VIRGINIA'S EASTERN DISTRICT: 9-11 EXPANDS CRIME FIGHT

Driving the family minivan through New York City last August, I did what
countless other parents do when navigating their way around the Big Apple.
I told my children to look out the windows and catch a glimpse of the World
Trade Center's Twin Towers. I never imagined that a few weeks later my
life, like thou-sands of others, would become forever linked to those two
targets of terrorism.

Earlier in the month I was nominated by President Bush to be the United
States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. On September 14, just
three days after the attacks on the Pentagon and the Twin Towers, I was
confirmed by the Senate. Now, more than six months later, the Eastern
District has moved to the front lines in the legal system's attack on
terrorism. The challenges I expected to face as U.S. Attorney and the
challenges I now confront are significantly different.

Before September 11, I expected to face problems familiar to most
Virginians, such as gun violence, drug trafficking, fraud, and on occasion
even espionage. Gun crime was on the rise again after reaching epidemic
proportions in Richmond in the early 1990s. The trafficking of hard drugs
such as cocaine and heroin, and the violence associated with it, were
widespread. New drugs, such as Ecstasy and OxyContin, were emerging as
major problems.

Cybercrime on the Rise

And a new menace known as cybercrime was coming of age. Increasingly
sophisticated cybercriminals were victimizing companies and consumers by
intruding into their electronic records and stealing their private
information and sometimes even their identities. With the backbone of the
Internet (AOL, in Northern Virginia) here in our backyard, the time had
come for us to enhance efforts to safeguard this important resource.

September 11 changed everything. Our U.S. Attorney's office has been called
on to lead the administration's anti-terrorist prosecution efforts. Federal
grand juries in Eastern Virginia have returned multiple-count indictments
against Zacharias Moussaoui and the American Taliban John Walker Lindh.
We've also prosecuted many smaller cases involving individuals connected to
the attacks of September 11. Moreover, the intensity of global
investigations of terrorist activity will mean many more prosecutions by
our office. That is why I recently formed a new Terrorism and National
Security unit with a dozen new prosecutors.

Meanwhile, criminals have not called a timeout while we battle terrorism.
If anything, certain crimes have increased. Child pornography on the
Internet has gotten so bad that even hackers are fed up. Recently, a hacker
from Turkey turned in a Richmond-area man for possessing and producing
child pornography.

Is this cause for alarm? With crime on the rise and law enforcement
fighting terrorism, will criminals have a field day in Richmond and
throughout Eastern Virginia? I am confident they will not and here is why:
September 11 profoundly changed us. The new terrorist threat has forced us
to re-examine who we are as Americans, and we have emerged with a new-found
appreciation for our freedoms and a new confidence in America and our
institutions. America is moving forward with greater unity and
determination. Law enforcement is no exception. Since September 11, our
prosecutors have redoubled their efforts and are motivated in a special way
to fight crime in whatever form it takes.

Task Forces Will Help

Despite the extraordinary demands on law enforcement and our U.S.
Attorney's Office, we are working harder and accomplishing more.
Law-enforcement officials throughout Virginia are forming partnerships,
sharing information, and working together as never before. For example,
three new anti-terrorism task forces - covering Northern Virginia, the
Richmond area, and Hampton Roads and comprising every law-enforcement
agency in these regions - have been established. Their mission is to
improve communication and coordinate prevention and enforcement efforts.
These improved relationships are benefitting greatly our ability to combat
all serious crime.

In addition, we are better prepared now to fight crime because we have more
resources. The very heart of our national response to terrorism is here in
Virginia. We are fortunate that the new focus on our district has been met
with additional personnel. In my first six months, we have increased the
number of prosecutors by more than 25 percent. While our highest priority
is to defend ourselves against terrorist threats, and to the extent
possible prevent future terrorist acts, we are using our resources to move
forward aggressively to combat other significant threats to public safety.

We must reduce gun violence. We will continue to target criminals who use
firearms in the commission of crimes. "Project Safe Neighborhoods,"
President Bush's national program designed to reduce gun violence in
America, is being implemented throughout the Eastern District of Virginia.

Combatting drug trafficking is a top priority. Not only does drug
trafficking help finance terrorism, it also ruins lives. We aggressively
prosecute criminals who play a role in supplying illicit drugs. By working
closely with local, state, and federal drug law-enforcement authorities, we
maintain constant vigilance against those who exploit the insatiable
appetite for illicit drugs. We also provide leadership and funding for
drug-related demand-and-supply reduction programs.

Spotlighting Drug Crimes

In particular, we must focus on drug crime in specific communities. By
working with state and local officials, we have established "Community
Impact" initiatives to improve the quality of life for citizens in
particular neighborhoods. Flexibility is the key. Community Impact
initiatives are tailored to the specific needs unique to each jurisdiction.
One may clean up a neighborhood that has been plagued by gang activity
while another may rid a public housing complex of open-air drug markets.
The United States Attorney's Office, together with state and local
law-enforcement and prosecution resources, will work hard to bring justice
to areas that need it the most.

Internet crime is also being aggressively prosecuted. With one of the
largest cybercrime units in the country, we hope to contain the emerging
crime problem in cyberspace. We will prosecute individuals who abuse the
Internet by soliciting minors for obscene purposes, forming networks to
exchange child pornography, and cyber-stalking others. Individuals and
"techno-gangs" who hack into our systems and steal our credit, identities,
and personal information will not go free, either. We have already worked
with law-enforcement agencies to shut down one such group, DrinkorDie, one
of the oldest organized software piracy groups on the Internet. With the
help of local, state, and federal law-enforcement agencies, we are mak-ing
the Internet safe for the citizens of our district.

Finally, we must protect our elderly citizens in nursing homes. We have a
difficult, and often neglected, problem in our area. The elderly are
vulnerable and are being preyed upon. Nursing homes take our Medicare and
Medicaid money, but sometimes fail to provide the services for which those
dollars are paid. As a result, many elderly people suffer. We are working
closely with local, state, and federal officials to bring about a solution
to this growing problem.

Challenges of September 11

The aftermath of September 11 poses new and significant challenges to the
Eastern District of Virginia. Our response must be equal to these
challenges. I believe we will not only rise to meet them, but we will go
far beyond to address the larger category of problems facing the region. As
we set our priorities accordingly, we will not ignore the criminals who are
not terrorists. In fact, the stronger we become in the struggle against
terrorism, the more effective we will be in protecting the public from the
threats of other dangerous criminals.

It is entirely fitting that this struggle is taking place on Virginia soil.
After all, Virginia is the birthplace of liberty and opportunity in
America. It is here that these great principles were born, nurtured, and
sustained through sacrifice and suffering. It is here that they now have
been tested by an enemy who despises our freedom. This enemy attacked
symbols of America's commercial and military strength last September. Since
then we have been reminded that our strength always has been far more than
symbols. Our strength is in our values and the form of government created
to protect them. And it is here in Virginia where these values will be
vindicated.