Attorney General Eric Holder Names New Leadership for ATF, Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys, and Office of Professional Responsibility

WASHINGTON — Attorney General Eric Holder today announced that he will appoint Kenneth E. Melson to serve as acting head of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), H. Marshall Jarrett to head the Executive Office for United States Attorneys (EOUSA), and Mary Patrice Brown to serve as acting head of the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR).

"These extremely experienced and capable long time career prosecutors are uniquely qualified to lead these important offices," said Attorney General Holder. "I am pleased that these dedicated public servants, Ken, Marshall, and Mary Pat, have accepted their new challenges with enthusiasm. I know that they will lead their new offices with their usual high standards of professionalism, integrity and dedication."

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, is one of the Department’s principal law enforcement agencies dedicated to preventing terrorism, reducing violent crime and enforcing federal criminal laws and regulations in the firearms and explosives industries.

Since 2007, Melson has been the Director of the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys. Previous to that, he was the First Assistant for the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. From 1991 to 2001, Melson served as Acting and Interim U.S. Attorney of that office during various periods of time. He began his career as a federal prosecutor in the Eastern District of Virginia in 1983 where he was an Assistant U.S. Attorney until he became First Assistant in 1986.

From 1975 to 1983, Melson served in different positions for the Commonwealth’s Attorney, Arlington County, Va. From 1980 to 1983, he was the Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney, from 1978 to 1980, he was the Chief Assistant, and from 1975 to 1978 he was an Assistant. He served in private law practice in Arlington, Va., from 1974 to 1975.

Melson is a past President and Distinguished Fellow of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, and currently participates on behalf of the Department on the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors/Laboratory Accreditation Board. He has been an adjunct professor at George Washington University for almost 30 years teaching both law and forensic science courses.

Melson received his B.A. from Denison University in 1970 and his J.D. from George Washington University in 1973.

"Ken’s more than 25 years of career federal prosecutor service and his knowledge in forensic science will make him a valuable asset to ATF," said Attorney General Holder. "I am pleased that he will provide his talents to such an important Department of Justice agency."

"As the head of ATF, I am looking forward to using my management and prosecutorial experience, as well as my knowledge of crime labs and forensic science to combat violent crime," said Melson.

The Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys acts as a liaison between the Department and the 94 U.S. Attorneys offices throughout the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, the Marianas Islands, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Since 1998, Marshall Jarrett has been the Counsel for Professional Responsibility. Prior to directing OPR, in1997, Jarrett served in the Office of the Deputy Attorney General as an Associate Deputy Attorney General participating in the formulation of federal criminal law enforcement policy and supervising the prosecution of corrupt officials, violent drug gangs, white collar criminals, and international terrorists. In 1988, he served in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia as Chief of the Criminal Division. In 1980, he joined the Public Integrity Section of the Department of Justice and rose to become a Deputy Chief. He joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia in 1975, as a trial attorney and ascended to the office’s Criminal Chief and First Assistant.

From 1979 to1980, Jarrett worked at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission as Deputy Director of the Enforcement Division, and as a Deputy Attorney General for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania from 1973 to 1975. He is the recipient of the Edmund J. Randolph Award for outstanding service to the Department of Justice. Jarrett received his B.S. in 1966 from West Virginia University and his J.D. from West Virginia University College of Law in 1969.

"I have had the privilege of working with Marshall over the years and I have the highest regard for his experience, talents and capabilities," said Attorney General Holder. He has been a tremendous leader in OPR, and I believe that his more than 30 years of career prosecutorial and legal experience, his leadership skills and the respect he receives from his colleagues, make him the ideal individual to oversee the 94 U.S. Attorneys offices at this time."

"I am honored to serve with Attorney General Holder, and I am looking forward to this exciting challenge with the opportunity to build and work with the U.S. Attorney team, offer my unique perspective from working in various positions within the Department, and providing legal advice to the 94 offices," said Jarrett.

The Office of Professional Responsibility is responsible for investigating allegations of professional misconduct involving Department attorneys.

Mary Patrice Brown has been with the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the District of Columbia since 1989. She became the Chief of the office’s Criminal Division in 2007, where she oversaw all aspects of prosecuting criminal cases in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. In that capacity, she supervised 80 attorneys and five sections, including National Security, Fraud and Public Corruption, Organized Crime and Narcotics Trafficking, Asset Forfeiture, and Major Crimes. From 2004 to 2007, Brown was the Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney Operations where she managed and directed the oversight of significant civil and criminal cases and special operations. As Deputy Chief of the Fraud and Public Corruption Section (2002-2004), she oversaw allegations of criminal misconduct by police officers, public officials, and attorneys. She was the Deputy Chief of the Appellate Division (1997-2002), and was an Assistant U.S. Attorney from 1989 to 1997.

During her tenure at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, Brown served on the D.C. Circuit’s Committee on Admissions and Grievances for four years, investigating on behalf of the D.C. Circuit allegations of misconduct by attorneys licensed to practice in the Circuit. She also served as one of the office’s Professional Responsibility Officers, and on the "Lewis Committee," which reviews allegations of police misconduct for purposes of Brady and Giglio disclosures.

Previous to her work at the Department, Brown was a litigation associate at the Washington, D.C. office of Dickstein, Shapiro & Morin (now Dickstein Shapiro) from 1984 to 1989.

Brown received her B.S. in Foreign Service from Georgetown University in 1978 and her J.D. from Georgetown Law Center in 1984.

"Mary Pat has a stellar reputation and the highest integrity," said Attorney General Holder. "I have had the privilege of working alongside of Mary Pat in the U.S. Attorney’s office for the District of Columbia and she can always be counted on to do what’s right. I trust her sense of fairness and judgment implicitly."

"I am honored that Attorney General Holder would grant me the opportunity to use my years of experience as an Assistant U.S. Attorney and supervisor to provide guidance and leadership to my colleagues in the Department and in the field as we work together to maintain the highest standards of professional conduct," said Brown.