U.S.Attorney Anne M. Tompkins Announces Departure

Law enforcement arrested 13 during early-morning round up; Law enforcement still looking for two defendants

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Anne M. Tompkins, United States Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina (WDNC), announced today that she will stepping down as U.S. Attorney, effective midnight March 9, 2015. Upon Ms. Tompkins’ departure, Jill W. Rose will be Acting U.S. Attorney, until a permanent replacement is nominated and confirmed by the United States Senate.

“As United States Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina, Anne Tompkins has pursued the cause of justice with passion, with integrity, and with results,” said Attorney General Eric Holder. “In her outstanding work on matters involving health care and financial fraud, she helped safeguard the well-being of the American people and bring wrongdoers to justice. Through her service on the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee, she proved herself to be an indispensable advisor on a range of vital issues. And with her efforts to protect civil rights and combat human trafficking, she stood up for innumerable men, women, and children who are too frequently overlooked and too often underserved. Over the course of her extraordinary career, Anne has never lost sight of the most vulnerable in her own community, and has spearheaded trailblazing projects to engage young people in the work of building a more just society, from anti-bullying efforts to leadership development. Through her work at all levels, she has served as an inspiring example to public servants throughout the country – including me. And while I will miss her distinguished leadership and wise counsel, I look forward to all that she will achieve in the next stage of her already remarkable career.”

“It has been a great honor to serve the people of the Western District and I am grateful to President Obama for the opportunity,” said U.S. Attorney Tompkins. “For nearly five years, I’ve had the pleasure and the privilege of working with some of the brightest and most committed public servants. I have the utmost respect for their tireless dedication to the pursuit of justice. I am proud of our accomplishments and I am confident that the lawyers and staff of the Office will continue to work hard to protect the people of this district and deliver justice. ”

Ms. Tompkins was appointed by President Obama and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in April 2010. During her tenure, Ms. Tompkins’ office has prosecuted numerous financial fraud cases involving multi-million dollar investment schemes, securities fraud cases, and mortgage fraud conspiracies. Under Ms. Tompkins’ leadership, WDNC formed the District’s White Collar/Securities and Financial Fraud Group, which comprises federal and state law enforcement agencies and regulatory entities. This task force works in cooperation to identify potential fraud and move quickly to stop offenders and help victims of fraud.

U.S. Attorney Tompkins has also focused on combating health care fraud schemes and reducing the potential for health care fraud in the future. During her tenure, the Office created WDNC’s Health Care Fraud Task Force, a multi-agency team dedicated to identifying and prosecuting those who defraud public and private insurers, jeopardize the integrity of the health care system and waste taxpayer dollars. The Office has brought both criminal and civil fraud cases against individuals and corporations engaged in health care fraud against Medicare and Medicaid, and has recovered millions in restitution for the government-funded programs.

Ms. Tompkins has also focused on the protection of our vulnerable populations from exploitation and violence. In the past five years, the Office has prosecuted successfully numerous child predators and has secured restitution for known victims of child pornography. Also, under Ms. Tompkins’ leadership, the Office created the Charlotte Metropolitan Human Trafficking Task Force, which comprises law enforcement agencies, federal and state prosecutors and community organizations. The goal of the task force is two-fold: to identify cases for prosecution and to provide short and long-term support and assistance to victims of human trafficking. Working with the Task Force, WDNC has also organized annual training events aimed at raising awareness on the issue of human trafficking.

Protecting the integrity of government and public institutions from corruption has been another area of focus for Ms. Tompkins. Under Ms. Tompkins’ leadership, the Office has prosecuted a number of public corruption cases involving police officers and city employees, including the recent prosecution of Charlotte’s former mayor.

Under Ms. Tompkins’ leadership, WDNC was also selected to be a part of Attorney General Holder’s Residential Mortgage Backed Securities (RMBS) Working Group, tasked with investigating those responsible for misconduct contributing to the financial crisis through the pooling and sale of RMBS.

WDNC also continues to focus on community and local impact cases, conducting targeted enforcement actions in high-crime neighborhoods, particularly in response to violent gang activity, crime data, and community needs.

“During my tenure as U.S. Attorney, I have had the opportunity to work closely with our federal, state and local law enforcement partners on prosecutions and crime prevention and outreach initiatives. I extend my gratitude for each agency’s support, which will extend beyond my tenure, and I am thankful for the extraordinary service of the countless agents, officers and deputies who work hard to protect our communities and bring perpetrators to justice.”

In addition to her supervision of the Office, in her role as U.S. Attorney, Ms. Tompkins has engaged in extensive community outreach efforts and crime prevention initiatives. A hallmark of Ms. Tompkins’ tenure has been her focus on youth engagement and crime prevention. Ms. Tompkins’ Office has partnered with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS), law enforcement and community groups to host a series of summits, titled “Engage,” that discuss various youth-related topics including anti-bullying, teen dating violence, leadership development, conflict resolution and race relations. Ms. Tompkins has also regularly participated in community-led events and has spoken on the issues of bullying, the importance of tolerance and positive conflict resolution.

“My position as U.S. Attorney has given me the opportunity to reach out to young people and empower them to effectuate change in their schools and their environments. Through the Engage Summits and our collaboration with CMS and a host of community organizations, we have delivered a powerful message, encouraging our youth to stand up, speak out and become catalysts for change by becoming leaders and positive role models to their peers. Our work would not be possible without the assistance of our community partners and the support of our citizen community. I am thankful for their ongoing collaboration and for partnering with the Office in support of our outreach efforts.”

During her tenure, Ms. Tompkins’ Office has organized events focusing on outreach, awareness, and training, in the areas human trafficking, gang prevention, focused deterrence, the Bank Secrecy Act, Project Safe Neighborhoods, domestic violence and prescription drugs. In addition, Ms. Tompkins has engaged in extensive outreach to the LGBT, Arab-Muslim and Sikh communities, and has met with leaders of numerous faith-based organizations.

In addition to serving as U.S. Attorney for WDNC, Ms. Tompkins served for over two years as an advisor to United States Attorney General Eric Holder by sitting on the Attorney General Advisory Committee (“AGAC”), advising the Attorney General on emerging policy management, and operational issues affecting the Department of Justice. “Serving on the AGAC has been a privilege and an opportunity to provide input on important issues to Department of Justice leadership, and to serve as a representative and an advocate for the U.S. Attorney community,” said Ms. Tompkins. Ms. Tompkins also served as co-chair of the AGAC’s Subcommittee on Civil Rights, and as a member of the Health Care Fraud, White Collar Crime, and Office Management and Budget Subcommittees.

Ms. Tompkins navigated the Office through significant challenges in her tenure, including hiring freezes, budgetary cuts and an unprecedented government shut-down. Despite the challenges, Ms. Tompkins’ Office has continued to handle high-volume cases while increasing the Office’s workforce with the addition of prosecutors and support staff.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina includes 32 counties, half of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Blue Ridge Parkway. The Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests cover over one million acres of our district. The largest Native American Community in the eastern half of the United States, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, is in WDNC.