AG HOLDER'S REMARKS ANNOUNCING HIS DEPARTURE FROM JUSTICE DEPARTMENT

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT 

Remarks by Attorney General Eric Holder Announcing His Plans to Depart Justice Department

Washington, DCUnited States ~ Thursday, September 25, 2014
I come to this moment with very mixed emotions.  Proud of what the men and women of the Department of Justice have accomplished over the last six years and, at the same time, very sad that I will not be a formal part of the great things that this department and this President will accomplish over the next two.

I want to thank you, Mr. President, for the opportunity you gave me to serve and for giving me the greatest honor of my professional life.  We have been great colleagues, but the bonds between us are much deeper than that.  In good times and bad, in things personal and professional, you have been there for me.  I am proud to call you my friend.  I am also grateful for the support you have given me and the department as we have made real the visions that you and I have always shared.  I often think of those early talks between us and our belief that we might help to craft a more perfect Union.  Work remains to be done – but our list of accomplishments is real.  Over the last six years, our Administration has made historic gains in realizing the principles of the founding documents, and fought to protect the most sacred of American rights: the right to vote.  We have begun to realize the promise of equality for our LGBT brothers and sisters and their families.  We have begun to significantly reform our criminal justice system and reconnect those who bravely serve in law enforcement with the communities they protect.  We have kept faith with our belief in the power of the greatest judicial system the world has ever known to fairly and effectively adjudicate any cases that are brought before it, including those that involve the security of the nation we both love so dearly.  We have taken steps to protect the environment and make more fair the rules by which our commercial enterprises operate.  And we have held accountable those who would harm the American people either through violent means or the misuse of economic or political power.

I have loved the Department of Justice ever since, as a young boy, I watched Robert Kennedy prove during the Civil Rights Movement how the department can – and must – always be a force for that which is right.  I hope that I have done honor to the faith you placed in me, Mr. President, and to the legacy of all those that served before me.

I would also like to thank the Vice President, who I have known for so many years and in whom I have found great wisdom, unwavering support, and a shared vision of what America can, and should, be.  I want to recognize my good friend Valerie Jarrett, whom I’ve been fortunate to work with from the beginning of what started as an improbable, idealistic effort by a young senator from Illinois who we were both right to believe would achieve greatness.  I have had the opportunity to serve in your distinguished Cabinet and worked with a White House staff, ably led by Denis McDonough, that has done much to make real the promise of our democracy.  And each of the men and women who I have come to know will be lifelong friends.

Whatever my accomplishments, they could not have been achieved without the love, support, and guidance of two people who are not with me today.  My parents, Eric and Miriam Holder, nurtured me and my accomplished brother William and made us believe in the value of individual effort and the greatness of this nation.

My time in public service, which now comes to an end, would not have been possible without the sacrifices – too often unfair – made by the best three kids a father could ask for.  Thank you, Maya, Brooke, and Buddy.

And finally I want to thank the woman who sacrificed the most and allowed me to follow my dreams.  She is the foundation of all that our family is and the basis of all that I have become.  My wife, Sharon, is the unsung hero and my life partner.  Thank you for all that you have done.  I love you.

In the months ahead, I will leave the Department of Justice – but I will never leave the work.  I will continue to serve and try to find ways to make our nation even more true to its founding ideals.  I thank the dedicated public servants who form the backbone of the United States Department of Justice for their tireless work over the past six years, for the efforts they will continue, and for the progress they made that will outlast us all.

And I thank you all for joining me on a journey that now moves in another direction, but that will always be guided by the pursuit of justice and aimed at the North Star.            

AG HOLDER CHAMPIONS PROGRAM TO COUNTER VIOLENT EXTREMISTS

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT 

Monday, September 15, 2014

Attorney General Holder Announces Pilot Program to Counter Violent Extremists

Attorney General Eric Holder announced Monday that the Justice Department will launch a new series of pilot programs in cities across the country to bring together community representatives, public safety officials and religious leaders to counter violent extremism. The new programs will be run in partnership with the White House, the Department of Homeland Security, and the National Counterterrorism Center.

“Today, few threats are more urgent than the threat posed by violent extremism,” Attorney General said in a video message posted on the Justice Department’s website. “And with the emergence of groups like ISIL, and the knowledge that some Americans are attempting to travel to countries like Syria and Iraq to take part in ongoing conflicts, the Justice Department is responding appropriately.”

The complete text of the Attorney General’s video message is below:

“Last week, millions of Americans paused to mark the 13th anniversary of the attacks of September 11, 2001 – the deadliest acts of terror ever carried out on American soil.  For my colleagues at every level of our nation’s Department of Justice, and for me, this anniversary was also a solemn reminder of our most important obligation: to ensure America’s national security and protect the American people from a range of evolving threats.

“Today, few threats are more urgent than the threat posed by violent extremism.  And with the emergence of groups like ISIL, and the knowledge that some Americans are attempting to travel to countries like Syria and Iraq to take part in ongoing conflicts, the Justice Department is responding appropriately.

“Through law enforcement agencies like the FBI, American authorities are working with our international partners and Interpol to disseminate information on foreign fighters in Syria and Iraq, including individuals who have traveled from the United States.  We have established processes for detecting American extremists who attempt to join terror groups abroad.  And we have engaged in extensive outreach to communities here in the U.S. – so we can work with them to identify threats before they emerge, to disrupt homegrown terrorists, and to apprehend would-be violent extremists.  But we can – and we must – do even more.

“Today, I am announcing that the Department of Justice is partnering with the White House, the Department of Homeland Security, and the National Counterterrorism Center to launch a new series of pilot programs in cities across the nation.  These programs will bring together community representatives, public safety officials, religious leaders, and United States Attorneys to  improve local engagement; to counter violent extremism; and – ultimately – to build a broad network of community partnerships to keep our nation safe.  Under President Obama’s leadership, along with our interagency affiliates, we will work closely with community representatives to develop comprehensive local strategies, to raise awareness about important issues, to share information on best practices, and to expand and improve training in every area of the country.

“Already, since 2012, our U.S. Attorneys have held or attended more than 1,700 engagement-related events or meetings to enhance trust and facilitate communication in their neighborhoods and districts.  This innovative new pilot initiative will build on that important work.  And the White House will be hosting a Countering Violent Extremism summit in October to highlight these and other domestic and international efforts.  Ultimately, the pilot programs will enable us to develop more effective – and more inclusive – ways to help build the more just, secure, and free society that all Americans deserve.

“As we move forward together, our work must continue to be guided by the core democratic values – and the ideals of freedom, openness, and inclusion – that have always set this nation apart on the world stage.  We must be both innovative and aggressive in countering violent extremism and combating those who would sow intolerance, division, and hate – not just within our borders, but with our international partners on a global scale.  And we must never lose sight of what violent extremists fear the most: the strength of our communities; our unwavering respect for equality, civil rights, and civil liberties; and our enduring commitment to justice, democracy, and the rule of law.”

AG HOLDER ADDRESSES HISPANIC NATIONAL BAR ASSOCIATION CONVENTION

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT 

Remarks by Attorney General Eric Holder at the Hispanic National Bar Association 39th Annual Convention

Washington, D.C. ~ Friday, September 12, 2014

Remarks as Prepared for Delivery

 Buenas tardes.   Muchas gracias por sus emotivas palabras y su calurosa bienvenida.

It’s a privilege to help welcome the Hispanic National Bar Association to our nation’s capital for your 39 th Annual Convention.   And it’s a great pleasure, as always, to be in such distinguished company.

I’d like to thank President [Miguel Alexander] Pozo and the entire HNBA leadership team – along with your Honorary Convention Chair, Ricardo Anzaldua; President [Fernando] Rivero, of the Hispanic Bar Association of the District of Columbia; and all of this organization’s members – for everything you’ve done to bring us together this week.   I’d also like to congratulate the award recipients who are being honored for their leadership over the course of this Latina Commission Awards Luncheon.   And I want to recognize the law students, attorneys, and judges who make up this remarkable organization – and who have taken time away from their busy schedules and full dockets to take part in this important annual convention.

We come together today in a moment of great consequence – with critical challenges stretching before us.   Six decades after Hernandez v. Texas extended the Constitution’s guarantee of equal protection to people of all races and backgrounds – and half a century since the passage of the Civil Rights Act finally codified American equality into American law – there’s no question that our nation has taken a range of extraordinary, once-unimaginable steps forward.   Yet recent headlines remind us that these advances have not put the issue of equal justice to rest.

On the contrary: from America’s heartland to our southwest border, the events that have captured attention and sparked debate over the course of this summer illustrate that the fight for equality, opportunity, and justice is not yet over.   These issues have not yet been relegated to the pages of history.   And although this is a struggle that predates our Republic, it poses challenges as contemporary as any others we currently face.

For over four decades, the HNBA has stood at the forefront of national efforts to confront these challenges – by working to increase diversity on the bench and bar.   By helping to educate the leaders of tomorrow.   By empowering members of America’s Latino communities.   And by fostering new opportunities for legal professionals of Hispanic heritage – and particularly Latinas in the law – so we can grow their ranks and ensure that their voices are heard from the chambers of our courts to the halls of Congress.

