Criminal Division
Criminal Chief
Assistant U.S. Attorney James Stanley Lemelle
The Criminal Division of the United States Attorney's Office investigates and prosecutes violations of federal criminal laws which occur within the Middle District of Louisiana. The offenses which are prosecuted in the division include:
- Public Corruption;
- Economic Crimes;
- Drug Trafficking;
- Firearms Violations;
- Environmental Violations;
- Health Care Fraud;
- Child Pornography; and
- Immigration Violations.
Recognizing that an essential component of the war on crime is to dispossess criminals of the fruits of their crimes and items which facilitate the commission of criminal offenses, the Criminal Division aggressively institutes asset forfeiture proceedings as part of the criminal prosecution.
Criminal Division Assistant U.S. Attorneys handle all aspects of assigned cases with the exception of litigation before the Supreme Court. After cases are charged, Assistant U.S. Attorneys handle all pretrial motions, the trials, the appellate briefs and the arguments before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.