Public corruption has a corrosive effect on a community. It undermines faith in the government and our institutions. For those reasons and many others, public corruption cases are a top priority of my office.
I have served as U.S. attorney for nearly three years . During that time, my office has prosecuted more than 60 cases against law enforcement officers, military members, teachers, postal employees and other public officials. These were individuals who failed in their most basic duty by breaching the trust that our citizens place in them.
We have not worked any of these cases alone. Public corruption cases are some of the most difficult ones to prosecute. To be successful in one of these cases, the members of the investigative team must be diligent, skilled and hard-working. They need to review every aspect of a case for possible evidence, which requires them to dedicate countless hours in developing the case.
In Jacksonville, my office has prosecuted several cases where we have sought to hold public officials accountable. We obtained the conviction of a state attorney who solicited and received bribes to negotiate favorable dispositions for criminal defendants. We have prosecuted members of law enforcement who sought to victimize children and convicted two members of a federal task force, who are pending sentencing for their role in stealing drugs and money from law enforcement operations.