DOJ criminal chief Fisher quits

by Andrew Zajac

The turnover in the Justice Department's executive suites continues. This afternoon it's Alice Fisher, head of the criminal division, who announced she's leaving, effective May 23.

Departures are expected in the waning days of a lame duck administration, but they began earlier and have been more frequent in the Bush 43 Justice Department, thanks to last year's federal prosecutors firing uproar and mounting discontent on Capitol Hill over DOJ's role in crafting post-9-11 counter-terror policies on surveillance and treatment of detainees.

Fisher, 41, had the kind of political credentials common in the upper reaches of the administration's legal apparatus: Federalist Society, deputy counsel in the Senate Whitewater investigation and the national steering committee of Women for Bush/Cheney, 2004.

But she managed to avoid getting dragged into the contentious Congressional hearings that so badly damaged former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and several other top Justice officials.

Fisher, who served two different stints in the criminal division, oversaw the unit's response to the 9-11 attacks, including advising on the prosecutions of John Walker Lindh, Zacharias Moussaoui and Richard Reid, and she had a hand in carrying out provisions of the Patriot Act.

Here's DOJ's announcement of Fisher's pending departure:

ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL FOR THE CRIMINAL DIVISION

ALICE S. FISHER TO LEAVE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

WASHINGTON - Today, the Department of Justice announced that Assistant Attorney General of the Criminal Division Alice S. Fisher will end her current service to the Department on May 23, 2008. Ms. Fisher has served in the position for nearly three years, making her one of the longest serving Assistant Attorneys General in recent Criminal Division history.

"Alice Fisher has served this Department, and this nation, with honor and distinction," said Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey. "Under her leadership, the Criminal Division has upheld justice for the American people and dealt decisively and skillfully with a broad range of issues. Her intelligence, leadership, and strategic vision will be missed by the Department; we are grateful for her service and confident that she leaves the Division in a strong position to continue its mission."

During her almost-three year tenure leading the Justice Department's Criminal Division, Ms. Fisher increased the depth and scope of work undertaken by the Division on numerous fronts including government integrity, international organized crime, corporate fraud, health care fraud, violent gangs and child exploitation.

Recently, Ms. Fisher spearheaded the effort to conduct a comprehensive threat assessment of international organized crime and from it developed the Department's new strategy to combat international organized crime in the 21st century.

Ms. Fisher promoted efforts to ensure integrity in the government, including developing and chairing the National Procurement Fraud Task Force. Since its inception, the Task Force has charged, convicted, or brought civil actions in more than 300 cases, including 46 individuals or companies criminally charged in procurement fraud related matters to the global War on Terror. Additionally, the Criminal Division has led high profile public corruption investigations including the Abramoff prosecutions that have resulted in 12 convictions to date and the ongoing investigation into public corruption in state government in Alaska.

Ms. Fisher also worked to safeguard the corporate marketplace during her tenure. For example, the Criminal Division brought enforcement actions against 16 individuals or companies under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) in 2007, a substantial increase from the four individuals or companies charged under FCPA in 2002 or the three charged in 2003 and in 2004. Ms. Fisher also oversaw the implementation of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force in Miami, which has secured more than 100 convictions since March 2007.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Fisher's served as the chair of the Katrina Fraud Task Force, which targeted fraud and corruption in reconstruction and assistance programs. Under her leadership, to date the task force has charged 860 defendants in 42 separate federal districts relating to emergency benefits fraud, charitable donation fraud, identify theft, public corruption and procurement fraud.

Prior to today's announcement, Ms. Fisher informed the Attorney General of her plans and agreed to remain as Assistant Attorney General until her May 23, 2008, departure date. Previously, Ms. Fisher served as Deputy Assistant Attorney General of the Criminal Division from July 2001 to 2003.
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