At a press conference in Washington on Wednesday, October 21, 2015, 130 police chiefs, current and former prosecutors, sheriffs and attorneys general from all 50 states, announced the formation of a new group, Law Enforcement Leaders to Reduce Crime and Incarceration, to push reforms to reduce incarceration and strengthen public safety. The group was organized by the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law, and includes the police chiefs from six of the largest U.S. cities, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, Houston and New Orleans. It also included 22 NAFUSA members, led by Walter Holton, who serves on the Steering Committee for the group. By clicking on the link above, you can see a full list of the 130 members, a Statement of Principles, and additional information. The public launch made the front page of Wednesday’s The New York Times, Police Leaders Join Call to Cut Prison Rosters.
The group announced its priorities as follows:
“Members of the group will work within their departments as well as with policymakers to pursue reforms around four policy priorities:
Increasing alternatives to arrest and prosecution, especially mental health and drug treatment. Policies within police departments and prosecutor offices should divert people with mental health and drug addiction issues away from arrest, prosecution, and imprisonment and instead into proper treatment.
Reducing unnecessary severity of criminal laws by reclassifying some felonies to misdemeanors or removing criminal sanctions, where appropriate.
Reducing or eliminating mandatory minimum laws that require overly harsh, arbitrary sentences for crimes.
Strengthening ties between law enforcement and communities by promoting strategies that keep the public safe, improve community relations, and increase community engagement.”
On Thursday, October 22, the group met at The White House with President Obama and Attorney General Lynch. The President joined a panel discussion, moderated by Bill Keller, the former Editor of The New York Times, with AGAC Chair John Walsh and Chief Charlie Beck of the Los Angeles Police Department. Click here to view a video of the conversation with the President at The White House. Walter Holton was joined at the two day session in DC by NAFUSA members Zach Carter, Rick Deane, Doug Jones, Brad Pigott, Rich Pocker, Rich Rossman and Greg Vega. Some of the NAFUSA attendees are shown below with former Attorney General Ed Meese. Other NAFUSA members who have joined the group but who were unable to attend the Washington sessions were: Ed Dowd, Bob Fiske, Hal Hardin, Tim Heaphy, Brendan Johnson, Todd Jones, Matt Orwig, Tim Purdon, William Shaheen, Don Stern, Brett Tolman, Ed Warin, Don Washington and William Wilmoth.
Walter Holton, Brad Pigott, Doug Jones, Rich Rossman, Former AG Ed Meese, Greg Vega, Rich Pocker
NAFUSA’s newest life member, Stephanie Yonekura, has joined the Los Angeles office of Hogan Lovells as a partner in the Investigations, White Collar and Fraud practice group. Yonekura joins the firm from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, where she most recently served as the acting United States Attorney for the Central District of California (2014-2015), the largest U.S. Attorney’s office outside of Washington, D.C.
Yonekura represents clients in white collar defense, internal investigations, and civil business litigation. Her practice focuses on securities and financial institution fraud, cybercrime, and national security matters.
As the U.S Attorney for the CD of California, Yonekura prosecuted several high-impact securities fraud cases that reached record multi-billion dollar settlements involving financial institutions, prominent Southern California CEOs, and a still-pending case against a former Major League Baseball player. She regularly oversaw casework addressing significant questions, such as the implications of the Second Circuit’s decision in United States v. Newman, the scope of an insider trading scheme, and complex issues of conflicts of interest. Under Yonekura’s leadership, the office investigated the hacking of one of the world’s largest entertainment companies reportedly by a foreign government.
“Corporations will continue to see a rise in consumer fraud and securities fraud cases as the provisions of Dodd-Frank continue to develop. The enforcement environment has intensified and government investigations are on the rise,” said Michael Davison, global head of Hogan Lovells’ Litigation and Arbitration practice. “Businesses need informed legal advisors who understand the inner workings of government, and Stephanie has the knowledge and tools to provide our clients with first-rate counsel.”
Before her time as the acting United States Attorney, Yonekura served as the First Assistant United States Attorney, exercising direct oversight of criminal cases involving securities fraud, financial institution fraud, public corruption, and civil rights violations and civil cases involving the False Claims Act and the Financial Institution Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act (FIRREA).
