Lawrence Brown '89 Sworn in as Acting US Attorney

Lawrence Brown '89 was sworn in on January 5 as Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of California.  A 1999 Law School alumnus of the year who has taught a course on legislative process at King Hall since 1998, he had been serving since 1993 as second-in-command to United States Attorney McGregor Scott, who announced his resignation in October.  The Department of Justice appointed Brown as to the position until August 2009, unless a presidentially appointed U.S. Attorney is installed prior to then, at which time Brown would resume his duties as first assistant.

As an assistant U.S. attorney, Brown has prosecuted bank fraud, child exploitation, and counterfeiting cases, and last summer successfully co-tried United States v. Julie Lee, a case involving the illegal transfer of state grant funds into the campaign account of former Secretary of State Kevin Shelley.  Brown also has appeared on several occasions before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal.

Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney's Office, Brown was executive director of the California District Attorneys Association (CDAA) from 1996-2003.  He began his career as deputy district attorney in Ventura County from 1989-1994, prosecuting a wide array of misdemeanor and felony offenses.

"To serve as Acting United States Attorney is a great honor," Brown stated in a Department of Justice release.  "This is a tremendous office comprised of talented men and women who do the bidding of the United States in federal court each and every day."