Department of Justice Seal

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE EOUSA

MONDAY, JANUARY 26, 1997 (202) 616-2777

TDD (202) 514-1888

DONNA BUCELLA NAMED DIRECTOR OF JUSTICE DEPARTMENT'S

EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF U.S. ATTORNEYS


WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Attorney General Janet Reno has named Donna A. Bucella as the Director of the Justice Department's Executive Office of U.S. Attorneys (EOUSA). Bucella, formerly an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Miami, has served for three years as EOUSA's Principal Deputy Director.

"Donna is the right person with the right experience for the job," said Reno. "She is a superb prosecutor who has tried many major criminal cases."

Bucella took office in December 1997, replacing Carole DiBattiste who left to become Deputy U.S. Attorney in Miami.

EOUSA supports the U.S. Attorneys' offices and serves as a liaison between them and other parts of the Justice Department and the federal government. U.S. Attorneys' offices conduct approximately 95 percent of federal criminal prosecutions and 70 percent of federal civil litigation handled by the Department.

"Donna is a superb manager who has made a difference, working non-stop after the Oklahoma City bombing to devise a Department-wide crisis response plan, to develop training programs for attorneys, and to advise America's 94 U.S. Attorneys," added Reno.

In 1993, Bucella became Director of EOUSA's Office of Legal Education, administering 180 programs that train about 11,000 federal attorneys and support staff annually. She was named EOUSA's Principal Deputy Director in May 1994, served briefly as Interim United States Attorney for the Middle District of Florida, and returned to EOUSA in September 1994.

Last June, Bucella received the Attorney General's Award for Exceptional Service for her outstanding assistance to the 94 U.S. Attorneys' offices. Reno cited Bucella's around-the-clock assistance to prosecutors and victims after the Oklahoma City bombing, her work to develop a Department-wide crisis response plan, her assistance in creating the church arson task force, and her promotion of on-line availability of resource and training materials.

Bucella joined the U.S. Attorney's office in Miami in 1987. During her six years there, she served as Deputy Chief of the Major Crimes Section and Deputy Chief of Special Prosecutions. She tried and supervised the prosecution of numerous complex criminal cases, including United States v. Webman, a multi-defendant,
multi-million-dollar telemarketing fraud case, and United States v. Gonzalez, a major police corruption case that resulted in convictions of a number of Metro-Dade police officers, and many other prosecutions involving racketeering, violent crime, and narcotics trafficking.

From 1984-1986, Bucella was a criminal defense attorney with the United States Army Judge Advocate General Corps and the first defense counsel to be awarded the Army's Meritorious Service Medal by the Engineer Command at Ft. Belvior for providing outstanding legal service.

A 1983 graduate of the University of Miami law school, Bucella, 41, is a native of the New York City area.

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