“I’m thrilled to be joining a firm that offers clients the powerful combination of a strong presence in Los Angeles with a truly international reach and expertise,” said Yonekura. “The Litigation and Arbitration practice has an excellent reputation, and I am eager to join this team and tap into the firm’s unparalleled global footprint.”
Yonekura has extensive experience in cases involving financial institutions, such as the anti-money laundering requirements of the Bank Secrecy Act, unfair and deceptive overdraft practices, mortgage origination violations, and fair lending violations, as well as the prosecution of financial institutions under FIRREA.
Yonekura earned her B.A. in political science from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and her J.D. from the UCLA School of Law.
Hogan Lovells is a leading global legal practice providing business-oriented legal advice and high-quality service across its exceptional breadth of practices to clients around the world. For more information, see www.hoganlovells.com.
NAFUSA member Robert G. McCampbell, was selected as Best Lawyers Lawyer of the Year in the practice area of White Collar Criminal Defense in Oklahoma City. McCampbell has previously been selected “Lawyer of the Year” for Government Relations and for Administrative/Regulatory law. Lawyer of the Year is an honor given to only one lawyer in a metropolitan area in a practice area. Best Lawyers is a peer based review where attorneys assess and provide feedback on their colleagues.
McCampbell is a partner in the Oklahoma City office of Fellers Snider. He served as the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma from 2001 to 2005.
On Saturday morning, October 17, the NAFUSA conference will feature a two hour panel discussion on “Criminal Justice Reform Proposals: How to be Tough and Smart on Crime.”
Hon. John Daniel Tinder
It will be moderated by NAFUSA member, the Hon. John Daniel Tinder, United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. Judge Tinder served as the U.S. Attorney for the SD of Indiana (1984-1987) and a United States District Judge for the SD of Indiana (1987-2007).
Panel members include Sally Quillian Yates, the Deputy Attorney General of the United States, and the U.S. Attorney for the ND of Georgia (2010-2015) and is the spokesperson for the Obama Administration and the Department on justice reform issues; Adam Gelb, the Director of the Public Safety Performance Project for the Pew Charitable Trusts; Laurie Robinson, Professor of Criminology, Law and Society at George Mason University and former Assistant AG for the Office of Justice Programs; NAFUSA member George Terwilliger and former Deputy Attorney General of the United States; and NAFUSA member Tim Heathy, who served as the U.S. Attorney for the WD of Virginia (2009-2014).
Tim Heaphy has led a bipartisan group of former U.S. Attorneys, including many NAFUSA members, in urging sentencing reform. Click here to view the letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee: Letter to SJC re. Smarter Sentencing Act – 2015.07.21.docx-c-1. But other NAFUSA members, including George Terwilliger, have signed letters to the Senate Judiciary Committee urging restraint on sentencing reform. See, for instance, the August 31, 2015, Op-Ed by George Terwilliger: Hasty Changes to Mandatory Sentencing Could Prove Unwise.
The justice reform panel is expected to focus on a number of issues, including public safety, prison re-entry, pre-trial and others. It should be an interesting two hours.
On Friday morning, October 16, the NAFUSA conference will feature a two hour panel discussion on “Issues in 21st Century Policing: Protecting Civil Rights and Public Safety.”
Carrie Johnson
It will be moderated by Carrie Johnson, the Justice Correspondent for the Washington Desk of NPR. Prior to joining NPR, Johnson worked at the Washington Post for 10 years and has years of experience closely observing the Justice Department.
Panel members will include NAFUSA member Chuck Rosenberg, the Acting Administrator of the DEA and former chief of staff and senior counselor to FBI Director James Comey; Chiragg Bains, senior counsel to the AAG, Civil Rights Division at DOJ and a member of the team that investigated the Ferguson Police Department; NAFUSA member Jenny Durkan, who served as the U.S. Attorney for the WD of Washington (2009-2014) whose consent degree with the Seattle Police Department has been the model for several jurisdictions; Chief David Brown of the Dallas Police Department; Jennifer Joyce, the Circuit Attorney for the City of St. Louis; and Professor Michael White of Arizona State University, the leading expert on body cameras.
With such an array of experts on contemporary policing issues, and with differing perspectives from federal and local authorities, it should be a stimulating and informative presentation. Full bios of panelists are posted on the “conferences” link on the home page.
Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch announced on September 8, 2015, the appointment of U.S. Attorney Deborah R. Gilg of the District of Nebraska to the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee (AGAC), effective Sept. 4, 2015.
“The Attorney General’s Advisory Committee plays a crucial role in shaping the Justice Department’s approach to some of the most pressing public safety issues facing our country today,” said Attorney General Lynch. “I am grateful that the U.S. Attorneys who serve on the AGAC are able to lend their wisdom, their expertise and their counsel to advance the committee’s critical work on behalf of the American people. As a former chair of the AGAC, I know that serving on the committee while leading federal law enforcement efforts within one’s home district is no easy feat. But I also know that the AGAC’s members are on the committee precisely because of their talent and effectiveness as public service leaders. That is why I could not be more pleased to welcome Deborah to the committee, where I know she will continue to serve her district and our country with passion, with intelligence and with results.”
U.S. Attorney Gilg will fill the seat vacated by former U.S. Attorney Conner Eldridge for the Western District of Arkansas, who stepped down on Aug. 22, 2015.
U.S. Attorney Gilg was appointed by President Barack Obama on Oct. 1, 2009, as the 32nd U.S. Attorney of the District of Nebraska and the first female U.S. Attorney of the District of Nebraska. Prior to her appointment, U.S. Attorney Gilg served as an elected county attorney in Western Nebraska for 16 years. In recognition of her expertise as a prosecutor, she was appointed as a deputy county attorney or special prosecutor in more than 21 counties in Nebraska, in addition to maintaining a private law practice. U.S. Attorney Gilg currently serves on the Attorney General’s Subcommittees on Native American Issues, Civil Rights Issues, and Terrorism and National Security Issues.
The AGAC was created in 1973 to serve as the voice of the U.S. Attorneys and to advise the Attorney General on policy, management and operational issues impacting the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices.
The George H. Lowe Center for Justice will be dedicated at a ceremony at the offices of Legal Services of Central New York (LSCNY), Legal Aid Society of Mid-New York (LASMNY), and Volunteer Lawyers Project of Onondaga County (OnVLP) at their new offices at 221 South Warren Street on October 29. “For many years, Judge Lowe has been a moving inspiration and supporter of our missions to provide free civil legal services to low-income people,” said Dennis Kaufman, Executive Director of LSCNY. “It is most fitting that our new office have Judge Lowe’s name attached to it in recognition of his `one roof’ dream for organizations devoted to providing the services our three organizations contribute,” added Dan Altwarg, Senior Managing Attorney at LASMNY.
Judge Lowe’s involvement in providing free legal services for low-income people extends throughout the state. He is a former co-chair of the New York State Bar Association Committee on Access to Justice and member of the Chief Judge’s Task Force to Expand Access to Civil Legal Services, and is a founding member of the new permanent Commission on Access to Justice. He is the Past President of the Onondaga County Bar Association and recipient of its 2007 Distinguished Lawyer Award. in 2003, he was a recipient of the American Bar Association’s Senior Lawyers Division Pro Bono Award, and in 2002 was the recipient of the State Bar Association’s Pro Bono Service Award. Judge Lowe is a former Chair, Fifth Judicial District, Committee on Character and Fitness. He has served on the boards of Legal Services of Central New York and the Onondaga County Bar Foundation. He currently serves on the boards of OnVLP and the Central New York Women’s Bar Association.
“We owe a huge debt of gratitude to Judge Lowe for his many years of service to our organization and are thrilled to have our name associated with his,” said Sally Fisher Curran, Executive Director of OnVLP.
“This is indeed a tremendous honor for me,” said Lowe. “Expanding free legal services for the indigent has always been one of my top priorities, and these three organizations operating in collaboration goes a long way in meeting that goal. i look forward to continuing my efforts toward the success of their work.”
Judge Lowe retired in 2004 as a United States Magistrate Judge for the ND of New York and rejoined Bond, Schoeneck & King as of counsel in its Syracuse office. He served as the United States Attorney for the ND of New York 1978-1982.
