HARRISBURG – A stark increase in violent crime has prompted Attorney General Jeff Sessions and U.S. Attorney David J. Freed for the Middle District of Pennsylvania to announce a significant deployment of resources to combat the issue.
In the largest increase in decades, the federal government is allocating 311 new Assistant United States Attorneys to assist in priority areas. Those allocations are as follows: 190 violent crime prosecutors, 86 civil enforcement prosecutors, and 35 additional immigration prosecutors.
Many of the civil enforcement AUSA’s will support the newly created Prescription Interdiction & Litigation Task Force which targets the opioid crisis at every level of the distribution system.
“Under President Trump’s strong leadership, we are sending in reinforcements,” said Attorney General Jeff Sessions. “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 re-purpose existing funds to support this critical mission, and as a former federal prosecutor myself, my expectations could not be higher.”
In the Middle District of Pennsylvania, one of these AUSAs will focus on violent crime, one on affirmative civil enforcement, and one on litigation involving illegal immigrants challenging their detention status.
“In the Middle District of Pennsylvania we are excited and energized that Attorney General Sessions and his team have recognized that our hard work in these focus areas merits additional resources,” said United States Attorney Freed. “We are laser focused on working with all of our federal, state and local partners in the fight to reduce violent crime. We are taking a strong stand against fraud stemming from the opioid crisis including overprescribing and treatment scams, consistent with the Attorney General’s mandate to reduce opioid related deaths, and working hard to uphold the integrity of our borders by focusing on recidivist illegal immigrants.”
The allocation of these new prosecutors is a significant blow to those perpetuating violent crime, as well as to those exploiting the opioid crisis for personal gain.
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Key Facts
- State: Pennsylvania
- Category: Violent Crime|Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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