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WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Attorney General John Ashcroft today named Ken Wainstein as Director of the Executive Office for United States Attorneys (EOUSA) of the Department of Justice.

EOUSA provides administrative support to the 94 United States Attorneys' offices across the country.

"Ken has been tremendously effective in the United States Attorney's office for the District of Colombia," said Ashcroft. "His experience as a prosecutor, as well as his various leadership positions make him the perfect choice to head up the EOUSA."

Prior to arriving at EOUSA, Wainstein served as the interim United States Attorney for the District of Columbia. From 1992 to the present, Wainstein held several positions at the United States Attorney's office for the District of Colombia, including Principal Assistant United States Attorney, Deputy Chief of the Superior Court Division, and Deputy Chief of the Homicide Section, where he was an Assistant United States Attorney between 1994 and 1999.

Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia, Wainstein served as an Assistant United States Attorney assigned to the General Crimes and Narcotics Sections of the Office of the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York.

Wainstein earned his law degree from the University of California, Berkeley in 1988 and earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Virginia in 1984.

In addition to providing administrative support to U.S. Attorneys' offices, EOUSA also serves as a liaison between the U.S. Attorneys and other federal agencies and Department of Justice components.

The offices of the U.S. Attorneys conduct approximately 95 percent of the federal criminal prosecutions and 75 percent of the federal civil litigation handled by the Department.

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