For me – and for my colleagues at every level of today’s Department of Justice – this work is also a personal and professional priority.   More than ten years ago, during my service as Deputy Attorney General, I worked hard to strengthen the Justice Department’s internal efforts to build a diverse and effective workforce.   When I returned to the Department as Attorney General, in 2009, I significantly expanded this work – because it not only improves our ability to draw on the skills and talents of everyone ; it also makes the Justice Department both more credible and more effective.   In fact, since I understand this convention includes a job fair, I can’t pass up the chance to urge all of the young and aspiring attorneys in this crowd to consider a career in public service – and coming to work for me.

Beyond the institution itself, my colleagues and I also are striving to bolster the legal profession at large – by opening its doors to women and men from every race, background, ethnicity, and walk of life.   According to the Pew Research Center, the Hispanic population in the United States currently exceeds 53 million people.   It has increased almost sixfold since around the time the HNBA was founded.   It’s doubled since the year 2000.   Yet statistics show that, of the approximately 1.2 million attorneys working in the U.S. today, fewer than 50,000 – that’s less than four percent – identify as Hispanic.

Although women and people of color have made up an increasing percentage of both licensed lawyers and law students in recent years, the law continues to lag far behind many other professions.   So we need to do everything in our power to ensure that the coming decades witness an uptick in the number of people of color, women, people with disabilities – and new immigrants – who find productive avenues into the legal field and the American workforce as a whole.   And once they have fair opportunities to compete for these jobs, we need to close the “pay gap” – and make sure every worker is compensated according to their skills and experience, not simply their gender or gender identity.

As the HNBA has made clear throughout its history, all of us – both collectively and as individuals – have more work to do: to tear down persistent barriers, to combat discrimination, and to uphold the civil rights to which every person is entitled.   In our comprehensive work to advance equality, we need to look far beyond law school campuses and workplaces.   We need to keep building upon the exemplary record of civil rights enforcement that the Justice Department has established over the last five and a half years.   We need to keep striving – through programs such as President Obama’s “My Brother’s Keeper” initiative – to address persistent opportunity gaps and ensure that all people can reach their full potential.   And we need to summon our collective experience as legal professionals – and our shared commitment as a nation – to tackle the urgent challenges faced by millions of people every day: from America’s immigrant communities to our military bases; from our places of worship to our financial markets; and from our voting booths to our border areas – where, as you know, a critical situation is unfolding as we speak.

Among the most pressing of our domestic challenges is the problem of unaccompanied young people traveling to the United States and entering the country illegally.   I know this is an issue with which we are all too familiar, and which has provoked intense discussion throughout the summer – both within, and far beyond, the United States.   In fact, earlier this week, I traveled to Mexico City to hold meetings with my counterparts from Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras.   And this was among the major items on our agenda.

As the chief law enforcement officials for each of the nations we serve, my colleagues and I agreed to create a high-level working group, staffed by representatives from each of our offices, to develop an integrated strategy to deal with this situation.   This working group will hold its first meeting in the coming weeks.   And they will help us formulate a coordinated plan of action.

But another potential solution to this problem is obvious: fixing our broken immigration system.   The Senate, on a bipartisan basis, has already passed a bill that would go a long way to doing just that. The issue is compelling, the solution is present and the need to reaffirm our commitment to remaining a nation of immigrants is critical.   This is who we are as an exceptional nation.   If we are to remain true to our heritage, we must fix our immigration system, bring people out of the shadows and establish a path to citizenship. There are a variety of ways in which much of this can be done and in the face of House inaction this Administration will proceed.   It will do so lawfully and in a manner that is consistent with our values.   We will, as Americans always have, seek to make our Union more perfect.

In the meantime – within America’s borders – the increasing numbers of unaccompanied children appearing in our immigration courts present an urgent challenge:   how to conduct immigration proceedings in an efficient manner while any claims for relief are presented as clearly as possible.   One way to address that challenge is to facilitate access to legal representation for these children.   Though these children may not have a Constitutional right to a lawyer, we have policy reasons and a moral obligation to insure the presence of counsel.   And that’s why the Justice Department began planning a legal aid program well before the recent surge of unaccompanied children.

Last July, President Obama announced the creation of a task force to expand national service, calling on federal agencies to meet that goal by creating volunteer opportunities that are aligned with agency priorities.   The Justice Department’s response to that call was clear.   By partnering with the Corporation for National and Community Service to design and implement a new legal aid program, the Department is protecting vulnerable populations while improving our operations and strengthening the delivery of Department services in their communities.

The first phase of this new program – known as “justice AmeriCorps” – was announced in June.   It will provide legal aid to children who make the long and often dangerous journey to the U.S. without a parent or legal guardian.   And this week, we are taking the next step in this work – by announcing approximately $1.8 million in grant awards to legal aid organizations in more than 15 cities around the country.

These grants will enable recipients to enroll approximately 100 lawyers and paralegals as justice AmeriCorps members, who – after extensive training in December – will begin to represent these children in our immigration courts in early 2015.   The justice AmeriCorps members will also help to identify children who have been victims of human trafficking or abuse – and, as appropriate, will refer them to support services and authorities responsible for investigating and prosecuting those who perpetrate such crimes.

This initiative reaffirms our allegiance to the values that have always shaped our pursuit of justice.   It will bolster the efficacy and efficiency of our immigration courts, empower new generations of aspiring attorneys and paralegals to serve their country, and provide important legal aid to some of the most vulnerable individuals who interact with our immigration system.   Most importantly, it will bring our system closer to our highest ideals – because the way we treat those in need, and particularly young people who may be fleeing from abuse, persecution, and violence, goes to the core of who we are as a nation.

Fortunately, thanks to the work that’s underway; the leadership of President Obama and other Administration officials; and the tireless efforts of nonpartisan groups like the Hispanic National Bar Association, it’s clear that we stand together this week – in defiance of gridlock and the narrow politics of the moment – truly “Unidos en Washington.”   We stand together in our assertion that civil rights are human rights – and they must be extended to all.   We stand together in our demand that equal work should be performed for equal pay – and our daughters deserve the same opportunities as our sons.   And we stand together in our conviction that it is both the right – and the responsibility – of every American to forge his or her own future; to build on the progress we’ve seen in recent decades; and to extend the promise of our great country until it includes every single person who dares, and dreams, to call this nation their home.

As we carry this work into the future, I want you to know how proud I am to count you as colleagues and partners.   Always remember that positive change is not inevitable.   It is a function of hard work and resilience.   I am confident that - together - we will make our great nation even more great, more just.   I look forward to everything we will achieve together in the months and years ahead.   And I thank you, once again, for all that you do.

MAN EXTRADITED FROM COLOMBIA TO U.S. PLEADS GUILTY FOR ROLE IN MURDER OF DEA AGENT TERRY WATSON

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT 

Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Colombian National Pleads Guilty to Kidnapping and Murder of DEA Agent Terry Watson

A Colombian man extradited to the Eastern District of Virginia pleaded guilty today for his involvement in the kidnapping and murder of Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent James Terry Watson in Bogotá, Colombia, on June 20, 2013.  

Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Dana J. Boente of the Eastern District of Virginia, Special Agent in Charge George L. Piro of the FBI’s Miami Field Office, DEA Administrator Michele M. Leonhart and Director Bill A. Miller of the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) made the announcement.

“Special Agent Watson gave his life in the service of his country, and we will do everything in our power to honor his sacrifice,” said Attorney General Holder.  “This conviction is a critical step forward.  But while this action represents the first measure of justice for his kidnapping and murder, it will not be the last.  The Department of Justice will not rest until all those involved in this senseless act of violence have been held to account for their crimes.  Our nation will never yield in the protection and defense of its citizens.  And we will continue to demonstrate that anyone who seeks to harm an American will be found, will be prosecuted, and will be brought to justice.”

Julio Estiven Gracia Ramirez, 31, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Gerald Bruce Lee of the Eastern District of Virginia to aiding and abetting the murder of an internationally protected person and conspiracy to kidnap an internationally protected person.   Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 5, 2014.

In a statement of facts filed with the plea agreement, Gracia Ramirez admitted that he and his conspirators agreed to conduct a “paseo milionario” or “millionaire’s ride” in which victims who were perceived as wealthy were lured into taxi cabs, kidnapped and then robbed.  Gracia Ramirez admitted that he targeted Special Agent Watson and picked him up outside a Bogotá restaurant in his taxi.   Soon after, two conspirators entered Gracia Ramirez’s taxi, and one used a stun gun to shock Special Agent Watson and the other stabbed him.   Special Agent Watson was able to escape from the taxi, but he later collapsed and died from his injuries.

Six other defendants have been charged in an indictment in the Eastern District of Virginia for their alleged involvement in the murder of Special Agent Watson.  Gerardo Figueroa Sepulveda, 39; Omar Fabian Valdes Gualtero, 27; Edgar Javier Bello Murillo, 27; Hector Leonardo Lopez, 34; and Andrés Alvaro Oviedo-Garcia, 22, are each charged with second degree murder, kidnapping and conspiracy to kidnap.   Oviedo-Garcia is also charged with assault.   Wilson Daniel Peralta-Bocachica, 31, is charged for his alleged efforts to destroy evidence associated with the murder of Special Agent Watson.   Trial is set for Jan. 12, 2015.  

