White-Collared: Legal Blog of the Best Criminal Defense Attorneys in PA

A Quick Look At The President’s 2019 Budget Request For DOJ

Posted On Tuesday, April 17, 2018

What Happened

President Trump requested $28 billion for the Department of Justice in his budget proposal for the 2019 fiscal year.

The Rundown

The request reemphasizes this administration’s priorities in fighting violent crime and crimes related to immigration, and, of course, in combating the opioid epidemic.

$295 million of the total budget request is slotted for program enhancements related to the opioid epidemic. This amount includes $31.2 million to fund eight new heroin enforcement groups that will target DEA field divisions that have identified heroin as the first or second greatest threat to the area. It would also provide for $6.8 million to expand the DEA’s Fentanyl Signature Profiling Program and $2.5 million for identification technology and protective equipment for agents to prevent exposure to deadly opioids in the field. The vast majority of the $295 million will go to facilitating coordination of the DEA’s High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Programs with other DEA programs to focus resources where drug trafficking poses the greatest threats.

$65.9 million of the budget would focus on immigration-related enhancements, such as border security and enforcement and the hiring of 76 additional immigration judges and their support staff. Other budget highlights include $109.2 million for combating violent crime; $10 million for BOP’s apprentice program; $3 billion for the Crime Victims Fund, including $486 million for Violence Against Women programs and $45 million for victims of human trafficking; and $3.9 billion in discretionary and mandatory funding for Federal grants to State, local, and tribal law enforcement.

The Take Away

Given the political conflict over the budget for the remaining portion of 2018, which almost led to a government shutdown in mid-March, the President’s proposed 2019 budget, which was introduced in mid-February, may not carry much weight by the time Congress acts on it. Though some political commentators have argued that the 2019 budget proposal is nothing more than a political document, it does provide criminal practitioners with some insight into the administration’s law enforcement priorities.

If you become the target of a government investigation, in any capacity, please contact Jennifer Bouriat, one of Pittsburgh’s top defense white-collar attorneys, today.

DEA’s 45-Day “Surge” Nets 366 Leads And 28 Arrests

Posted On Wednesday, April 4, 2018
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What Happened

In the “surge” announced in late-January 2018, the DEA focused its enforcement and administrative resources on prescribers and pharmacies for 45 days in February and March. The results – announced on Monday, April 2 – included 28 arrests stemming from 366 leads and 188 active investigations.

The Rundown

As in February covered by White-Collared.com here, DOJ announced the planned “surge” of DEA agents and investigators targeting pharmacies and prescribers dispensing an unusual or disproportion amount of drugs, including opioids. The DEA aggregated the 80 million transaction reports collected annually from manufacturers and distributors to identify statistical outliers and trends. The data was to be used – as Attorney General Jeff Sessions described it – in “targeting packages” by the DEA.

On Monday, April 2, the DEA announced the results of the “surge:” 366 leads to DEA field offices, 188 of which or 51% resulted in active investigations by the DEA. The data gathered by the DEA went beyond the transaction reports and included reports on suspicious orders and drug thefts, as well as leads from federal partners like HHS.

The result of the investigations also included 28 arrests, 54 “other law enforcement actions” like search warrant executions, administrative inspection warrants, and 283 administrative actions of other types, such as inspections, surrender of DEA registrations, and suspension orders.

For the Record

Attorney General Jeff Sessions: “Over the last 45 days, the DEA has surged resources and personnel to prevent the diversion of opioids, arresting dozens of people and taking away drug dispensing authority from nearly 150 medical professionals. And our efforts are just getting started. …These new resources will help us catch and convict more of the drug traffickers and corrupt medical professionals who are fueling the opioid crisis.”

If you need assistance with any investigation related to your medical practice, please contact the author of this post, Top Defense Attorney, John Schwab.