The Criminal Division

           The Criminal Division makes up the largest contingent in the United States Attorney’s Office and includes 29 of our 39 Assistant United States Attorneys. The criminal division is organized into four sections: a Financial Crimes Section; a Violent Crimes Section; a National Security Section; and an Organized Drug Crime and Asset Forfeiture/Financial Litigation Unit (FLU) Section.  In addition, each Section is comprised of task forces to better focus resources and coordination with law enforcement partners.

Financial Crimes Section

           The Financial Crimes Section prosecutes a variety of economic crimes, including Ponzi schemes, investment fraud, bank fraud, tax fraud, bankruptcy fraud, government program fraud, and official corruption. This Section includes the Health Care Fraud Task Force, Diversion and Prescription Fraud Task Force, Environmental Crimes Task Force, Mortgage Fraud Task Force and Official Corruption Task Force.  For more information about our Health Care Fraud program, including the growing problem of prescription drug abuse, click here. Health Care Fraud Page

Violent Crimes Section

          The Violent Crimes Section focuses on all manner of violent federal felonies within three broad categories.  The Section includes: the Project Safe Childhood initiative, which addresses child pornography and exploitation; the Violent Crime Reduction Task Force initiative that works with Federal, state and local law enforcement and communities to mostly target gang activity and firearm toting felons; and, finally, violent crime in Indian Country, which frequently involves domestic violence and sexual assault.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, the Violent Crime Reduction Task Force initiative and Indian Country, click on the appropriate heading. Project Safe Childhood page; Native American Page.

National Security Section

           The National Security Section is responsible for the investigation and prosecution of matters that threaten the security of our nation with a focus on protecting communities in the Western District of Michigan.  The section handles matters involving international and domestic terrorism, counterintelligence, export control to prevent illegal proliferation of military-related and sensitive technological products, terrorist financing, cybercrime, theft of commercial trade secrets, threats against critical infrastructure, federal facilities and officials, border security, alien offenses, passport and visa fraud, and other sensitive matters that implicate national security.

          The Assistant United States Attorneys and Intelligence Specialist in this section are supervised by a Deputy Criminal Chief.  The section also works closely with the office’s National Security Cyber Specialist and Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property Coordinator.  Members of the section also are responsible for ensuring that the U.S. Attorney’s Office can effectively and efficiently maintain all legal operations in the event of an emergency in the district.           

          The section works closely with federal law enforcement agencies protecting this district, particularly the Army-CID, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, & Explosives; Amtrak Police; Department of Commerce; Department of Defense Criminal Investigative Service; Department of Energy; Department of State Diplomatic Security Service; Department of Transportation; Federal Aviation Administration; Federal Bureau of Investigation; Federal Protective Service; Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, Naval Criminal Investigative Service; Transportation Security Administration; United States Coast Guard; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; United States Marshals Service; United States Postal Inspection Service, and United States Secret Service.  The section also works closely with the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force and the district’s Anti-Terrorism Advisory Council, both of which provide the section with critical access to state and local law enforcement and community partners for information sharing and distribution of time-sensitive information. 

          The federal prosecutors in the section coordinate their investigative and prosecution efforts with the attorneys in the Department of Justice Counterterrorism and Counterintelligence and Export Control sections in Washington D.C.  Members of the section also liaise with State Department representatives, the Department of Justice Office of International Affairs, and foreign law enforcement officials to coordinate international law enforcement activity, including obtaining evidence overseas and securing the extradition of defendants.

Organized Drug Crime and Asset Forfeiture/FLU Section

           The Organized Drug Crime and Asset Forfeiture/FLU Section has two objectives: The first is to disrupt large scale drug-trafficking organizations including, but not exclusively, those that qualify for prosecution by the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The OCDETF targets regionally-sourced drug trafficking organizations. The Section’s second objective is to make sure crime does not pay.  The Asset Forfeiture/FLU attorneys and staff forfeit property, through both civil and criminal actions, as well as collect fines and restitution.