The charges in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

This case was investigated by the FBI, DEA and DSS, in close cooperation with Colombian authorities and with assistance from INTERPOL and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs.   The case is being prosecuted by Special Counsel Stacey Luck of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael P. Ben’Ary of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.  

The Department of Justice gratefully acknowledges the Colombian Attorney General’s Office, Colombian National Police, Colombian Directorate of Criminal Investigation and Interpol (DIJIN), DIJIN Special Investigative Unit, Bogotá Metropolitan Police, Bogotá Police Intelligence Body (CIPOL) Unit and Colombian Technical Investigation Team for their extraordinary efforts, support and professionalism in responding to this incident.

AG HOLDER'S STATEMENT ON FERGUSON FOLLOWING BRIEFING BY PRESIDENT OBAMA

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 

Monday, August 18, 2014

Attorney General Statement on Latest Developments in Federal Civil Rights Investigation in Ferguson, MO

Attorney General Eric Holder released the following statement Monday following his briefing of President Obama on the latest developments in the federal civil rights investigation in Ferguson, Missouri:

“As I informed the President this afternoon, the full resources of the Department of Justice are being committed to our federal civil rights investigation into the death of Michael Brown.

“During the day today, more than 40 FBI agents continued their canvassing of the neighborhood where Michael Brown was shot. As a result of this investigative work, several new interviews have already been conducted.

“Moreover, at my direction, an additional medical examination is being performed on the body of Michael Brown. This autopsy is being performed today by one of the most experienced medical examiners in the United States military. I am confident this additional autopsy will be thorough and aid in our investigation.

“In addition to updating the President on these developments, I informed him of my plan to personally travel to Ferguson Wednesday. I intend to meet with FBI investigators, and prosecutors on the ground from the Civil Rights Division and U.S. Attorney’s Office officials about the ongoing investigation.

“I realize there is tremendous interest in the facts of the incident that led to Michael Brown’s death, but I ask for the public’s patience as we conduct this investigation. The selective release of sensitive information that we have seen in this case so far is troubling to me. No matter how others pursue their own separate inquiries, the Justice Department is resolved to preserve the integrity of its investigation. This is a critical step in restoring trust between law enforcement and the community, not just in Ferguson, but beyond.

“In order to truly begin the process of healing, we must also see an end to the acts of violence in the streets of Ferguson. Those who have been peacefully demonstrating should join with law enforcement in condemning the actions of looters and others seeking to enflame tensions.

“To assist on this front, the Department will be dispatching additional representatives from the Community Relations Service, including Director Grande Lum, to Ferguson. These officials will continue to convene stakeholders whose cooperation is critical to keeping the peace. Furthermore, as the President has announced, Ron Davis, our Director of the COPS office, will arrive on the ground in Ferguson Tuesday. Ron has been in touch with local and state officials since last week, providing technical assistance on crowd control techniques and facilitating communications between Missouri officials and other law enforcement officials whose communities have faced similar challenges in the past.”

AG HOLDER'S ISSUES STATEMENT ON SITUATION IN FERGUSON, MISSOURI

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT 

Thursday, August 14, 2014

Statement by Attorney General Eric Holder on Latest Developments in Ferguson, Missouri

Attorney General Eric Holder released the following statement Thursday following his meeting earlier today with President Obama to discuss the latest developments in Ferguson, Missouri:

“This morning, I met with President Obama to discuss the events in Ferguson, Missouri. Like the President, I extend my heartfelt condolences to the family of Michael Brown.  While his death has understandably caused heartache within the community, it is clear that the scenes playing out in the streets of Ferguson over the last several nights cannot continue.

“For one thing, while the vast majority of protests have been peaceful, acts of violence by members of the public cannot be condoned. Looting and willful efforts to antagonize law enforcement officers who are genuinely trying to protect the public do nothing to remember the young man who has died. Such conduct is unacceptable and must be unequivocally condemned.

“By the same token, the law enforcement response to these demonstrations must seek to reduce tensions, not heighten them. Those who peacefully gather to express sympathy for the family of Michael Brown must have their rights respected at all times. And journalists must not be harassed or prevented from covering a story that needs to be told.

“At a time when we must seek to rebuild trust between law enforcement and the local community, I am deeply concerned that the deployment of military equipment and vehicles sends a conflicting message. At my direction, Department officials have conveyed these concerns to local authorities. Also at my direction, the Department is offering – through our COPS office and Office of Justice Programs – technical assistance to local authorities in order to help conduct crowd control and maintain public safety without relying on unnecessarily extreme displays of force. The local authorities in Missouri have accepted this offer of assistance as of this afternoon.

“Department officials from the Community Relations Service are also on the ground in Missouri to help convene law enforcement officials and civic and faith leaders to plot out steps to reduce tensions in the community. The latest such meeting was convened in Ferguson as recently as this morning. Over time, these conversations should consider the role that increased diversity in law enforcement can play in helping to build trust within communities.

“All the while, the federal civil rights investigation into the shooting incident itself continues, in parallel with the local investigation into state law violations. Our investigators from the Civil Rights Division and U.S. attorney’s office in Missouri have already conducted interviews with eyewitnesses on the scene at the time of the shooting incident on Saturday. Our review will take time to conduct, but it will be thorough and fair.”

ATTORNEY GENERAL HOLDER'S STATEMENT ON RECENT SHOOTING IN FERGUSON, MISSOURI

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT 

Monday, August 11, 2014

Statement by Attorney General Holder on Recent Shooting Incident in Ferguson, Missouri

Attorney General Eric Holder released the following statement Monday regarding the shooting incident that took place Saturday afternoon in Ferguson, Missouri:

“The shooting incident in Ferguson, Missouri this weekend deserves a fulsome review. In addition to the local investigation already underway, FBI agents from the St. Louis field office, working together with attorneys from the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and US Attorney's Office, have opened a concurrent, federal inquiry. The federal investigation will supplement, rather than supplant, the inquiry by local authorities. At every step, we will work with the local investigators, who should be prepared to complete a thorough, fair investigation in their own right. I will continue to receive regular updates on this matter in the coming days. Aggressively pursuing investigations such as this is critical for preserving trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve.”

AG HOLDER ANNOUNCES PLANS FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT TO CARRY NALOXONE TO HELP HEROIN OVERDOSE VICTIMS

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT 

Thursday, July 31, 2014

Attorney General Holder Announces Plans for Federal Law Enforcement Personnel to Begin Carrying Naloxone

Holder Cautions Congress to Preserve Immediate Suspension Orders (ISOs) That Help DEA Shut Down Rogue Drug Distributors

In a new memorandum released Friday, Attorney General Eric Holder urged federal law enforcement agencies to identify, train and equip personnel who may interact with a victim of a heroin overdose with the drug naloxone.  This latest step by the Attorney General will pave the way for certain federal agents -- such as emergency medical personnel -- to begin carrying the potentially life-saving drug known for effectively restoring breathing to a victim in the midst of a heroin or opioid overdose.

According to the most recent study, 110 Americans on average die from drug overdoses every day, outnumbering even deaths from gunshot wounds or motor vehicle crashes.  More than half of these drug overdose deaths involve opioids such as heroin and prescription pain relievers.  Between 2006 and 2010, heroin overdose deaths dramatically increased by 45 percent.

“The shocking increase in overdose deaths illustrates that addiction to heroin and other opioids, including some prescription painkillers, represents nothing less than a public health crisis,” said Attorney General Holder.  “I am confident that expanding the availability of naloxone has the potential to save the lives, families and futures of countless people across the nation.”

The Justice Department wants federal law enforcement agencies, as well as their state and local partners, to review their policies and procedures to determine whether personnel in those agencies should be equipped and trained to recognize and respond to opioid overdose by various methods, including the use of naloxone.  Seventeen states and the District of Columbia have amended their laws to increase access to naloxone, resulting in over 10,000 overdose reversals since 2001.

“ The heroin and prescription painkiller epidemic knows no boundaries--anyone can be affected, and we have already lost far too many lives,” said Acting Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy Michael Botticelli.  “We have moved aggressively against this epidemic and we know that the actions of law enforcement officers at the scene of an overdose can mean the difference between life and death.  Attorney General Holder's leadership in this arena will help prevent future overdose deaths and we look forward to working closely with his office and other partners to get naloxone to law enforcement professionals across the nation. ”

As the department continues to address escalating and rapidly-evolving challenges that lead to opioid abuse and drug trafficking, the Attorney General cautioned members of Congress to protect critical enforcement tools like Immediate Suspension Orders (ISOs).  A recently passed House bill would “severely undermine” a critical component of our efforts to prevent communities and families from falling prey to dangerous drugs.

The Attorney General announced the new memorandum at a day-long conference on law enforcement and naloxone convened by the Justice Department’s Bureau of Justice Assistance in partnership with the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services and the Office of National Drug Control Policy.   Today’s announcement follows up on the Attorney General’s call to action in March, when he urged local law enforcement authorities, who are often the first to respond to possible overdoses, to routinely carry naloxone.

