On 500th Day Of Trump Administration, Attorney General Sessions Announces 311 New Assistant United States Attorney Positions

Largest Increase in AUSAs in Decades Allocates Seven Prosecutors to the District of New Jersey to Focus on Violent Crime, Civil Enforcement, and Immigration Crimes

NEWARK, N.J. – On the 500th day of the Trump Administration, Attorney General Jeff Sessions and U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey Craig Carpenito announced that the Department of Justice is taking a dramatic step to increase resources to combat violent crime, enforce our immigration laws, and help roll back the devastating opioid crisis.

In the largest increase in decades, the Department of Justice 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 AUSAs 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, the Department of Justice is going on offense against violent crime, illegal immigration, and the opioid crisis – and today we are sending in reinforcements,” Attorney General Jeff 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.”

In the District of New Jersey, four of these AUSAs will focus on violent crime, two on civil enforcement, and one on immigration. In February, U.S. Attorney Carpenito announced a reorganization of the office to focus its work on areas of criminal and civil enforcement that will pay the biggest dividends in protecting the public.

“The additional Assistant United States Attorneys provided to New Jersey that were announced by Attorney General Sessions today will provide a tremendous boost to our efforts to take dangerous criminals off the streets and protect the public,” U.S. Attorney Carpenito said. “Whether it’s prosecuting dangerous street gangs, pushing back against the tide of opioid abuse or shutting down fraudsters who prey on the most vulnerable among us, our focus is on safety and public protection. These additional prosecutors – along with our existing staff and a growing roster of Special Assistant United States Attorneys who are joining us from our law enforcement partners at the state and local level, will give us the tools we need to accomplish our mission.”