Attorney General Appoints Four New U.S. Attorneys to Advisory Committee

May 6, 2010 - Attorney General Eric Holder today announced the appointment of four new U.S. Attorneys to serve two-year terms on the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee (AGAC): Loretta E. Lynch, Eastern District of New York; Stephanie M. Rose, Northern District of Iowa; Benjamin B. Wagner, Eastern District of California; and Sally Quillian Yates, Northern District of Georgia.

“These U.S. Attorneys, who have already made significant contributions to the work of the department, will be a strong addition to the AGAC. I will continue to rely heavily on the AGAC as we work to further the department’s efforts to keep our nation safe, reduce violent crime and gang violence, promote civil rights and prosecute those who commit mortgage, financial and health care fraud,” said Attorney General Holder.

The AGAC, chaired by U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota B. Todd Jones, was created in 1973. The committee, which reports to the Attorney General through the Deputy Attorney General, represents the voice of the U.S. Attorneys and provides advice and counsel to the Attorney General on policy, management and operational issues impacting the Offices of the U.S. Attorneys.

A brief bio on each appointee is below:

Loretta E. Lynch was presidentially appointed U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York on April 23, 2010. Lynch previously served as U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York from 1999 to 2001, serving on the AGAC from 2000-2001. She served as Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York from 1990-1999.

Stephanie M. Rose was presidentially appointed U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Iowa on Nov. 24, 2009. Prior to her appointment, she served as Special Assistant U.S. Attorney, Deputy Criminal Chief and Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Iowa from 1997-1999. She is a current member of the AGAC’s Resource Allocation Working Group, the Office Management and Budget Subcommittee, and the Controlled Substances and Asset Forfeiture Subcommittee.

Benjamin B. Wagner was presidentially appointed U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of California on Nov. 9, 2009. Prior to his appointment, he served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of California from 1992-2009, including as Chief of the Special Prosecutions Unit (1999-2009). Wagner is a current member of the AGAC’s Resource Allocation Working Group, the Office Management and Budget Subcommittee, and the Civil Rights Subcommittee. Wagner also serves as co-chair of the Mortgage Fraud Working Group on President Obama’s Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force.

Sally Quillian Yates was presidentially appointed U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia on March 11, 2010, having served as Acting U.S. Attorney from August 2009 to her confirmation. She also served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia from 1989-2009, serving as First Assistant U.S. Attorney from 2002-2009, and serving as Acting U.S. Attorney in 2004. She was Chief of the Fraud and Public Corruption Section from 1994-2002. Yates is a member of the AGAC’s Criminal Practice Subcommittee, the Civil Rights Subcommittee and the Health Care Fraud Working Group.

The full AGAC is listed below:

B. Todd Jones, U.S. Attorney, District of Minnesota, Chair

Paul J. Fishman, U.S. Attorney, District of New Jersey, Vice Chair

Preet Bharara, U.S. Attorney, Southern District of New York

Dennis Burke, U.S. Attorney, District of Arizona

Sanford Coats, U.S. Attorney, Western District of Oklahoma

Steven M. Dettelbach, U.S. Attorney, Northern District of Ohio

Jenny Durkan, U.S. Attorney, Western District of Washington

Patrick J. Fitzgerald, U.S. Attorney, Northern District of Illinois

Jim Letten, U.S. Attorney, Eastern District of Louisiana

Loretta E. Lynch, U.S. Attorney, Eastern District of New York

Neil H. MacBride, U.S. Attorney, Eastern District of Virginia

Peter F. Neronha, U.S. Attorney, District of Rhode Island

Stephanie M. Rose, U.S. Attorney, Northern District of Iowa

Joyce White Vance, U.S. Attorney, Northern District of Alabama

Benjamin B. Wagner, U.S. Attorney, Eastern District of California

Sally Quillian Yates, U.S. Attorney, Northern District of Georgia

Ronald C. Machen, U.S. Attorney, District of Columbia, ex officio

Peter Jongbloed, Criminal Chief, District of Connecticut, ex officio

Gretchen Witt, Civil Chief, District of New Hampshire, ex officio