The Attorney General’s full remarks to the law enforcement conference, as prepared for delivery appear below:

“Thank you, Mary Lou Leary, for those kind words – and thank you all for being here today.  I’d particularly like to thank Director Denise O’Donnell, Deputy Director Kristen Mahoney, and their colleagues from the Bureau of Justice Assistance – as well as Acting Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy Michael Botticelli, Administrator Michele Leonhart, Deputy Assistant Administrator Joe Rannazzisi, and the dedicated men and women of the Drug Enforcement Administration – for bringing us together this morning.  And I want to recognize all of the distinguished panelists – representing fields ranging from law enforcement, to public policy, to public health and drug treatment – who have taken the time to lend their voices to this important discussion.  Every day, you stand on the front lines of our fight to confront an urgent – and growing – threat to our nation and its citizens.  And we’re proud to count you as colleagues and partners.

“As the leaders in this room know all too well, in the five years between 2006 and 2010, this country witnessed a dramatic, 45-percent increase in heroin-related deaths.  And 110 people die every day from overdoses, primarily driven by prescription drugs.  The shocking increase in overdose deaths illustrates that addiction to heroin and other opioids, including some prescription painkillers, represents nothing less than a public health crisis.  It’s also a public safety crisis.  And every day, this crisis touches – and devastates – the lives of Americans from every state, in every region, and from every background and walk of life.

“That’s why this Administration, and this Department of Justice in particular, have taken aggressive steps to fight back at every point of intervention – and with every tool at our disposal.  In recent years, we have worked to prevent opioid diversion and abuse by targeting the illegal supply chain, by disrupting pill mills, and by thwarting doctor-shopping attempts by drug users and distributors.  We have developed innovative public health programs to educate the public, to monitor the problem, and to rigorously enforce applicable federal laws.  And we have stepped up our investigatory efforts – opening more than 4,500 heroin-related investigations since 2011 and increasing the amount of heroin seized along America’s southwest border by 320 percent between 2008 and 2013.

“From our rigorous scrutiny of new pharmacy applications to prevent illicit storefront drug trafficking – to our sponsorship of “Drug Take Back” events that provide opportunities for safe and responsible prescription drug disposal – with your help and expert guidance, the department has pursued a comprehensive strategy to keep pharmaceutical controlled substances from falling into the hands of non-medical users.  We can all be proud of the steps forward we’ve taken, and the considerable results we’ve achieved, over the last few years alone.  But we continue to face escalating and rapidly-evolving challenges in our efforts to prevent opioid abuse and intercept illicit drugs.

“These challenges illustrate the need to preserve important law enforcement tools like Immediate Suspension Orders, which allow DEA to immediately shut down irresponsible distributors, pharmacies, and rogue pain clinics that flood the market with pills prescribed by unethical or irresponsible doctors.  These Immediate Suspension Orders, or ISOs, are used to take action in instances where irresponsible behavior places the public at risk - and do so without interrupting the legitimate flow of prescription drugs or preventing patients from receiving necessary medications.

“Particularly now – at a time when our nation is facing a heroin and prescription drug abuse crisis – law enforcement tools like ISOs could not be more important.  And if Congress were to take them away, or weaken our ability to use them successfully, it would severely undermine a critical component of our efforts to prevent communities and families from falling prey to dangerous drugs.

“Of course, I recognize – as you do – that we cannot prevent every individual instance of heroin or prescription painkiller abuse.  And that is why, beyond these efforts, we must also take additional steps to ensure that we can respond quickly and effectively in the event of acute heroin- or prescription drug-related emergencies that are encountered in the field.

“In March, I urged local law enforcement authorities, who are often the first to respond to possible overdoses, to routinely carry naloxone – a drug that’s extremely effective at restoring breathing to a victim in the midst of a heroin or other opioid overdose.  At that time, seventeen states and the District of Columbia had amended their laws to increase access to naloxone, resulting in over 10,000 overdose reversals since 2001.  During one of my regular meetings with the leaders of national law enforcement organizations – many of whom I see here today – they identified the need for technical assistance so that jurisdictions with an interest in equipping officers and first responders may do so effectively.  Today’s meeting fulfills that request.  The result of this convening will be a set of guidelines to assist law enforcement and public health providers who wish to be equipped and trained in the use of this potentially life-saving remedy.

“In addition, this morning, I can announce that, for the first time ever, I have issued a memorandum urging federal law enforcement agencies – including the DEA, the ATF, the FBI and the U.S. Marshals Service – to review their policies and procedures to determine whether personnel within their agencies should be equipped and trained to recognize and respond to opioid overdose, including with the use of naloxone.  In the coming days, I expect each of these critical agencies to determine whether and which members of their teams should be trained to use and carry naloxone in the performance of their duties.

“Although, like you, I recognize that there are numerous challenges involved in naloxone implementation – from acquisition and replenishment, to training, medical oversight and liability issues – I am confident that expanding the availability of this tool has the potential to save the lives, families, and futures of countless people across the nation.  I am certain that the leaders in this room – together with our colleagues and counterparts far beyond it – possess the knowledge, the skill, and the determination to forge workable solutions to these pressing concerns.  The ultimate goal of today’s conference is to harness your insights, to channel your expertise, and to mine your collective experience in order to make real and lasting progress on behalf of those who are in desperate need of our assistance.  Through extensive collaboration and shared wisdom, we can overcome persistent challenges and set a new course for the future.

“So long as I have the privilege of serving as Attorney General, I am determined to keep working with you – and with leaders and stakeholders from around the country – to help break new ground, to develop new solutions, and to forge new paths to the safer, brighter, and more just futures that all Americans deserve.  I want to thank each of you, once again, for your commitment to this initiative; for your devotion to this cause; and for your partnership in the considerable work that lies before us.  I look forward to all that we must, and surely will, accomplish together in the months and years to come.  And I wish you all a most productive conference.”

AG HOLDER'S REMARKS ON VOTE FOR RETROACTIVE SENTENCE REDUCTIONS FOR DRUG OFFENCES

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT 

Friday, July 18, 2014

Statement by Attorney General Holder on Sentencing Commission Vote Approving Retroactivity of Sentence Reductions for Drug Offenses

WASHINGTON—Attorney General Eric Holder today released the following statement regarding the U.S. Sentencing Commission vote approving retroactivity of sentence reductions for drug offenses:

“The department looks forward to implementing this plan to reduce sentences for certain incarcerated individuals. We have been in ongoing discussions with the Commission during its deliberations on this issue, and conveyed the department's support for this balanced approach. In the interest of fairness, it makes sense to apply changes to the sentencing guidelines retroactively, and the idea of a one-year implementation delay will adequately address public safety concerns by ensuring that judges have adequate time to consider whether an eligible individual is an appropriate candidate for a reduced sentence. At my direction, the Bureau of Prisons will begin notifying federal inmates of the opportunity to apply for a reduction in sentence immediately. This is a milestone in the effort to make more efficient use of our law enforcement resources and to ease the burden on our overcrowded prison system.”

AG HOLDER DELIVERS REMARKS AT HOWARD UNIVERSITY FOR 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT 

Attorney General Holder Delivers Remarks at Howard University for the 50th Anniversary Celebration of the Civil Rights Act

~ Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Thank you, President [Wayne] Frederick, for those kind words – and thank you all for such a warm welcome.  It is a pleasure to be here on the beautiful and historic campus of Howard University – one of our nation’s great historically black institutions of higher learning, and home to generations of leaders and role models.  I’d like to thank the Howard University Color Guard for being a part of this celebration, and Bert Cross II for that exceptional rendition of the national anthem.  I also want to recognize Ambassador [Andrew] Young – a tireless advocate for the rights of all Americans and a proud graduate of this university.  And I want to thank every member of the Gay Men’s Chorus, who will share their talents with us later this morning, for helping to make this event so special.

I am also mindful, as we gather today, of the leader we lost this past Friday.  John Seigenthaler was a passionate journalist, a lifelong defender of the First Amendment, and a fierce civil rights advocate.  He was a top aide to my predecessor as Attorney General, Robert F. Kennedy, and later served as his pallbearer. He risked his life alongside the Freedom Riders and called forcefully for civil rights protections at a time when most Southern journalists turned a blind eye.  He was a remarkable man and a singular voice for the cause of justice; a guiding light and an inspiration to many – including me.  I count myself as extremely fortunate to have known John Seigenthaler, and extend my heartfelt condolences to his family.  He will be dearly missed.  But his critical work goes on.

It’s a privilege to be among so many distinguished guests, including fellow members of the President’s Cabinet; Howard faculty and administrators; accomplished trailblazers in the fight for civil rights; and young people who will carry on the work we commemorate – and build on the singular achievement we celebrate – here today.

Half a century ago this month – with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and others at his side – President Lyndon Johnson marked an inflection point in a struggle that predated our Republic when he signed the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964.  It was a struggle that had begun more than three centuries earlier, in 1619, with the arrival of roughly 20 captive Africans in Jamestown, Virginia.  And it continued through the expanding colonization of North America.

