Ralph J. Marra, Jr. joins Calcagni & Kanefsky

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RALPH J. MARRA, JR. 
SENIOR COUNSEL
Ralph is Senior Counsel with Calcagni & Kanefsky.  A veteran trial lawyer who draws on his extensive government experience as a federal prosecutor and lead counsel for the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, Ralph represents entities and individuals in sensitive, high-stakes matters.  He focuses on internal and government investigations, corporate compliance and governance, complex regulatory concerns, crisis management, white collar defense, and arbitration and mediation.
Appointed Acting United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey, Ralph was the state’s chief federal law enforcement officer in 2008 and 2009, directing the work of approximately 140 federal prosecutors and overseeing all criminal and civil matters involving the United States government.  As General Counsel to the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, Ralph advised the Authority’s Commissioners and President on all aspects of the Authority’s business, which included oversight of the state’s two racetracks, implementation of sports betting, complex commercial contracting and litigation, and labor relations.
Through his public service and private practice, Ralph has wide-ranging experience in diverse industries, including healthcare, pharmaceuticals, and life sciences; racing and sports betting; financial services; consumer products; and environmental compliance and land use.

Stern Hired to Lead Review of Boston Seminaries

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NAFUSA Past President Donald K. Stern (Massachusetts 1993-2001) has been hired by Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley to lead an investigation of allegations of sexual misconduct in all three seminaries in the Archdiocese of Boston. O’Malley said the review he ordered in August of allegations of sexual misconduct at Saint John’s Seminary in Brighton would be broadened to include Pope St. John XXIII National Seminary in Weston and Redemptoris Mater Seminary in Brookline.

Stern is with Affiliated Monitors in Boston and is of counsel to Yurko, Salveston & Remz, P.C.

 

 

Ordin Named Monitor for Juvenile Detention Facilities

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NAFUSA member Andrea Sheridan Ordin (CD California, 1977-1981) was selected by U.S. District Judge Dolly M. Gee, CD California, to examine juvenile detention facilities for minors brought into the country illegally. In an order entered on October 9, 2018, Judge Gee gave Ordin the authority to hire staff, conduct investigations and advise the court on the government’s compliance with the Flores agreement, a 30-year old settlement that set parameters on how minors are going held for immigration law violations are detained. Flores v Sessions, 85-CV4544. 

Ordin is a senior counsel at Strumwasser & Woocher, LLP and is a member of the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission. She will assume her role as monitor effective October 15.

Vaira Column Compares Pennsylvania State and Federal Grand Jury Procedure

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Peter Vaira

NAFUSA member Peter Vaira (ED Pennsylvania, 1978-1983) published a column comparing Pennsylvania state and federal grand jury procedure in The Legal Intelligencer on September 24, 2018. See VAIRA Legal Intelligencer (09.25.18) A Comparison of Pennsylvania State and Federal Grand Jury Procedure   

Vaira is a partner at Greenblatt Pierce Engle Funt Flores in Philadelphia.

Atley Kitchings Dies

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Former United States Attorney Atley Asher Kitchings , Jr. died peacefully surrounded by family and friends on October 4, 2018. He was predeceased by his wife of 71 years, Betty Jane Langley Kitchings. He is survived by his daughter Jane Marlea Kitchings Foster (John) of Birmingham, Alabama, his son, Atley Langley Kitchings (Edie) of Atlanta, Georgia; and four grandchildren.

Atley served as the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama (1955-1956). He received a law degree from the University of Virginia. Atley was a World War II veteran, serving in the Navy, and after the war remained in the Naval Reserves for 25 years, retiring with the rank of Captain.  A celebration of the life of Atley Kitchings  took place on October 8, 2018, at Mountain Brook Baptist Church in Birmingham.
As is our custom, NAFUSA will request an American flag be flown over Main Justice and presented to Atley’s family as a token of the esteem with which he was held by his colleagues.

Don Washington Nominated to head U.S. Marshals Service

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On October 2, President Donald Trump announced the nomination of  NAFUSA member Don Washington to be the director of the United States Marshals Service. Washington served as the United States Attorney for the Western District of Louisiana (2001-2010). He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point with a degree in mechanical engineering and served as an Army captain of the Air Defense Artillery and in the Army Reserve from 1983 to 1987. He has a law degree from South Texas College in Houston. He is currently a partner at the Jones Walker law firm.

Washington’s nomination is subject to confirmation by the United States Senate.

 

Tom Ashcraft Dies

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Thomas Johnson Ashcraft, 66, of Charlotte, North Carolina, died September 25, 2018 at his home after a long battle with cancer. Tom served as the US Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina from 1987 until 1993. In addition to practicing law, Tom’s career included serving as a legislative aid to the late Senator Jessie Helms in the 1980’s. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the London School of Economics and from the Wake Forest University School of Law.

Tom is survived by his sister, Nicky Wallace of Greenville, SC and nieces and nephews, Monte Stone and her husband, Kirk, Sara Spicer Heath and her husband, Tom, Ben Wallace and his wife, Ginger, Shepard Wallace and his wife, Amanda, Courtney Evans and Emily Evans.

A mass was held on September 29, 2018 at St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte.
Memorials may be sent to Belmont Abby College, 100 Belmont-Mt. Holly Road, Belmont, NC 28012. As is our custom, NAFUSA will request that an Amerian flag be flown over Main Justice in Tom’s honor and presented by NAFUSA to his family.

Donna Bucella Named VP and Chief Compliance Officer for 7-Eleven

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NAFUSA Board Member Donna Bucella has accepted the position of Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer for 7-Eleven, Inc. Prior to joining 7-Eleven, Donna was the President of Compliance at Guidepost Solutions. She also served as the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida. In addition, Donna has an impressive record of public service, including working as Assistant Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection Service as the first Southeast Area Director for the Transportation Security Administration and as the first Director of the Terrorist Screening Center. Donna began her career serving in the U.S. Army, JAG Corps, where she retired as a Colonel.

Donna will focus on all aspects of legal compliance in this newly created role.

Thompson Report: VW Has Work To Do

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Larry Thompson

Volkswagen AG (VW) was sentenced in federal court in Detroit on April 21, 2017, after pleading guilty to three felony counts stemming from the company’s scheme to sell diesel vehicles containing software designed to cheat on U.S. emissions tests. VW paid a $2.8 billion penalty and the parties announced that the government had selected NAFUSA life member Larry Thompson as an independent corporate compliance monitor who was to oversee the company during its three-year term of probation.

On Monday, August 27, 2018, Thompson issued a report finding that the company has only just begun to take steps necessary to prevent future scandals.

“The wrongful acts and crimes that were committed in the United States were enormous,” Mr. Thompson said, according to The New York Times. “The cultural change is going to be enormous, and it’s going to require lots of work on the part of the company.” He said, “In my experience, one of the cornerstones of any effective ethics and compliance effort is the organization’s willingness to hold itself and its executives, especially top executives, accountable for wrongdoing.”

Thompson’s review of VW’s compliance continues.