FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                          AG
THURSDAY, MAY 30, 1996                             (202) 616-2777
                                               TDD (202) 514-1888

                 INTERIM UNITED STATES ATTORNEY 
              NAMED FOR SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF FLORIDA


     WASHINGTON D.C. --  The Justice Department announced today
that William A. Keefer has been named the interim United States
Attorney for the Southern District of Florida.  

     He replaces Kendall Coffey effective June 1.  

     Mr. Keefer, age 48, spent his entire legal career as a
prosecutor.  Since 1992, he has been Assistant United States
Attorney for the Southern District of Florida and for the last year
has served that office as the Managing Assistant for the Central
Region  (Fort Lauderdale Office).  

     From 1975 to 1987, he was a trial attorney with the Organized
Crime and Racketeering Section in the Justice Department.  From
1987 to 1992 he was the Deputy Chief of the Public Integrity
Section.  Mr. Keefer earned his J.D. from the University of
Maryland School of Law in 1975 where he was a member of the law
review and the Order of the Coif.  

     He received the John Marshall Award for trial litigation from
the Justice Department in 1992 and received two special
commendation awards for outstanding service from the Department in
1983 and 1985.

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