Each year, NAFUSA recognizes an Assistant U.S. Attorney for outstanding performance through the J. Michael Bradford Memorial Award. The award is named after J. Michael Bradford, who served as a U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of Texas from 1994 to 2001. Bradford, who died in 2003, had a distinguished career in public service, including successfully defending the government against lawsuits stemming from the 1993 siege of the Branch Davidian’s compound in Waco, Texas. NAFUSA annually solicits nominations from current U.S. Attorneys for the Bradford Award. Typically, the recipient has handled a significant investigation and prosecution or series of prosecutions that has had a significant impact and merits special recognition.
Once again, a number of exceptional nominations were made by U.S. Attorneys around the country. The Michael Bradford Award Committee was chaired by NAFUSA Vice President Bart Daniel. Its members included Doug Jones, Ed Dowd, Kent Alexander, Don Washington, Hal Hardin, Sharon Zealey, and Rich Rossman. This year, the Board voted to give the award to two AUSAs from separate districts. Elizabeth Geddes, from the Eastern District of New York, was nominated by then United States Attorney and now Attorney General Loretta Lynch, for a variety of investigations and prosecutions resulting in the near complete dismantlement of the Colombo crime family. Joan Hartman, from the Eastern District of Michigan, was nominated by United States Attorney Barbara McQuade, for her exceptional accomplishments in transforming the way the Department of Justice fights health care fraud. The committee and board of directors decided both nominees were worthy of the Bradford Award and declared them each 2015 winners.
Liz Geddes
Elizabeth Geddes is an Assistant United States Attorney in the Eastern District of New York and is currently the chief of the Organized Crime and Gangs section in the EDNY. In that role, she oversees the Office’s criminal prosecutions of members and associates of organized groups who commit crimes including racketeering, murder, extortion, narcotics trafficking, fraud, and sex trafficking. Prior to her current assignment, she served as deputy chief of the General Crimes section and acting deputy chief of the Organized Crime and Racketeering section. Geddes clerked for the Honorable Frederic Block of the Eastern District of New York. She graduated University of Notre Dame in 1997 and graduated Georgetown University Law Center magna cum laude in 2004.
Geddes has distinguished herself through her work in a variety of investigations and prosecutions resulting in the near complete dismantlement of the Colombo crime family, a violent criminal enterprise that had once functioned as one of the five powerful La Cosa Nostra crime families. Numerous Colombo family members have been held accountable for multiple murders including the 1997 murder of New York City Police Officer Ralph Dols, a murder that long remained unsolved.
Joan Hartman
Joan E. Hartman is an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of Michigan and the civil health care fraud case coordinator for that district. Hartman has pioneered the use of data to identify and rank potential health care fraud targets nationwide and to measure the effectiveness of prosecutorial efforts in establishing deterrence and reducing overall Medicare costs by district. Hartman conducts nationwide and district-level training for prosecutors and agents on making the most effective use of data in developing targets and cases. Hartman has previously received a Director’s Award and a Civil Division Special Commendation award for her work in the data analytics area. In June 2015, Hartman also received a Department of Health and Human Services Inspector General’s Award for Excellence as part of the team that handled the investigation and prosecution of oncologist Farid Fata.
Prior to moving to Michigan, Hartman was an Assistant Director in the Civil Frauds section of the Department of Justice in Washington, DC. She handled trial and appellate matters arising under the False Claims Act and the civil conflict of interest laws, including briefing several cases in the U.S. Supreme Court. She also handled a broad range of other matters ranging from a trial in the Hague defending against Iran’s claim that the United States breached the Algiers Accords, to a Ninth Circuit appeal establishing the legal status of the Northern Mariana Islands. Hartman is also the author of several Monographs on legal issues that are widely used within the Department of Justice and client agencies. Hartman is a graduate of Yale Law School, where she was an editor of the Yale Law Journal and winner of the Francis Wayland Prize for litigation skills, and she received her undergraduate degree from Princeton University summa cum laude. Hartman lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan, with her husband, John Rothchild, who is Associate Professor of Law at Wayne State Law School, and her two children, Julia, a senior at Yale, and Daniel, a junior at Harvard.
The other nominees were:
Deborah A. Griffin, SD Alabama, nominated by United States Attorney Kenyen R. Brown, for her investigation and prosecution of ZenBio, a producer of synthetic cannabinoid.
