Three new assistant U.S. attorneys coming to Middle District of Georgia
Allocation of 311 new assistant U.S. attorneys nationwide announced
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From Staff Reports
ALBANY — Three new assistant United States attorneys are expected to focus on violent crime, civil enforcement and prosecuting immigration crimes in the Middle District of Georgia.
The Middle District comprises 70 counties and includes the cities of Albany, Valdosta, Columbus, Macon and Athens. It is home to approximately 2 million residents.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions and U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia Charles Peeler announced last week that the Department of Justice is taking steps to increase resources to combat violent crime, enforce immigration laws and help roll back the devastating opioid crisis — in turn leading to the allocation of 311 new assistant U.S. attorneys nationwide.
“I want to thank Attorney General Sessions for providing our district with the tools we need to make the Middle District of Georgia a safer place to live, work and visit,” Peeler said. “These new federal prosecutors are critical in fulfilling our mission to fight violent crime, end the opioid epidemic and secure our borders.”
In what is the largest increase in decades, the DOJ is allocating the new attorneys to assist in priority areas. They include 190 violent crime prosecutors, 86 civil enforcement prosecutors and 35 additional immigration prosecutors. Much of the civil enforcement the U.S. attorneys are expected to support includes the newly created Prescription Interdiction and Litigation Task Force intended to target the opioid crisis at every level of the distribution system.
“Under President Trump’s strong leadership, the Department of Justice is going on offense against violent crime, illegal immigration, and the opioid crisis — and today we are sending in reinforcements,” Sessions said. “We have a saying in my office that a new federal prosecutor is ‘the coin of the realm.’ When we can eliminate wasteful spending, one of my first questions to my staff is if we can deploy more prosecutors to where they are needed.
“I have personally worked to repurpose existing funds to support this critical mission, and as a former federal prosecutor myself, my expectations could not be higher. These exceptional and talented prosecutors are key leaders in our crime-fighting partnership. This addition of new Assistant U.S. Attorney positions represents the largest increase in decades.”
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