U.S Attorney Kennedy Appoints Veteran Prosecutor To Lead Rochester Branch Office

CONTACT:  Barbara Burns
PHONE:         (716) 843-5817
FAX #:            (716) 551-3051

BUFFALO, N.Y. – U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that he has appointed Douglas E. Gregory, a 19-year veteran prosecutor of the United States Attorney’s Office in the Western District of New York, Attorney-in-Charge of the Rochester Branch Office.  

“I am pleased to announce Doug’s selection as the Attorney-in-Charge of the Rochester Branch Office,” said United States Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. “Doug’s skills, both as a litigator and a leader, make him eminently qualified to serve in this role.  He has the respect and confidence of the law enforcement community, the legal community, and all who work for the Department of Justice. Having dedicated his entire legal career to enforcing the rule of law, to protecting the community, and to achieving justice, Doug has literally spent a lifetime preparing for this position. I have the upmost confidence in him, and I believe that Rochester and our entire District will benefit from his service. Simply put, Doug’s appointment represents good news for law-abiding citizens and bad news for criminals.”

Mr. Gregory, a native of Corning, NY, began his legal career as a prosecutor with the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office in 1993, where he served until July of 1999, at which time he joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Gregory began his federal service prosecuting illegal weapons cases under Project Exile, a nationally recognized anti-violence campaign. Prior to being named Attorney-in-Charge, Gregory served as the Deputy Chief of the Narcotics and Organized Crime Section, where he was responsible for the prosecution of gang cases, drug trafficking crimes and violent felony offenses. Gregory has been the lead prosecutor in several high-level prosecutions and jury trials, including a nearly four-month long, eight-defendant narcotics and weapons trial. He has successfully tried cases involving historical drug conspiracies, federal weapons violations, gang and violent criminal activity, and multi-defendant racketeering (RICO) offenses.

During his federal career, Gregory has received several national awards and honors, including the Directors Award for Superior Performance. He has also been recognized for distinguished service by the Federal Law Enforcement Foundation in New York City, and was a member of a Prosecutorial Instructor Team in Zagreb, Croatia as part of the Department of Justice Overseas Prosecutorial Development and Training Program. Gregory received his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science from Union College in 1989 and Juris Doctorate from Albany Law School in 1993.

U.S. Attorney Kennedy also made the following additional appointments:

• Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany H. Lee was named Chief of the Appellate Division for the Western District of New York;
• Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard A. Resnick was named Chief of the White Collar General Crimes Section in Rochester; and
• Brett A. Harvey was re-appointed as Chief of the Narcotics and Violent Crime Section in Rochester.

United States Attorney Kennedy went on to note that, “Chief Lee, Chief Resnick, and Chief Harvey are each widely-recognized as among the most talented AUSAs in their respective areas of practice in the entire Department of Justice. Tiffany is a talented writer and exceptional appellate advocate; Rick is hands-down one of the best white-collar prosecutors in the country; and Brett, who has a wealth of prosecutorial experience in area of drugs and violent crime, is likely the only AUSA in the entire United States successfully to convict two different individuals in two unrelated cases of providing material support to ISIS. All three AUSA’s are supremely talented, and as a community, we are fortunate to have them on our side.”

Ms. Lee obtained her J.D. cum laude from Syracuse University College of Law in 1997. She also obtained her M.A. in International Relations from Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. From 1997-1999, Lee worked as a court attorney for the New York State Court of Appeals. In 1999, she became a confidential law clerk for the Honorable Richard C. Wesley, then Associate Judge of the New York State Court of Appeals. After completing her clerkship in August 2002, Lee began working as an Assistant U.S. Attorney prosecuting white collar crimes and crimes against children in Rochester, NY. In December 2007, Lee was appointed the Project Safe Childhood coordinator for the Western District of New York, a position she held until 2013.     

Mr. Resnick obtained his law degree from the State University at Buffalo, and his undergraduate degree from Alfred University. From 1990-1994, Resnick was a trial attorney with the Department of Justice, Tax Division, in Washington, D.C. Prior to that,  Resnick was a trial attorney with District Counsel, Internal Revenue Service, in Miami, Florida. In 1994, he began working as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Rochester Office in the Western District of New York, prosecuting white collar and economic crimes. 

Mr. Harvey graduated from Albany Law School in 1995 after earning his undergraduate degree from Geneseo State in 1993. From 1995 to 1997, Harvey served as an Appellate Court Attorney for the New York State Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Fourth Department. In 1997, Harvey joined the Queens County District Attorney’s Office, where he served until joining the Rochester Office of the United States Attorney’s Office in 2002.