Richard B. Abell

Born: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
December 2, 1943

Mr. Abell was appointed Special Master on May 6, 1991, and entered duty on the same day. He graduated from George Washington University receiving a B.A. degree in international affairs in 1966 and from George Washington University Law School with a J.D. degree in 1974.

Mr. Abell formerly served as Assistant Attorney General of the United States for the Office of Justice Programs and previously as Deputy Assistant Attorney General within the U.S. Department of Justice. Prior to these positions, Mr. Abell served as an Assistant District Attorney in Chester County, Pennsylvania, as an associate with the law firm of Reilly & Fogwell and as a member of the adjunct faculty of Delaware Law School, Wilmington, Delaware.

Mr. Abell has served as a volunteer in the Peace Corps in Latin American and subsequently as a volunteer in the U.S. Army in Vietnam. He was retired for wounds received in combat. Mr. Abell has served on the following Presidential Boards: Commission on Agricultural Workers; Interagency Task Force on Adoption; and, the Board of Directors of the Federal Prison Industries, Incorporated. He has also served as: Chairman of the National Crime Prevention Coalition; member of the National Drug Policy Board Enforcement Coordinating Group; member of the National Drug Policy Board Coordinating Group for Drug Abuse Prevention and Health; Vice-Chairman of the Advisory Committee for the National Center for State and Local Law Enforcement Training; member of the Advisory Board of the National Institute of Corrections; and member of the Federal Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and a Delinquency Prevention.

Mr. Abell and his wife, the former Lucia del Carmen Lombana-Cadavid, have two sons and one daughter - David, Christian and Rachel, and three cats. Mr. Abell is licensed to practice before the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania.