark your calendars for September 25 -27, 2024!

Those who were unable to join us in Half Moon Bay missed the announcement by newly elected president John Richter about the location of NAFUSA’s 2024 annual conference. The next venue became apparent to all when John presented each Board member present, including the newly elected directors, with a ball cap emblazoned “OKC.” NAFUSA will be heading to Oklahoma City in 2024.

Although the conference is many months away, planning is already well underway. We have contracted with a unique and historic hotel, the National, which is in the heart of downtown Oklahoma City, within walking distance of great restaurants, conveniently located near desirable OKC destinations, and just ten minutes from Will Rogers International Airport. The National is a Marriott Autograph Collection managed property and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The hotel is located in the First National Center, a 32-story building which originally opened in 1931 as an iconic bank and landmark monument. The National comprises the first eight floors of the historic building and opened in April 2022 catering to business travelers and those interested in historic stays. Be prepared to see original murals and bank vault doors, many shops, restaurants, and bars, as well as the Library of Distilled Spirits located in the building’s famous bank vault.

Stay tuned for more information about the OKC conference in the months ahead.

John Richter Elected President of NAFUSA

NAFUSA members elected King & Spalding LLP partner, John C. Richter, as incoming President during the general membership meeting in Half Moon Bay. The United States Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma from 2005 to 2009, John succeeds outgoing president Chuck Stevens and will serve through the next conference in the fall of 2024. Chuck will continue to serve on the Board of Directors as Immediate Past President. “I’m honored to serve this great organization,” John stated.” “I look forward to working with my fellow officers and board members as we lead this great organization in continuing to fulfill its mission in promoting and supporting the institution of the United States Attorney.”

John is a trial and investigations partner in the Special Matters and Investigations Practice Group of King & Spalding LLP. He represents and defends companies, Boards of Directors and others facing white collar criminal, civil, and regulatory enforcement matters. He has tried and/or defended criminal and/or civil cases and investigations in more than 15 federal districts, and all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

John served from 2003 to 2005 as Chief of Staff to Assistant Attorney General
Christopher A. Wray. In 2005, John then served as the Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division at DOJ, leading almost 500 prosecutors on a range of national security and federal criminal law cases and investigations. While serving as Acting AAG he was a member of the President’s Corporate Fraud Task Force and oversaw the Enron Task Force.

In 2005, he was appointed U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma, where he served until 2009, after being nominated by President George W. Bush and confirmed by unanimous Senate consent. While U.S. Attorney, he chaired the AGAC’s Sentencing Subcommittee and served as a member of the AGAC’s White Collar Crime, Native American Issues and Terrorism and National Security Subcommittees.

He has been recognized as one of the top 100 trial lawyers in America by Benchmark Litigation, a “White Collar Defense MVP” by Law360, and a “Life Sciences Star” by LMG Life Sciences.

John began his career as a federal prosecutor as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Atlanta and Oklahoma City after serving as an Assistant District Attorney in Cobb County, Georgia. From 1992 to 1994, John served as a law clerk to the Honorable J. Owen Forrester, United States District Judge for the Northern District of Georgia. He is a graduate of Emory University and of the University of Virginia School of Law.

John formally assumed the duties of President on Friday night of the Half Moon Bay conference.

Passing of the torch to newly elected president John Richter, left, from outgoing president Chuck Stevens.

NAFUSA Elects New Treasurer and Class of 2026 Directors

Longtime NAFUSA member Donald “Don” Washington was elected Treasurer during the general membership meeting at the Half Moon Bay conference. Don served as United States Attorney for the Western District of Louisiana from 2001 to 2010 under presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. While U.S. Attorney he served on the AGAC. He later served as the 11th Director of the United States Marshals Service (USMS), overseeing the operations of nearly 5500 USMS employees, under Presidents
Donald Trump and Joe Biden from 2019 to 2021. After leaving the USMS, Don returned to his former law firm, Jones Walker, as a partner in the Litigation Practice Group on the corporate compliance and whitecollar defense team in the Lafayette office.

Don is a graduate of the United States Military Academy and the South Texas College of Law.

Also, NAFUSA members at the annual conference elected a new slate of Directors to serve as the Class of 2026. The new Board of Directors members are:

Deidre Daly, former U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut from 2013 to 2017 under Presidents Obama and Trump, is currently a partner and co-chair of Finn Dixon & Herling’s Litigation Practice.

