AG Sessions Appoints Six Additional Members to AGAC

Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced today the appointment of six new U.S. Attorneys to serve two-year terms on the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee of U.S. Attorneys (AGAC), joining the nine members announced on November 13, 2017.

The new appointees are U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Erin Nealy Cox; U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Richard P. Donoghue; U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Alabama Louis V. Franklin, Sr.; U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois John R. Lausch, Jr.; U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts Andrew E. Lelling; and U.S. Attorney for the District of Delaware David C. Weiss.

“I am pleased to announce these new members of the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee. The Advisory Committee plays an important role in helping us achieve the Department of Justice’s goals, including to reduce violent crime, combat transnational criminal organizations, secure our southern border, end the devastating opioid crisis, and enforce the rule of law,” said Attorney General Sessions.

A brief biography of each new member is below:

Erin Nealy Cox
The Senate confirmed Erin Nealy Cox’s appointment as United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas in November 2017. Prior to this appointment, Ms. Nealy Cox was a Senior Advisor at McKinsey & Co in the cybersecurity and risk practice and on the Board of Directors of Sally Beauty Holdings, a large retailer on the NYSE. From 1999 to 2008, Ms. Nealy Cox served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Northern District of Texas, where she prosecuted cyber crimes, white collar crimes, and general crimes. In 2004 and 2005, she served at Main Justice as Chief of Staff and Senior Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General in the Office of Legal Policy. Ms. Nealy Cox also previously worked at Stroz Friedberg, a cybersecurity and investigations consulting firm. Ms. Nealy Cox clerked for the Honorable Henry A. Politz, when he served as Chief Judge of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the Honorable Barefoot Sanders, United States District Judge in the Northern District of Texas. She received a B.B.A in Finance from the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin and her J.D., magna cum laude, from Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law.

Richard P. Donoghue
On January 5, 2018, the Attorney General appointed Richard P. Donoghue to be interim United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York. Prior to this appointment, Mr. Donoghue served as the Senior Vice President and Chief Counsel for CA Technologies based in New York. From 2000 to 2011, Mr. Donoghue worked in the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York in various roles, including Criminal Chief and Deputy Criminal Chief. Mr. Donoghue received his B.A., cum laude, from Hofstra University and his J.D., from St. John’s University School of Law.

Louis V. Franklin, Sr.
The Senate confirmed Louis V. Franklin, Sr. to be United States Attorney for the Middle District of Alabama in September 2017. Mr. Franklin has served in the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Alabama for nearly 27 years, including as Criminal Chief for almost 16 years. Mr. Franklin served as an Assistant United States Attorney from 1990 to 1996 and from 1998 to 2001. From 1996 to 1998, Mr. Franklin was an associate at Sirote and Permutt. Mr. Franklin began his career as a staff attorney at the Legal Services Corporation of Alabama from 1987 to 1990. Mr. Franklin received his B.A. from the University of Alabama, an M.S. from Auburn University at Montgomery, and his J.D. from Howard University School of Law.

John R. Lausch, Jr.
The Senate confirmed John R. Lausch, Jr.’s appointment as United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois in November 2017. Prior to his appointment, Mr. Lausch was a partner at Kirkland & Ellis LLP. Previously, he served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Northern District of Illinois from 1999 to 2010. During his time in the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Mr. Lausch served as a Deputy Chief in the Narcotics and Gangs Section for several years, where he helped lead the District’s Anti-Gang and Project Safe Neighborhoods programs. Mr. Lausch clerked for the Honorable Michael S. Kanne of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. He received his A.B., cum laude, from Harvard University and his J.D., cum laude, from Northwestern University School of Law.

Andrew E. Lelling
The Senate confirmed Andrew E. Lelling’s appointment as United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts in December 2017. Prior to this appointment, Mr. Lelling was the senior litigation counsel for the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts and has worked in that office for 12 years, prosecuting white collar crime and international drug trafficking, among other offenses. Mr. Lelling also served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia. He previously served as counsel to the Assistant Attorney General at the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division. Mr. Lelling clerked for the Honorable B. Avant Edenfield of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Georgia. He received his B.A., magna cum laude, from the State University of New York at Binghamton and his J.D., cum laude, from the University of Pennsylvania Law School.

David C. Weiss
David C. Weiss’s nomination to be United States Attorney for the District of Delaware was confirmed in February. Mr. Weiss previously served as the Acting United States Attorney for the District of Delaware from 2009 to 2011 and 2017 to 2018, and as the First Assistant United States Attorney from 2007 to 2017. Prior to serving in these positions, Mr. Weiss was an Assistant United States Attorney from 1986 to 1989. Mr. Weiss clerked for the Honorable Andrew D. Christie of the Delaware Supreme Court. Mr. Weiss received his B.S. from Washington University and his J.D. from Widener University School of Law.