Violent Crimes

The mandate of the Violent Crime section is to investigate and prosecute a wide variety of crimes including robbery, firearms trafficking, assaults on federal agents and crimes of violence on federal lands and the maritime jurisdiction of the United States.

Recognizing the dangers of violent crime to the public and the resulting negative impacts in the community, AUSAs in the Violent Crime section coordinate investigations and prosecutions of violent crimes that organized crime groups and violent prison and street gangs commit through federal statutes criminalizing violent crimes in support of racketeering activity. The section works every day with federal law enforcement agencies to bring to justice to those who commit a wide variety of federal offenses including kidnapping, bank robbery, threats, armored car robberies and home invasions, often partnering with state and local agencies to achieve a greater impact on local crime. Attorneys assigned to this group prosecute federal statutes relating to felons in possession of firearms and any possession of a firearm in furtherance of a violent or drug-related crime or gun trafficking organizations. AUSAs within this section also prosecute crimes on federal lands and aboard aircraft and ships.

In concert with their prosecution efforts, the Violent Crime prosecutors are tasked to carry out the Attorney General’s national anti-violent crime strategy through Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).

PSN is a nationwide initiative that brings together federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement officials, prosecutors, community leaders and other stakeholders to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in a community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them through community engagement, prevention and intervention, focused strategic enforcement and accountability.

The prosecutors within the Violent Crime section rely upon a wide range of federal investigative agencies including the ATF, FBI, USPIS, HSI, DEA, IRS, State Department-Diplomatic Security Service and a host of local and state agencies.