Conner Eldridge served as U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas from December 2010 to August 2015 under President Obama. He is now a partner at Eldridge Brooks Partners in Fayetteville.

Brendan Johnson served as U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota from 2009 to 2015 under President Obama. He served on the AGAC and as chair of the Native American Issues Subcommittee. He is now a partner with Robins Kaplan in Sioux Falls, S.D.

James “Jim” Letten served as U.S. Attorney for more than eleven years in the Eastern District of Louisiana under Presidents George W. Bush and Obama. He is now with Butler Snow.

Paul Perez was appointed by President George W. Bush and served as U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida from 2002 to 2007. He is currently with Fidelity National Financial, Inc.

Jeff Taylor, former U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia from 2006-2009, is currently Executive Vice President and General Counsel for the Fox Corporation

2023 J. Michael Bradford Award Winner Amanda Strachan

The 2023 J. Michael Bradford Award winner is Amanda Strachan, AUSA in charge of the Criminal Division in the District of Massachusetts. Amanda was selected by a committee of NAFUSA board members from over 20 candidates submitted by U.S. Attorneys offices across the nation. The selection committee was extremely impressed by her legal acumen and tenacious handling of the criminal investigation and
prosecution of the New England Compounding Center (NECC), the compounding pharmacy responsible for the 2012 nationwide fungal meningitis outbreak in which approximately 800 patients were sickened throughout the county and more than 100 patients died. The NECC investigation resulted in a 131-count indictment and led to convictions of 14 owners, executives, and former employees of the company. The
committee was also impressed with the compassionate way she handled the victims and their families.

District of Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins applauded the selection of Amanda Strachan for the award, “You could not have picked a more deserving lawyer and public servant to recognize… She inspired and empowered a team of AUSAs, legal assistants, victim specialists, and other professionals to do their best work on behalf of the victims in the New England Compounding Center case – and she continues to do that every single day in every case she oversees.”

Amanda’s presentation at the conference clearly reflected her dedication to this case and to finding justice for the victims of the NECC. She led the NECC investigation and prosecution for over a decade, including four trials, securing justice for the victims, and putting a spotlight on abuses in the compounding pharmacy industry.

Amanda joined the U.S. Attorney’s office in 2007. Prior to that she practiced at WilmerHale LLP where she specialized in white collar criminal defense and internal corporate investigations. She is a graduate of Bowdoin College and Boston University School of Law. She has received two Attorney General’s Distinguished Service Awards and EOUSA’s Director’s Award for Superior Service.

NAFUSA Foundation President Ed Dowd, Bradford Award Winner Amanda Strachan and NAFUSA Secretary Catherine Hanaway

NAFUSA Foundation President Ed Dowd, Bradford Award Winner Amanda Strachan and NAFUSA Secretary Catherine Hanaway

Death of Former U.S. Attorney Randy Seiler

Randolph “Randy” Seiler, former United States Attorney in South Dakota, passed away Monday, April 17th, in Sioux Falls, SD. He was 76. Prior to be named U.S. Attorney, Randy was as Assistant U.S. Attorney in Pierre, SD, beginning in 1995. He believed that being an AUSA was one of the greatest jobs for a lawyer. In 2009 he became First Assistant U.S. Attorney in that office. In March 2015 he was named South Dakota’s acting U.S. Attorney. Then, on February 5, 2016, he was officially appointed by the District Court as South Dakota’s 41st U.S. Attorney, serving until 2017.

Randy served three years in the U.S. Air Force, including a year in Vietnam. He graduated from the University of South Dakota Law School with honors and was chosen to be Editor-in-Chief of the Law Review. He ran a strong, but unsuccessful race for SD Attorney General in 2018. In 2019 he was elected Chair of the SD Democratic Party, a position he held at the time of his death. He was hailed by colleagues, both Democrat and Republican, as “a brilliant lawyer, a great U.S. Attorney for SD, a strong
advocate for victims, a dear friend, and most importantly, an amazing father and husband.”

He is survived by his wife, Wanda, and two sons, Christopher and Jeffrey Seiler, and stepdaughters Jennifer Newcomb and Paige Jensen. A visitation will be held on Monday, April 24 at the Pat Duffy Community Youth and Involved Center in Ft. Pierre. A funeral service will be held at Ss. Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Pierre, SD on Tuesday April 25 at 10:00 am.

