ATTORNEY GENERAL ASHCROFT ANNOUNCES GUY LEWIS AS
DIRECTOR OF THE EXECUTIVE OFFICE FOR UNITED STATES ATTORNEYS

WASHINGTON, DC - Attorney General John Ashcroft today named Guy A. Lewis, formerly the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, as Director of the Executive Office for United States Attorneys (EOUSA) of the Department of Justice.

"Guy Lewis brings a wealth of experience and an impressive record to his new position as Director of EOUSA," said Attorney General Ashcroft. "He has done an outstanding job leading the Southern District of Florida, and I have every confidence in his ability to lead our United States Attorneys. I look forward to working with him and believe he will be a tremendous asset to the Justice Department."

Lewis has spent over a decade serving the Southern District of Florida. Prior to being sworn in as the United States Attorney in June 2000, he distinguished himself as a federal prosecutor, serving as Deputy Chief of the Narcotics Section and First Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida. He has extensive experience in the prosecution of public corruption, espionage, civil rights, endangered species, money laundering and narcotics cases, including United States v. General Manuel Noriega, for which he received the Attorney General Award.

Lewis will replace Ken Wainstein, who has gone to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to serve as General Counsel. "Under Ken's leadership, the Executive Office for United States Attorneys has provided tremendous support and assistance to our U.S. Attorneys' offices and invaluable counsel to the Department of Justice," said Ashcroft. "Although we will miss Ken, I am delighted that he will remain with the Department to continue his fine public service career. I wish him well as he undertakes his new responsibilities."

EOUSA provides administrative support to the 94 United States Attorneys' offices across the country, and serves as a liaison between the U.S. Attorneys and other federal agencies and Department of Justice components. The United States Attorneys' offices conduct the majority of the criminal prosecutions and most of the civil litigation handled by the Department of Justice.

A native of Chattanooga, Tennessee, Lewis received his B.S. in business from the University of Tennessee in 1983, and his J.D. from the University of Memphis School of Law in 1986, where he was Editor of the University of Memphis Law Review and a member of the Moot Court Board. Following law school, Lewis served as a law clerk to the Honorable Thomas E. Scott, United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida. Thereafter, he served one year as a law clerk to the Honorable William Cowen, United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington, D.C.

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