About Us
Introductory Statement by United States Attorney
Gregory G. Lockhart
We
in the United States Attorneys Office for the Southern District
of Ohio know that everything we do affects someone's life.
We believe that we have only one job to do - that is to do
justice - to do the right thing for the right reasons at the
right time.
Our attorneys and our support staff are striving to work hard
to achieve this justice for all of our citizens. Our goal
is not only to work for an agency named the Department of
Justice, but to practice justice by the way we do our work.
The Southern District of Ohio has more than 100 employees;
attorneys, administrative, and support personnel. Each one
of us considers our position to be more than just a job. Individually
and as a group we consider our work to be important and noble,
and that serving the public is a privilege. Meeting the challenge
to protect our fellow citizens by prosecuting those who would
cause harm to us and our communities and to fulfill the public's
trust in us as well as their expectations is a challenging
endeavor in a district of over six million people with a diverse
population and a geographic scope that includes three of the
largest metropolitan areas of the state, with their diverse
mix of cultural, and religious backgrounds.
The district is also economically diverse with heavy manufacturing,
high tech research, insurance, other service industries, and
farming to list just a few sources of income. One of the most
important assets of the Southern District of Ohio is Wright
Patterson Air Force Base, the traditional birthplace of the
airplane, home of the United States Air Force Museum, and
the Bosnian peace accords.
The district stretches from the Indiana border on the west
to the Pennsylvania/West Virginia borders on the east, the
Ohio River to the south and to the first tier of counties
above the I-70 corridor, taking in 48 of Ohio's 88 counties.
While these are the district's geographic boundaries, our
work really extends well beyond them when we coordinate with
other law enforcement agencies to combat the threats of international
and domestic terrorism, and when we work with agencies and
intelligence sources literally around the world to identify
those who bring the scourge of drugs to our country and our
state.
We also work hard to restore and maintain public confidence
in government and in corporate America, by investigating and
prosecuting those who abuse the public and private sector
positions entrusted to them. While addressing crimes like
these which impact all of us, we also attend earnestly to
crimes which, even though they may have fewer victims, also
cause serious harm. Indeed, day in and day out we aggressively
investigate those who commit violent crimes, as well as those
who illegally possess and use firearms. And our duties do
not end there.
We are charged with firmly but fairly, defending federal agencies
and officials against civil claims and we aggressively pursue
those who damage the government and others through fraud and
abuse, both criminally and civilly. We collect restitution
for victims, collect the just debts of the United States and
its agencies, and use the federal forfeiture laws to disrupt
and deter criminal activity and dismantle criminal enterprises.
With your help, we will remain strong and safe. We are effective
in what we do because we have your support, cooperation, and
encouragement in identifying and prosecuting those who would
commit crimes against us and our nation.
This web page is intended to strengthen our partnership with
you by letting you know what we do and who you may contact
if you need our help, or you need to let us know about something
that may be happening in your community. We hope what you
find here will show you how our national and local governments
and citizens are working together to make our district, our
state, and our country a safer place to live, to work, and
to raise our children, a place where businesses and public
officials act with integrity, in the interest of America and
its people.
This U. S. Attorneys office will never waver in defense
of our laws, and the rule of law, nor relent in its protection
of the rights of our citizens and guests.