DAN FRENCH STEPS DOWN AS SYRACUSE U GENERAL COUNSEL

NAFUSA member Dan French will be stepping down in June as Syracuse University’s senior vice president and general counsel after ten years tenure with the university. He will be returning to the full-time private practice of law, rejoining Barclay Damon, working out of the firm’s New York City and Syracuse offices.

French served as the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of New York from 1999 to 2001 after being nominated by President Clinton. Prior to that he served in that office as an Assistant United States Attorney for two years. He had previously clerked for a federal district judge and in various positions in the U.S. Senate, including as executive assistant to Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan.

In a statement announcing his departure, French said, “Serving my alma mater as its general counsel for nearly a decade has truly been one of the highest honors of my career. Even though I will miss it, I very much look forward to the next chapter…” French earned his law degree from the Syracuse University College of Law and a bachelor’s degree from the State University of New York College at Oswego.

RECORD ATTENDANCE AT NAFUSA’S 2023 ANNUAL CONFERENCE

The setting of the conference hotel for NAFUSA’s 2023 Annual Conference could not have been more beautiful. The Half Moon Bay, California Ritz Carlton is perched on cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean with breath-taking views and brisk ocean breezes. Despite a soggy start to the opening day, the weather cleared up in time for the Opening Reception on Wednesday night and happily remained clear and bright for the rest of the conference. The rain, with a little hail, from the earlier part of the day did not dampen the spirits of the 230 plus attendees.

Deputy Director Lisa Rafferty, Executive Director Wendy Goggin, President Chuck Stevens and his wife Ann.

Guidepost Director Susanne Bratter

Again this year, Guidepost Solutions hosted the Opening Reception. Many thanks to Guidepost and to our other generous sponsors for making this year’s conference a great success! Like the hotel views, the reception was amazing. Newly appointed U.S. Attorney Ismail Ramsey welcomed NAFUSA to the Northern District of California in his first official public appearance since being sworn in. He did a great job! Conference attendees greeted old friends and met new ones at the three well-stocked bars and feasted at serving stations featuring an abundant assortment of delicious California food. Many of the conference invited speakers and guests joined the attendees at the reception, so NAFUSA members were able to meet and greet, among others, officials from the Department of Justice.

The Opening Reception was an outstanding prelude to the next two days of the conference. Outgoing President Chuck Stevens welcomed conference attendees to Half Moon Bay on Thursday morning and announced that the 239 registered attendance for this year’s conference was the greatest number ever. The program was filled with outstanding speakers, including on the first day a panel of experts providing guidance on representing corporate clients before the DOJ on compliance issues, and a panel comprised of newer NAFUSA members discussing common issues they and their  predecessors faced, and how they built upon the successes of prior administrations.

NAFUSA was honored to welcome DEA Administrator Anne Milgram as our last speaker of the morning. Her remarks were focused around the incredibly frightening increase in the proliferation of fentanyl and the number of deaths associated with it. She brought slides illustrating how fentanyl has been disguised as other “safe” medications and how cartels and gangs have been behind the dramatic rise in addiction to the drug. As one member stated, she scared the pants off of us!

Thursday concluded with the wildly popular “class dinners,” with members from the various administrations represented at the conference heading off to enjoy the night life and restaurants of tiny Half Moon Bay. While nightlife in HMB might be subdued, the reminiscing of hilarious memories and rekindling of old friendships were, as usual, a highlight of the conference.

The Conference Program continued Friday morning with a report by AGAC Chair and USA SDNY, Damian Williams, and EOUSA Principal Director Norman Wong on current trends, challenges, and outlook for the DOJ. Following that, Kannon Shanmugam, a partner at Paul/Weiss gave a Supreme Court Review which was informative, up-to-the minute and (yes!) entertaining. More than one attendee commented on how much they enjoyed and learned from his presentation.

Past NAFUSA president and author in his own rite, Paul Coggins, interviewed another NAFUSA member/author, Kent Alexander, on his successful book: The Suspect: An Olympic Bombing, the FBI, the Media, and Richard Jewell, the Man in the Middle. It was a fascinating picture both about how the FBI came to go down the wrong path in its investigation of the bombing and also how the author researched and co-wrote this book.