By 1763, the colonial population included roughly 300,000 Africans, the overwhelming majority of whom were slaves.  Yet it wasn’t until a century later that our greatest president issued an Emancipation Proclamation providing a legal framework for the eventual release of many slaves – and secured the Thirteenth Amendment, which finally struck this evil from our Constitution.  Even then, Jim Crow laws and other measures were engineered to keep millions of African-Americans effectively in bondage, slavery by another name, for a century more.  And intimidation and violence were routinely employed to prevent them from becoming educated, to keep them from voting, and to stop them from mixing with the white majority.

Finally, 60 years ago this May, when Chief Justice Earl Warren led a unanimous Supreme Court to declare, in Brown v. Board of Education, that segregation was unconstitutional, our nation took an important step to reconcile not only two races, but two histories –  two Americas – that had been intensely separate, and profoundly unequal, since long before the American Revolution.  And ten long years after that – as long-simmering injustice gave way to activism and principled action – the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was adopted to forever enshrine American equality into American law.

This historic measure barred discrimination based on race, color, sex, religion, and national origin.  It instituted critical employment protections.  It outlawed discrimination in public accommodations, including schools and workplaces, and prohibited unequal application of voter requirements.  In so doing, it greatly expanded the mandate of the Department’s Civil Rights Division, which to this day is committed to enforcing the Civil Rights Act and upholding the civil and constitutional rights of all Americans –  particularly society’s most vulnerable members.  The new statute also created the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission as well as the Community Relations Service, which assists vulnerable populations and promotes healing in times of disorder and distress.

Securing this law was an extraordinary undertaking – born of a consensus wrought by decades of hard work and profound sacrifice.  It required two great presidents – John F. Kennedy, who called on us to confront a moral crisis and fulfill a national promise; and Lyndon Johnson, who took action, after President Kennedy’s assassination, to make that promise real.  It required a Congress with the fortitude to stand up to those who defended a way of life founded on bigotry and oppression.  It required leaders of conviction – from Medgar Evers to Dr. King; from John Lewis to Andrew Young – who were willing to risk, and even to give, their lives in order that others might live free.  And most of all, it required men, women, and even children of tremendous courage – and unwavering faith – to endure the unendurable and advance the cause of justice.

These are the heroes whose legacy we celebrate on this milestone anniversary.  These are the pioneers on whose shoulders we now stand.  And these are the trailblazers to whom we pay grateful tribute this morning.

Of course, like all who are old enough to remember those days – when northern cities erupted and Mississippi burned – I will never forget the turmoil, and the violence, that characterized the Civil Rights Era.  I will never forget watching, on a black-and-white television in my childhood home in East Elmhurst, Queens, New York, as countless people – rich and poor, black and white, famous and unknown –  braved dogs and fire hoses, billy clubs and baseball bats, bullets and bombs, in order to secure the rights to which every American is entitled.

These extraordinary citizens streamed into Birmingham and marched on Washington.  They stood up in Little Rock and sat-in in Greensboro.  They faced riots in Oxford and walked through a schoolhouse door in Tuscaloosa.  They dared, during America’s “long night of racial injustice,” to dream of a more equal society.  And they risked everything they had to make it so.

This was the fight that, half a century ago, brought nearly a thousand students to Mississippi for a voter registration campaign called Freedom Summer – as the battle for civil rights was waged in the halls of Congress and thundered across the streets of America.  Inch by inch, the nation as a whole moved slowly forward towards equality.  But Mississippi and other states continued to stand in stubborn, racist opposition.  Registrar offices instituted voting tests and other measures that made it almost impossible for black men and women to go to the polls and vote.  Citizens – and even sworn police officers – fought racial equality and threatened African Americans who dared step into voting booths.  Newspapers published the names of registered black voters so they could be targeted – and terrorized – by those who harbored hatred.  Yet hundreds of young people came to Mississippi – in defiance of these threats and in the face of deadly violence – to help extend our democracy’s “most basic right” to people of color.

In the ten weeks of Freedom Summer, more than 65 buildings were bombed or burned.  Hundreds of civil rights workers were beaten and arrested.  And three brave young men – Andrew Goodman, James Chaney, and Michael Schwerner – were brutally murdered.

Yet violence did not send the activists running, as its perpetrators had hoped.  Instead, it galvanized them – and the nation.  More and more brave Americans joined the cause – both residents of these communities and students of all races from across the country.  When they saw that African-Americans were being deprived of quality educational opportunities, they established Freedom Schools to teach black history, to facilitate discussion, and to encourage political activism.

 These young people devoted themselves to the hope – as Michael Schwerner’s widow, Rita, once wrote – that they could pass on to the next generation “a world containing more respect for the dignity and worth of all men than that world which was willed to us.”  The senseless murders of Rita’s husband and his two colleagues, one black and one white, in a case that became known as Mississippi Burning, and which remains open to this day – captured headlines and sparked outrage across the country.  Their tragic deaths moved public opinion, spurred cautious politicians to take long-overdue action, and intensified support for the Civil Rights Act. But their efforts also made possible the Voting Rights Act of 1965; the Fair Housing Act of 1968; and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, along with countless other movements for progress.  And although Michael and Rita Schwerner never had the chance to have children of their own, their work – and the efforts of their friends and fellows – left a better world for me, for my children, and for millions more.

As we mark this anniversary, I am especially mindful that, without the Civil Rights Act, the protections it codified, or the monumental progress that followed, few of us would be here this morning.  And without the sacrifices of countless activists and citizens, I would not stand before you as Attorney General of the United States, proudly serving in the Administration of our first African-American President.

I am just as mindful that none of this progress was preordained.  We know from our history that advances toward equality and inclusion have never been inevitable.  Every step forward has been hard-won.  The words of our founding documents were not automatically imbued with the force of law.  And our nation’s future continues to be defined, and its destiny determined, by men and women of both character and conviction; by courageous people who are unafraid to stand up for what they know to be right;  and by patriots who never shrink from the responsibility to draw this country ever closer to its highest ideals.

Like you, my colleagues – at every level of today’s Department of Justice – and I are determined to do everything in our power to further these efforts, to protect and expand the work of those who have gone before, and to extend America’s promise to new generations and populations that have been too long disenfranchised, overlooked, and oppressed.  Half a century after its passage, the Civil Rights Act continues to provide an arsenal of singularly useful tools in waging this struggle.  And as we speak, the Justice Department is using provisions of this important law both aggressively – and innovatively – to confront civil rights challenges old and new.

Earlier this year, our Civil Rights Division relied on the 1964 Act to reach a $99 million employment discrimination settlement with the New York City Fire Department – the largest such employment settlement to date – ensuring that all applicants can fairly compete for jobs, and that New Yorkers are protected by the best-qualified among them.  In 2012, the Department used provisions of the Act to address harassment against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students in a Minnesota school district, establishing a model for other districts to follow.  We are currently employing other provisions to fight for gender equality in education and in the workplace.  And we’re finding that, in a variety of cases and circumstances – from ensuring that schools provide safe and equal opportunities to all of our sons and daughters, to guaranteeing access to state courts for those with limited English proficiency – the Civil Rights Act offers powerful enforcement authorities to address contemporary challenges and safeguard vulnerable people.

Beyond the Act itself, the Justice Department has worked with our partners throughout the Administration – most notably the Department of Education, led by Secretary Arne Duncan, and the Department of Labor, led by Secretary Tom Perez, who not long ago led – and, in fact, helped to revive – our own Civil Rights Division, ushering in what I’m confident will be considered an era of historic achievement for the Division.  Alongside these other agencies, we have worked hard to build on the spirit of the law by winning new legislation – and judicial rulings – that extend the promise of equality to others.  We’ve secured additional protections for women, Latinos, Asian Americans, American Indians, and people with disabilities.  And we’ve achieved historic progress in ensuring the civil rights of LGBT individuals across the country – so they can finally receive the equal opportunities, equal protection, and equal treatment they deserve.

All of this is important, life-changing work.  It speaks to the timelessness of the Civil Rights Act itself, the continuing relevance of its core provisions, and the need to keep expanding upon the safeguards it provides.  But it also shows that our work is far from over.  Significant challenges remain before us.  And each one of us – every American – has a great deal more to do.

Although we can be proud of the progress that’s been made even within our lifetimes, we cannot accept these advances as an indication that our work is complete, that our long journey has been successfully concluded.  Progress is not an end; it is a measure of effort and of commitment.  As we speak, in far too many neighborhoods, far too many people of color and far too many LGBT individuals are denied credit and housing.  In the workplace, far too many women are deprived of the opportunity to perform equal work for equal pay, earning on average only 77 cents for every dollar earned by their male colleagues.  In our education system, students of color are far more likely than white children to attend poorly-funded schools. In the criminal justice system, African-American men are routinely subjected to sentences averaging 20 percent longer than those served by white men convicted of similar crimes.  And when it comes to our most treasured democratic institutions, many vulnerable populations – including young people, the elderly, and communities of color – are now facing a range of new restrictions, leveled under the dubious guise of voter fraud prevention, that create significant barriers to the ballot box.