James T. Lacy, District of Arizona, nominated by United States Attorney John Leonardo, for his work in rooting out and prosecuting corruption, fraud, and drug traffickers.
Kirk E. Sherrif, ED of California, nominated by United States Attorney Ben Wagner, for his successful prosecution of Crisp & Cole, a high profile mortgage brokerage and real estate firm.
Todd W. Robinson, SD of California, nominated by United States Attorney Laura E. Duffy, for his investigation and prosecution of the Luz Verde RICO case, a violent cross-border criminal enterprise.
Juan Antonio Gonzalez, SD of Florida, nominated by United States Attorney Wifredo A. Ferrer, for his prosecution of several Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) level cases.
William L. McKinnon, Jr., ND of Georgia, nominated by United States Attorney John A. Horn, for his work in fighting public corruption.
Charles J. Williams, ND of Iowa, nominated by United States Attorney Kevin W. Techau, for his investigation and prosecution of an Indian Country double homicide case.
Matthew G. Borgula and Sally Berens, WD of Michigan, nominated by United States Attorney Patrick A. Miles, Jr, for their efforts in the successful prosecution o a $46 million Ponzi scheme.
Michael P. Norris, District of Nebraska, nominated by United States Attorney Deborah R. Gilg, for his work in an internationally significant child pornography investigation.
David W. Feder and Letecia B. Vandehaar, District of New Jersey, nominated by United States Attorney Paul Fishman, for their investigation of Merrill Lynch’s subprime residential mortgage-backed securities platform and the $16.65 billion civll settlement with Bank of America.
Nicole W. Friedlander, SD New York, nominated by United States Attorney Preet Bharara for her high impact prosecutions in the area of consumer fraud and cybercrime.
Christopher M. Stephens, WD of Oklahoma, nominated by United States Attorney Sanford C. Coats for his work in the first prosecution in the nation involving fraud in the Federal Communication Commission’s wireless Lifeline Program.
Frederic N. Weinhouse, District of Oregon, nominated by United States Attorney Amanda Marshall, for his work as the Project Safe Neighborhood Coordinator for Oregon.
Heather H. Rattan, ED of Texas, nominated by United States Attorney John M. Bales, for her work in dismantling Colombia’s largest cocaine transportation network.
James H. Sturgis, SD of Texas, nominated by United States Attorney Kenneth Magidson, for his successful prosecution of the “Panama Unit”, an elite counter-drug task force.
Debra Kanof, WD of Texas. nominated by United States Attorney Richard L. Durbin Jr., for her successful investigation and prosecution of widespread public corruption in El Paso city and county government.
On July 29, 2015, U.S. Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell and U.S. Congressman Dave Reichert announced that they have formed a new judicial selection committee to select potential candidates for the seats on the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington.
The committee is comprised of three Democrats and three Republicans from Western Washington, who will be charged with advertising for the open position and screening potential candidates. The committee will then present three candidates to Murray and Cantwell, who will interview them and, if they are acceptable, recommend them to President Obama. The President will make the final decision regarding selection of nominees and formal nomination. The senators from Washington state will only support candidates who have been selected by this bipartisan committee.
Mike McKay
NAFUSA Foundation President Mike McKay and Jenny Durkan, one of NAFUSA’s newest members, have been named co-chairs of the committee. McKay served as the U.S. Attorney for the WD of Washington, 1989-1993, and is also a past president of NAFUSA. Durkan served as U.S. Attorney in the WD of Washington, 2009-2014.
At a press conference in Washington on Wednesday, October 21, 2015, 130 police chiefs, current and former prosecutors, sheriffs and attorneys general from all 50 states, announced the formation of a new group, Law Enforcement Leaders to Reduce Crime and Incarceration, to push reforms to reduce incarceration and strengthen public safety. The group was organized by the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law, and includes the police chiefs from six of the largest U.S. cities, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, Houston and New Orleans. It also included 22 NAFUSA members, led by Walter Holton, who serves on the Steering Committee for the group. By clicking on the link above, you can see a full list of the 130 members, a Statement of Principles, and additional information. The public launch made the front page of Wednesday’s The New York Times, Police Leaders Join Call to Cut Prison Rosters.
You must be logged in to post a comment.