Organizational Structure
The United States Attorney for Southern District of Georgia is the chief law enforcement officer in the district. The United States Attorney has a staff of approximately 25 AUSAs and 39 support staff. A general description of the office departments follows:
Asset Forfeiture/ACE/Financial Litigation Division
Administrative Division
The Administrative Division provides administrative services and logistical support relating to financial management, personnel management, procurement, management information systems, telecommunications, space and security.
Appellate Division
The Appellate Section provides advice and assistance to the Criminal and OCDETF Sections on appellate matters, manages the appellate and post-conviction caseload for the entire District, and represents the office in briefing and oral argument before the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals.
Asset Forfeiture Division/ACE/Financial Litigation Division
The ACE Division encompasses several areas of responsibility, all of which involve the collection of money on behalf of the United States. Affirmative Civil Enforcement (ACE) cases seek monetary impositions primarily using the False Claims Act and common law causes of action to recover money paid by the United States as a result of false and fraudulent claims having been submitted by individuals, contractors and vendors. The Asset Forfeiture cases seek to promote, facilitate and enforce compliance with the laws of the United States using the criminal and civil forfeiture statutes to seize and forfeit assets of criminal organizations thereby disrupting, deterring, and dismantling criminal enterprises and to separate criminals and their associates from the profits of their illegal activities. The Financial Litigation Unit (FLU), using the Federal Debt Collection Act and other common law and statutory remedies, seeks to collect debts owing to the United States and imposed by Federal Courts upon defendants, such as criminal fines or restitution owed to federal agencies. In addition, the Financial Litigation Unit collects restitution to non-federal victims who have been injured or damaged as a result of criminal activity. Finally, the Financial Litigation Unit accepts referrals directly from federal agencies to collect civil penalties and other debts imposed upon individuals, companies and other entities pursuant to authorized federal statute and regulation.
Civil Division
The Civil Division represents the United States, its agencies and employees at the trial and appellate levels in a wide range of civil actions in both federal and state courts. Civil Division Assistant United States Attorneys defend employment discrimination cases, personal injury actions, medical malpractice suits, constitutional tort claims and challenges to agency actions such as the denial of social security benefits. The Civil Division defends decisions by the Immigration and Naturalization Service to deport or detain aliens. The Civil Division is responsible for all pro se prisoner litigation including claims of violations of constitutional rights while incarcerated as well as petitions for writs of habeas corpus. A very important aspect of the Division's commercial litigation duties is bankruptcy litigation which often results in the collection of money for the United States.
While the vast majority of civil litigation against the United States is filed in federal court, some cases are filed in state courts throughout Georgia. Our Division attorneys often enter limited appearances in state court for removal actions and to defend lien actions as well as land condemnation proceedings. There is a tremendous volume of civil litigation generated in the Southern District of Georgia because of the four major military installations in the District as well as representatives of most federal law enforcement agencies including the FBI, the Department of the Treasury, a federal prison and two Veteran's Administration Medical Centers.
Criminal Division
The Criminal Section investigates and prosecutes all federal crimes within the 43 counties that comprise the Southern District of Georgia. Criminal Section prosecutors handle serious drug offenses and a wide variety of other non-drug criminal matters including firearms violations, armed bank robberies, Customs and Immigration violations, counterfeiting and access (credit) card fraud, postal thefts, bank thefts and frauds, crimes on military reservations such as Fort Stewart, Hunter Army Airfield, Fort Gordon and the Kings Bay Trident submarine base, government contract fraud, and various other frauds committed against the federal government. A new and important assignment added to the Section's responsibilities is to lead and coordinate the Department of Justice's anti-terrorism effort in southeast Georgia.
Executive Division
The Executive Division directs the litigation, operations and administration of the entire district.