by Monica Chamness
Staff Writer
Paul Perez, the United States Attorney for the Middle District of Florida, shared his thoughts about a recent trip to New York City during a seminar Tuesday at Florida Coastal School of Law.
The program was called “A Lawyer’s View from Ground Zero — the United States Justice Department: Initiatives, Issues and Priorities.”
During his visit to New York, Perez conferred with U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft, FBI director Robert Mueller and President George W. Bush.
From the meeting, the top priority for the Justice Department was made clear: defending the nation and its citizens against terrorist attacks.
“There has been a shift in the Justice Department from investigation to prevention,” said Perez. “There are new guidelines for federal agents and we are now employing ATF [Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms] personnel to conduct interviews. Over 600 FBI agents have been transferred to anti-terrorism efforts.”
According to Perez, success will not be measured by the number of arrests and prosecutions, but by the prevention of disruptive acts.
As part of a district-wide policy, there will be zero tolerance regarding firearms. Prosecution will be pending an investigation and any mitigating circumstances, but initially, persons committing firearms infractions can expect to spend a night in jail.
The No. 2 priority on the Justice Department’s list is curtailing corporate fraud. Legislation to hold white collar criminals more accountable for their actions reinforces that goal. Conspirators, and those attempting to commit federal fraud, will now be treated the same as individuals who actually commit the crimes.
Priority No. 3 is cyber-terrorism.
“The penalty for mail fraud has been increased from five to 20 years,” said Perez. “I don’t expect things to get back to normal. We will shift resources and manpower within the next few fiscal cycles. We will have a new Department of Homeland Security; it’s a work in progress. Things are in flux now, but it’s an exciting time to be a U.S. attorney.”