If these and other conditions – from lower social and economic mobility, to reduced educational opportunities, to unequal justice and unfair outcomes – were felt so acutely by the majority of Americans, I believe our national dialogue, and our responses to these problems, would be very different.  As it stands, our society is not yet colorblind; nor should it be, given the disparities that still afflict and divide us.  We must be color brave and must never forget that all are made better and more prosperous if all are given equal opportunities.

That’s why, today – together – we must resolve once again to act not out of self-interest, but out of national interest.  We must take into account not only the considerable steps forward we’ve seen over the last 50 years, but the entirety of the experience that people of color have faced.  And we must never hesitate to confront the fact, the undeniable truth, that in too many places across this nation that I love – and have served throughout my life – that the echoes of injustices stretching back nearly four centuries continue to reverberate.  These echoes from times past are still heard by too many.

In addressing these lingering effects, there is a need for personal responsibility.  Too many individuals act in ways that are negligent or counterproductive.  But there is also a need for societal responsibility; for collective engagement and common effort.  We must be willing to acknowledge the problems we face, to talk frankly about inequality, and to examine its causes and its impacts and, most importantly, to act to eradicate it.  And we must look at our great nation, and reflect on its history, with clarity and with honesty – with open eyes and deep understanding of who we have been, who we aspire to be, and who we are today.

This is the key to perfecting our Union – and formulating policies that will lead to a better, brighter future for all of our citizens.  This is what drives the Obama Administration’s sweeping efforts to ensure that every American has the chance to succeed based on his or her skills, talent, and potential –  not by the circumstances of their birth.  But this is something we’ll never be able to do on our own.

Today, I am calling on Congress to renew the spirit of the Civil Rights Act – by updating fair housing and lending laws to address discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, and marital status;   by strengthening workplace protections to prohibit pay discrimination against women and to finally end discrimination against LGBT individuals; by ensuring equal access to education and promoting nondiscriminatory learning environments; and by passing updated voting rights legislation that will enable every voter, in every jurisdiction, to exercise – unencumbered – the rights that so many have fought and died to defend.

After all, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was an attempt – and a highly successful one – to confront fundamental questions that had bedeviled this nation since its inception, and that justifiably generate controversy even today.  This morning, we are reminded that carrying on this work; advancing the cause of justice; and ensuring the civil and human rights of every person – no matter where they come from, who they are, or who they love – continues to constitute our most solemn obligation.

The true greatness of this country lies in our limitless capacity for innovation and invention – for rebirth and renewal; for forging greater societies and reaching new frontiers.  As a people, we have never been content to tie ourselves to an unjust status quo, no matter how many individuals may find it acceptable.  We challenge; we question; we struggle; we quarrel.  We bind ourselves to the ongoing quest for a better future.  And ultimately, we move forward together – as one nation, indivisible – driven by our pursuit of a more perfect Union and determined, come what may, to achieve it.

That, at its core, is what defines us as Americans: a people born of revolution and tested by civil war.  A nation founded on equality but built by those in chains.  A country first imagined, centuries ago, by imperfect people driven by a near-perfect vision – a vision conceived by patriots who dared to reach beyond themselves and defended later by activists who fought for equal justice – and who challenge us, even today, to make this promise real.

To them – as to generations yet to come – we owe our best efforts and our deepest resolve.  We must take up this challenge and implement this vision.  And we must build, in their honor, a world that is worthy of their passion, their sacrifice, and their humanity.

Like you, I have no illusions that this task will be easy.  But as I look around this crowd today – of passionate men and women, dedicated to truth and devoted to service – I am confident of our ability to reach that promised land.  I thank you for your commitment to progress and to the pursuit of justice.  And I look forward to all that we must, and will, accomplish in the months and years ahead.  As a nation, as the beloved community, as a united people, we shall overcome.

Thank you.

AG HOLDER HOLDS PRESS CONFERENCE TO ANNOUNCE $4 BILLION FINANCIAL FRAUD SETTLEMENT

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT 

Attorney General Holder Speaks at Press Conference Announcing Major Financial Fraud

Washington, D.C. ~ Monday, July 14, 2014

Good morning – and thank you all for being here.  Today, I am joined by Associate Attorney General [Tony] West; United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York [Loretta] Lynch; United States Attorney for the District of Colorado [John] Walsh; and Acting Inspector General for the Federal Housing Finance Agency [Michael] Stephens – as we announce a significant step in our ongoing effort to hold accountable those whose actions have threatened the integrity of our financial markets and undermined the stability of our economy.

Today, the Justice Department attained a landmark civil resolution with Citigroup totaling $7 billion in fines and consumer relief to address the bank’s involvement in a scheme to sell fraudulent securities that were backed by toxic loans.  This total includes a civil penalty of $4 billion, the largest penalty to date of its kind.

The penalty is appropriate given the strength of the evidence of the wrongdoing committed by Citi.  Despite the fact that Citigroup learned of serious and widespread defects among the increasingly risky loans they were securitizing, the bank and its employees concealed these defects.  They misrepresented the facts, including the level of risk.  They sold defective loans to countless investors, including federally-insured financial institutions.  And they made false statements to investors, in marketing materials, and even in documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.  They led investors and the public to believe that these financial products had been originated in compliance with the law and key underwriting guidelines when this was often not the case.

The bank’s misconduct was egregious.  And under the terms of this settlement, the bank has admitted to its misdeeds in great detail.  The bank’s activities shattered lives and livelihoods throughout the country and around the world.  They contributed mightily to the financial crisis that devastated our economy in 2008.  While Citigroup was not alone in its willingness to ignore internal warnings and disregard the law in order to defraud consumers and investors, as a result of their assurances that toxic financial products were sound, Citigroup was able to expand its market share and increase profits.  They did so at the expense of millions of ordinary Americans and investors of all types – including other financial institutions, universities and pension funds, cities and towns, and even hospitals and religious charities.  Ultimately, these investors suffered billions of dollars in losses when Citi’s false and fraudulent claims came crashing down.

Today, we hold the bank accountable for this wrongdoing – which had devastating ripple effects that cascaded through economies and financial institutions across the globe.  I want to thank U.S. Attorneys Lynch and Walsh, along with their dedicated staff members, for their leadership in making this resolution possible.  Alongside attorneys, analysts, and other committed public servants assigned to the RMBS Working Group – part of the President’s Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force, which I am proud to chair – they questioned a succession of witnesses, sifted through terabytes of data, and reviewed millions of documents.

In addition to the historic $4 billion penalty assessed against Citi, this resolution also includes $2.5 billion in relief that will be provided to those homeowners and communities affected by the bank’s fraudulent activities.  This assistance has become a must-have element in our agreements with banks that contributed to the mortgage crisis.  It will remain so.

Importantly, this agreement does not in any way absolve Citigroup or its individual employees from facing any possible criminal charges in the future.

Taken together, we believe the size and scope of this resolution goes beyond what could be considered the mere cost of doing business.  In fact, it was not at all inevitable in these last few weeks that this case would be resolved out of court.  But in all of its cases, the Justice Department is committed to delivering outcomes that are commensurate with the misconduct at issue.

This action is merely the latest step in our active and ongoing pursuit of those whose activities defrauded the American people and inflicted grave damage on our financial markets.  Citi is not the first financial institution to be held accountable by this Justice Department, and it will certainly not be the last.  In the investigations that remain open, we will continue to move forward – guided by the facts and the law – to achieve justice for those affected by the financial crisis.  These investigations are not only about holding those who violate the public trust to account; they are also intended to deter banks from engaging in this type of conduct in the future.

Now I’d like to turn things over to Associate Attorney General Tony West, who will provide additional details on today’s announcement.

AG HOLDER URGES INTERNATIONAL EFFORT TO DEAL WITH FOREIGN FIGHTERS IN SYRIA

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT 

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Attorney General Holder Urges International Effort to Confront Threat of Syrian Foreign Fighters

During Visit to Norway, Attorney General Outlines Law Enforcement Approaches to Countering Violent Extremism

In a speech Tuesday, Attorney General Eric Holder called Syria "a cradle of violent extremism" and urged multilateral law enforcement action to confront the security threat posed by radicalized individuals from the United States and Europe traveling there.

An estimated 7,000 foreign fighters, including dozens of Americans, have streamed into Syria to participate in the conflict there. These individuals can link up with violent extremist groups operating in the region and then seek to return to their home countries with training in how to carry out violence on a large scale. Attorney General Holder said the U.S. and its allies have a mutual interest in confronting this trend, observing that the ability of citizens of European nations to travel, visa-free, to the United States--and likewise, U.S. citizens' ability to freely visit Europe--means that "the problem of fighters in Syria returning to any of our countries is a problem for all of our countries."

Holder called for a four-part strategy to counter the threat. The approach includes enacting statutes that allow governments to prosecute planning activities undertaken by radicalized extremists seeking to aid terrorist groups. Holder also pointed to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's undercover operations as a successful method for identifying violent extremists and disrupting their plots. He also called for more information sharing among nations about travelers to Syria, and for expanded outreach to key communities in order to prevent individuals from becoming radicalized in the first place.

