Breaking up the old team in U.S. Attorney's office

U.S. Attorney André Birotte, Jr.'s last day in the office was today. President Obama signed the order Friday installing Birotte as a federal judge here on the U.S. District Court. He was confirmed by the Senate last month. I guess we should be hearing soon about a nominee to fill the post of top federal prosecutor in the Central District of California, as they call Los Angeles. Meanwhile, Birotte's veteran special counsel, Bruce Riordan, is moving to the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section of the office as special litigation counsel. Here's the note that went out to the office today.

From: Birotte Jr., Andre
Sent: Friday, August 08, 2014 9:29 AM
To: USACAC-All
Subject: Bruce Riordan, Special Litigation Counsel

I am pleased to announce that Bruce Riordan will be bringing his talents, including his considerable trial experience and trial skills, to the 13th Floor as Special Litigation Counsel in the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section.

Bruce joined the office on August 26, 1991. Over the next 15 years, he specialized in complex violent crime investigations in the Major Crimes Section, the Terrorism & Organized Crime Section, and, ultimately, in the Violent & Organized Crime Section, where he was a long-time Deputy Chief. He worked on numerous RICO prosecutions and led task forces investigating the criminal activities of the 18th Street Gang, the MS-13 Gang, the Rolling 60s Neighborhood Crips Gang, and the Mexican Mafia, among others. His nationally-renowned work in the gang area - - which included serving as co-lead counsel in a spectacular RICO case that led to the conviction of EME member and 18th street gang shot caller Frank “Puppet” Martinez - - has led to Bruce being profiled in a number of publications highlighting efforts by law enforcement to tackle gang violence, including Tom Diaz’ book, “No Boundaries: Transnational Latino Gangs and American Law Enforcement,” where the author described Bruce as “[a]n intense man with the athletic frame of a long-distance runner and given to expansive gestures and facial expressions.” During this time, he was also cross-designated as a Special Deputy District Attorney to prosecute a trio of Rolling 60s gang members for a string of violent home invasion robberies in the Baldwin Hills and Crenshaw neighborhoods of Los Angeles.

From January 2007 through August 2010, Bruce served as both the Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division and the Chief of the Gang Division for the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office. With the City, he supervised the implementation and enforcement of the City’s civil gang injunctions, as well as the enforcement of a host of other criminal matters handled by the City Attorney’s Office. In 2009, The California Lawyer Magazine named Bruce as one of the “California Lawyers of the Year” for his lead role in the City’s efforts to reform the use of gang injunctions.

In August 2010, Bruce came back to the Office to serve as my Special Counsel. In that capacity, among many other duties, he has been responsible for directing the Office’s Public Affairs and Community Engagement efforts and serving as our acting Law Enforcement Coordinator, tasks that have involved an incredible amount of behind the scenes work that has aided this Office tremendously. Bruce also teaches a clinical trial advocacy class at the University of Southern California Law School.

Please join me in wishing Bruce well as he moves to this new position in the Office.

André