Following the presentation of the J. Michael Bradford award by NAFUSA Secretary Catherine Hanaway and NAFUSA Foundation President Ed Dowd, to this year’s winner, Amanda Strachan, AUSA in the Distict of Massachusetts, there was a General Membership Meeting and Election of new Officers and Directors.

NAFUSA Vice President Donna Bucella and Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco

Certainly, a highlight of this year’s conference was the Cocktail Reception and Dinner on Friday night featuring keynote speaker Lisa Monaco, U.S. Deputy Attorney General (DAG). The ballroom was packed with conference attendees who witnessed the passing of the torch from outgoing NAFUSA president Chuck Stevens to new President John Richter. President-elect Donna Bucella interviewed the DAG ala “fireside chat,” eliciting information about the DAG’s remarkable career rising through the ranks in the
DOJ, memories of her time working with former AG Janet Reno, and some highlights of her time as the current DAG. It was a great ending to a successful conference!

HALF MOON BAY CONFERENCE BEGINS MARCH 29

CONFERENCE PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

CLICK HERE TO VIEW PROGRAM

NAFUSA is excited to announce that United States Deputy Attorney General (DAG) Lisa Monaco has confirmed her appearance as keynote speaker for the Friday night conference dinner in Half Moon Bay.

She will be joining us for cocktails and dinner that evening so that she will have an opportunity to meet and talk to as many conference attendees as possible. Ms. Monaco is the 39th DAG and is the second-highest ranking official in the Department. She is a veteran of the DOJ and has served as a federal prosecutor and in several leadership positions across the Department. We are honored to welcome her to our conference and look forward to hearing her remarks on Friday evening.

This year the conference will host two high level Department of Justice speakers. In addition to the DAG on Friday evening, DEA Administrator Anne Milgram will be our luncheon keynote speaker on Thursday, March 30. Ms. Milgram was sworn in as DEA Administrator on June 28, 2021, after being confirmed by the United States Senate by unanimous consent. As Administrator she leads an agency of more than 10,000 who work in 239 offices across the United States and 92 foreign offices.

On Friday morning, NAFUSA member and celebrated author Kent Alexander will be interviewed by past NAFUSA president and author Paul Coggins about Alexander’s book “The Suspect,” the book on which the 2019 Clint Eastwood movie “Richard Jewell” was based. Although we will miss having author Lis Wiehl on our program because of an unanticipated conflict, we are fortunate that our membership hosts two such talented attorneys/authors who are willing to share their writing experiences with us.

Our full conference program will also include a panel on corporate compliance issues. NAFUSA board member Greg Brower will moderate an expert panel, including Fortune 500 Chief Compliance Officers and a DOJ official, who will discuss recent developments in corporate compliance generally and, specifically, how the DOJ evaluates corporate compliance programs and how outside counsel can best advise corporate clients on how to meet DOJ expectations.

ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS

Please note NAFUSA is unable to refund registration fees for any cancellations as of  March 21, 2023 since the hotel has required payment in full.

There are currently over 200 people registered for this year’s conference! The NAFUSA block rate at the hotel has now expired.  If you are looking to book a room you can check availability at the Ritz Carlton (the conference hotel).  The Ritz has recommended the Half Moon Bay Lodge which is 1.3 miles away from the Ritz as an alternative.

There are a few open spaces for golf on Wednesday morning. Arrangements to play on the hotel course at other times can be made directly through the hotel. The hotel also features several restaurants and bars, beautiful walking trails – which we are advised go all the way to Oregon – as well as bicycles for rent, and, of course, amazing Pacific Ocean views for relaxing and enjoying.

When registering for the conference be sure to include a good email address. CLE materials, the list of conference attendees and other information will be provided electronically this year. Be sure to print any you wish to have in hard copy. A link to this year’s conference program will available on the NAFUSA website later this month and hard copies of the program will be available at the conference. Name tags for registered attendees will be available outside of the opening reception hosted by Guidepost Solutions on Wednesday evening, March 29 at 6:00.

The conference will conclude Friday night, March 31, following cocktails, a seated dinner and a keynote address by the DAG. For those wanting a nightcap or an additional chance to visit, there will be a Hospitality Suite open from 9-11.

We look forward to seeing you in Half Moon Bay!

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