"In the face of a threat so grave, we cannot afford to be passive," Holder said. "Rather, we need the benefit of investigative and prosecutorial tools that allow us to be preemptive in our approach to confronting this problem. If we wait for our nations’ citizens to travel to Syria or Iraq, to become radicalized, and to return home, it may be too late to adequately protect our national security."

The Attorney General spoke in Oslo at the U.S. ambassador's residence. The remarks followed one-on-one meetings earlier Tuesday with both the Prime Minister of Norway and the country’s Minister of Justice. In 2013, Norway amended its laws to criminalize preparatory acts to terrorism, including training for terrorism, preparation for terrorism and participation in a terrorist organization. In addition, last month the Norwegian government announced a 30-point "Action Plan Against Radicalism and Violent Extremism" that focuses on civic engagement and detection of threats. Holder praised both steps in his remarks Tuesday and said the United States looked forward to continued cooperation with Norway on these matters.

Later this week, Attorney General Holder travels to London for the Sixth Annual Meeting of the Quintet of Attorney Generals from the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. The issue of Syrian foreign fighters is expected to be part of those discussions as well.

A copy of the Attorney General's remarks appears below.

Thank you for those kind words – and thank you all for such a warm welcome.  Ladies and gentlemen; distinguished guests; leaders and citizens – it is a pleasure to be in Norway.  And it’s a great privilege to be in the beautiful city of Oslo today.

I’d like to thank the Norwegian government – and especially Prime Minister [Erna] Solberg and Minister of Justice [Anders] Anundsen, with whom I met earlier today – for their hospitality.  I’d also like to recognize our Charge, Julie Furuta-Toy, and the hardworking men and women of the U.S. Embassy for bringing us together – and for all that they do, every day, to advance our shared interests.

It’s an honor to join them – and to stand with all of you – in strengthening the ties that bind our nations together; in discussing some of the most critical challenges the international community must confront; and in reaffirming our mutual commitment to the values we share, and the high ideals – of democracy, liberty, and equal justice under law – that have defined our nations’ friendship over the past two centuries.

That friendship, and those values, have deep roots.  Norwegian-Americans have played an important role in the development of our country.  And your citizens and values have had an impact around the world.  Two hundred years ago, Norway ratified a constitution that asserted certain essential and immutable rights.  Through centuries of triumph and challenge, our people and our governments have both been guided by a shared understanding that “all people are born free and equal.”

Today, Norway is a leader in extending worldwide the promise of equality and justice, through its own development work overseas, and through its support of international institutions.  And Norway leads global efforts to address urgent threats – most recently in Syria, where Norwegian and American personnel are working side-by-side to rid that country of chemical weapons.  Around the world, Norway is recognized as a champion of democracy and human rights.  And, for decades, you’ve been leading by example.

After all, as history teaches us – and as you’ve seen here in Norway and we in the United States – progress is not inevitable.  And our democratic values, our open societies – and our commitment to tolerance and inclusion – must be continuously protected against agents of intolerance, extremism, and hate.

Particularly when hatred and extremism take expression in acts of violence and terror, we must be resolute in our protection of equal rights, democracy, and the rule of law.  And we must be both innovative and aggressive in combating violent extremism in all its forms.

It was just three years ago this month that Norway endured devastating attacks on the government quarter of Oslo and a Workers’ Youth League summer camp – heinous acts that shocked citizens everywhere, and earned swift condemnation and sympathy from around the world – as President Obama stated, our hearts went out to you.  Horrific crimes like these are not only terrible tragedies for the individuals and the nations targeted; they test our fortitude and challenge the very foundations of who we are.  Yet Norway has not faltered or changed its values – and is an example for the world in this regard as well.

Like Norway, the United States is all too familiar with domestic threats, having suffered deadly attacks on our soil – including against government buildings, places of worship, and sporting events.  These attacks, like the attacks you suffered here in Norway, share a common theme:  they are attacks on tolerance, in the name of violent extremist ideologies.

Under the Obama Administration, while we have acted to protect our country and our allies, we have also redoubled our commitment to civil rights and to tolerance.  This is what violent extremists most fear, for their goal is to undermine open societies.  At the same time, we also have joined with our international partners to ensure that there is no impunity for those who seek to commit terrorist attacks.   Now, Norway, the United States, and countries around the world face a new threat – the possibility that violent extremists fighting today in Syria, Iraq, or other locations may seek to commit acts of terror tomorrow in our countries as well.

U.S. intelligence officials estimate that nearly 23,000 violent extremists are currently operating in Syria.  Among these are over 7,000 foreign fighters – among whom are dozens of Americans, a number that is growing.

We have a mutual and compelling interest in developing shared strategies for confronting the influx of U.S.- and European-born violent extremists into Syria.  And because our citizens can freely travel, visa-free, from the U.S. to Norway and other European states – and vice versa – the problem of fighters in Syria returning to any of our countries is a problem for all of our countries.

This is a global crisis in need of a global solution.  The Syrian conflict has turned that region into a cradle of violent extremism.  But the world cannot simply sit back and let it become a training ground from which our nationals can return and launch attacks.  And we will not.

In the face of a threat so grave, we cannot afford to be passive.  Rather, we need the benefit of investigative and prosecutorial tools that allow us to be preemptive in our approach to confronting this problem.  If we wait for our nations’ citizens to travel to Syria or Iraq, to become radicalized, and to return home, it may be too late to adequately protect our national security.

That’s why we need to adopt a multilateral four-pronged strategy to combat this threat, to counter violent extremism in all its forms, and to keep our citizens safe.

The first element of our united approach must be to ensure that there are laws in our systems that enable governments to properly police that threat.  In its Rabat Memorandum, the Global Counterterrorism Forum – a group of 30 countries from around the world, working in partnership with the UN – stated that “Criminalizing preparatory acts, such as conspiracy, terrorist fundraising, terrorist recruitment, planning and training, particularly when a terrorist attack has not yet been carried out, is vital in an effective criminal justice preventive approach to counterterrorism.”  In this regard, the U.S. relies on a statute that criminalizes the providing of “material support to terrorist organizations.”  Our material-support law, which was originally enacted in 1994 and amended after the attacks in New York on September 11, 2001, bars not only contributions of personnel, cash, weapons and other tangible aid to designated terrorist organizations, but also intangible means of support – such as training, service, and expert advice or assistance.  Similarly, in 2013, Norway amended its laws to criminalize preparatory acts to terrorism, including training for terrorism, preparation for terrorism and participation in a terrorist organization   Likewise, in 2012, France enacted a new statute that enables prosecutors to charge individuals with “criminal association with the intent to commit terrorist acts.”  Earlier this year, French authorities sentenced the nation’s first three defendants under this new law; all three were plotting to travel to Syria.  Today, I urge governments around the world to consider similar measures that criminalize the preparatory acts committed by those with terrorist plans.

The second part of our comprehensive strategy looks to ensure that we have in place law enforcement investigative tools and techniques that are both effective and protective of individual rights and the rule of law.  In this regard, we have found undercover operations – which the Federal Bureau of Investigation pioneered in fighting transnational organized crime – to be essential in fighting terrorism as well.  In the United States, the FBI has already conducted undercover operations that have identified individuals with intentions to travel to Syria.  These operations are conducted with extraordinary care and precision, ensuring that law enforcement officials are accountable for the steps they take – and that suspects are neither entrapped nor denied legal protections.  Here, too, the Global Counterterrorism Forum’s Rabat Memorandum calls for such techniques to be applied in countries around the world:  one of the “good practices” it advocates is that countries “Provide a Legal Framework and Practical Measures for Undercover Investigations of Terrorist Suspects or Organizations.”

Third: in order to further our investigative capabilities, we must strengthen international cooperation, in a variety of respects.  As an initial matter, we must prioritize the sharing of traveler information as a potential way to prevent would-be foreign fighters from going to Syria in the first place – and tracking those who come back.  The United States is committed to doing its part in this regard.  As we speak, through law enforcement agencies such as the FBI, U.S. authorities are working with Interpol to disseminate information on foreign fighters.  We encourage other countries to use Interpol – and Interpol notices – to combat the foreign-fighter phenomenon.  And we are actively supporting Interpol’s Fusion Cell, which focuses on information-sharing relating to foreign fighters.  In fact, the U.S. has provided personnel, including FBI agents, to support this specialized office.

While we are committed to ensuring that we protect the safety of our fellow citizens, we are also committed to protecting their privacy.  Alongside policymakers in Brussels, we’re also working to attain an “umbrella” data-sharing agreement between the United States and the European Union, that would strengthen the already strong protections that are presently in existence and that ensure that law enforcement information is shared effectively, and in accordance with data privacy principles.  This agreement will guarantee that there will be no diminishment of the key exchanges of law enforcement information, including terrorism information, that is critical to the safety of citizens in Europe, the U.S., and around the world.  And as a step to advance this endeavor, last month – in Athens – I announced a United States commitment that the Obama Administration would seek legislation to create the ability – for non-U.S. persons – to seek judicial redress for access and rectification, and for willful or intentional disclosure, of law enforcement information transferred to the United States.  This is an historic commitment by the United States to extend privacy protections beyond U.S. persons in this context.  It is imperative that we reach an “umbrella” agreement in this regard as soon as possible.  The time for posturing has long past.  It is time for nations that have long shared fundamental views about privacy to act together.

