DOJ's Criminal Division Chief Resigning
Lanny A. Breuer oversaw the Deepwater Horizon Task Force, which secured the largest criminal resolution in U.S. history, $4 billion in criminal fines and penalties, with BP. A judge approved it Jan. 29, 2013.
Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department's Criminal Division will leave the department March 1, 2013, the Justice Department announced. The announcement came one day after one of the division's major achievements under Breuer was finalized -– the $4 billion BP has agreed to pay to resolve the criminal case stemming from the April 20, 2010, Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill. Breuer oversaw the department's Deepwater Horizon Task Force to investigate BP's actions leading up to and after the spill.
"Lanny has led one of the most successful and aggressive Criminal Divisions in the history of the Department of Justice, accomplishing record penalties in corruption cases at home and abroad and dismantling major organized crime and health care fraud networks around the country while also protecting the integrity of our banking systems and fighting financial fraud," Attorney General Eric Holder said. "Throughout his tenure, Lanny has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to the mission of this department, and I want to thank him for his dedication and exceptional service."
"Serving as assistant attorney general for the Criminal Division has been the greatest privilege of my professional life," said Breuer, who was confirmed to the position by the U.S. Senate on April 20, 2009. "From my first day on this job, nearly four years ago, I have loved it, and I am so proud of what the Criminal Division has accomplished over the past four years. I have had no higher honor than to work alongside the talented and dedicated men and women of the Criminal Division, and I will forever be grateful for the opportunity to serve the American people together with them."
Medicare fraud cases and Foreign Corrupt Practices Act prosecutions also have been priorities during Breuer's tenure, which included the conviction of R. Allen Stanford, former chairman of Stanford International Bank, for a $7 billion investment fraud scheme. Stanford is serving a 110-year prison term.