Countries must also effectively use mutual legal assistance and extradition to counter foreign fighters.  Here, too, the Rabat Memorandum of the Global Counterterrorism Forum is instructive:  “Because terrorism often transcends national boundaries, timely and effective international cooperation is indispensable to a criminal justice response to terrorism.”  Through international mutual legal assistance, the U.S. Department of Justice has provided evidence to countries for use in prosecutions of terrorist organizations – including terrorist groups that were recruiting others to fight in Syria.  We continue to assist foreign partners around the globe by acting on mutual legal assistance requests and providing evidence to support those criminal investigations and prosecutions.  And we believe it’s critical that countries develop their abilities to effectively engage in mutual legal assistance – including by strengthening their central authorities – so that we can work together to counter this shared threat.

International cooperation also means working together to build the capacity of other nations, as Norway does in so many different contexts.  Norwegian and U.S. Department of Justice legal advisors have worked together to build Rule of Law in Georgia and Moldova.  And to enhance similar efforts on a global scale, the U.S. Department of Justice is providing capacity-building assistance to help our partners build fair and transparent justice systems that will allow their countries to confront transnational crime and terrorism, including the problem of foreign fighters.  Applying the standards of the UN Counterterrorism Treaties, and the best practices of the Rabat Memorandum, our capacity-building work, and that of our foreign partners, has helped advance laws permitting police and prosecutors to more effectively investigate and prosecute suspected foreign fighters, within the Rule of Law – leading to the disruption of foreign fighters and the dismantlement of organizations that recruit would-be fighters to travel to Syria.  Through ongoing programs in places such as the Balkans, Africa, and elsewhere, we continue to work with international partners to help them stem the flows of foreign fighters; to use the tools they have to more effectively impede their movements; and to assist in the investigation and prosecution of foreign fighters once captured.

Today, I challenge additional nations to step forward, as Norway has.  Commit to robust, and privacy-protective, data-sharing in service of our mutual security.  Pledge support for Interpol’s “Transnational Fighter Initiative.”  Support mutual legal assistance and capacity building.  And urge others to do their part by participating fully in these efforts – which will be effective only to the extent that they are as comprehensive as possible.

The fourth and final element of our strategy is founded on the notion that strong laws, effective investigative tools, and robust information-sharing must be matched with public engagement – and extensive community outreach.  We must seek to stop individuals from becoming radicalized in the first place by putting in place strong programs to counter violent extremism in its earliest stages.  In my time here in Norway, I have had the chance to learn about – and have been deeply impressed by – Norway’s Action Plan Against Radicalization and Violent Extremism.

Indeed, I have found it critical to engage in international exchanges with my counterparts regarding how we can do better on combating radicalization, and to learn from each other.   I will take home with me important lessons from Norway’s experience.  These lessons will help us implement our own National Strategy and Strategic Implementation Plan, which is led by the Justice Department, the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, and the National Counterterrorism Center.

Our approach depends on building mutual trust and respect with members of communities across the country – so that we can understand their needs and concerns and to foster open dialogue with community leaders and citizens.  This enables us to work with them to mitigate tensions and identify emerging threats.

At the heart of these engagement efforts in the United States are our United States Attorneys, the chief federal prosecutors in each of the jurisdictions they serve.  Since 2012, our U.S. Attorneys have held or attended more than 1,700 engagement-related events.  And the resulting relationships have not only served to build trust.  They have also produced valuable cooperation, in some cases spurring community members to alert law enforcement about individuals who show an inclination to turn to violence.

Across the United States and in countries around the world, such counter-radicalization programs show significant promise.  They serve our broader aim of fostering tolerance, inclusion, and understanding – which are themselves powerful tools against violent extremism.  But ultimately, our goal must be not just to fight radicalization or apprehend dangerous individuals.  At its core, this work is about forging more just and open societies – and building a more peaceful world.

That’s why it’s especially fitting that we recommit ourselves to these efforts here in Oslo – where so many of mankind’s highest ideals and aspirations have been recognized.  For more than a century, this city has welcomed some of the most devoted peacemakers the world has ever known – from the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who advocated for “a more noble civilization” in the midst of America’s long night of racial injustice; to Nelson Mandela, who insisted that “an injury to one is an injury to all.”

Throughout history, these pioneers of peace have called us to recognize that our capacity for courage has no limit.  The struggle for human rights, civil rights, and equal justice knows no borders or boundaries.  Yet their stories also remind us that, for all the progress that they have made possible, our journey still stretches beyond the horizon.  And our work has no end.

You know as well as anyone that the work ahead will not be easy.  None of the challenges we face are simple or straightforward.  We will suffer setbacks. But so long as we remain committed to standing together, working together, and striving together – as people of courage, as leaders of conviction, and as nations of high ideals – I cannot help but feel optimistic about where our joint efforts will lead us.  I thank you all, once again, for your leadership, your collaboration, and your friendship.  And I look forward to everything the United States and the Kingdom of Norway will achieve together in the months and years to come.

Thank you.

7 COLOMBIANS EXTRADITED TO U.S. TO FACE CHARGES IN DEATH OF DEA AGENT JAMES TERRY WATSON

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT 

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Seven Colombian Nationals Charged in Connection with the Murder of a DEA Agent Extradited to the United States

Seven Colombian nationals were extradited to the United States to face charges relating to the kidnapping and murder of Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent James Terry Watson.

Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Dana J. Boente for the Eastern District of Virginia, Special Agent in Charge George L. Piro of the FBI’s Miami Field Office, DEA Administrator Michele M. Leonhart and Director Bill A. Miller of the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) made the announcement.

“With the extradition of these suspects, we are one step closer to ensuring that justice is served for the kidnapping and murder of an American hero,” said Attorney General Holder.  “Special Agent Watson gave his life in the service of his country.  We owe him, and his family, a debt of gratitude we can never fully repay.  The Justice Department will never waver in our commitment to ensure that those who commit acts of violence against our best and bravest can be caught and held accountable.”

“DEA Special Agent James ‘Terry’ Watson was a brave and talented special agent who represented everything good about federal law enforcement and our DEA family,” said DEA Administrator Leonhart.  “We will never forget Terry’s sacrifice on behalf of the American people during his 13 years of service, nor will DEA ever forget the outstanding work of the Colombian National Police and our other law enforcement partners.  Their efforts quickly led to the arrest and extradition of those accused of committing this heinous act.”

All of the defendants were indicted by a grand jury in the Eastern District of Virginia on July 18, 2013.   Gerardo Figueroa Sepulveda, 39; Omar Fabian Valdes Gualtero, 27; Edgar Javier Bello Murillo, 27; Hector Leonardo Lopez, 34; Julio Estiven Gracia Ramirez, 31; and Andrés Alvaro Oviedo-Garcia, 22, were each charged with two counts of second degree murder, one count of kidnapping and one count of conspiracy to kidnap.  Oviedo-Garcia was also charged with two counts of assault.   Additionally, the grand jury indicted Wilson Daniel Peralta-Bocachica, 31, also a Colombian national, for his alleged efforts to destroy evidence associated with the murder of Special Agent Watson.

The defendants arrived in the United States on July 1, 2014, and made their initial appearance in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, today before United States Magistrate Judge Thomas Rawles Jones Jr.   A detention hearing is scheduled for July 9, 2014, before United States Magistrate Judge Ivan D. Davis.

According to the indictment, Figueroa, Valdes, Bello, Lopez, Gracia and Oviedo-Garcia were part of a kidnapping and robbery conspiracy that utilized taxi cabs in Bogotá, Colombia, to lure victims into a position where they could be attacked and robbed.  Once an intended victim entered a taxi cab, the driver of the taxi cab would signal other conspirators to commence the robbery and kidnapping operation.

The indictment alleges that on June 20, 2013, while he was working for the U.S. Mission in Colombia, Special Agent Watson entered a taxi cab operated by one of the defendants.  Special Agent Watson was then allegedly attacked by two other defendants – one who stunned Special Agent Watson with a stun gun and another who stabbed Special Agent Watson with a knife, resulting in his death.

On July 1, 2014, the Government of Colombia extradited the defendants to the United States.

This case was investigated by the FBI, DEA and DSS, including the Office of Special Investigations and the Regional Security Office at Embassy Bogatá, in close cooperation with Colombian authorities, and with assistance from INTERPOL and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs.   The case is being prosecuted by Special Counsel Stacy Luck of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael P. Ben’Ary from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.

The Department of Justice gratefully acknowledges the Colombian Attorney General’s Office, Colombian National Police, Colombian Directorate of Criminal Investigation and Interpol (DIJIN), DIJIN Special Investigative Unit, Bogotá Metropolitan Police, Bogotá Police Intelligence Body (CIPOL) Unit and Colombian Technical Investigation Team for their extraordinary efforts, support and professionalism in responding to this incident.

The charges in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.