Benjamin Wagner, a top federal prosecutor for more than 15 years, was sworn in Monday as the 10th U. S. attorney in the Sacramento-based Eastern District of California.
Wagner, 49, joined the U. S. attorney's office in 1992 and, since 2000, has been chief of the unit responsible for prosecuting public corruption, financial and corporate fraud, tax evasion, cyber crimes and identity theft.
He has also served as the district's anti-terrorism coordinator for the past two years, overseeing national security and terrorism-related investigations and prosecutions.
Wagner and two assistants recently completed the successful prosecution of three attorneys and two employees of their firm in a long-running scheme to dupe immigration authorities into granting hundreds of fraudulent asylum applications.
In addition to criminal matters, the U. S. attorney is responsible for representing the federal government, both as a plaintiff and defendant, in civil litigation.
In 2005 and 2006 Wagner was in Jakarta, Indonesia as the U. S. Department of Justice's representative advising Indonesian prosecutors on combating corruption, terrorism, money laundering and related issues. For his work there, he received the Meritorious Honor Award from the U. S. State Department.
Wagner's nomination to the U. S. attorney's post by President Barack Obama was confirmed by the Senate Thursday, and the president signed the appointment Friday. He was sworn in Monday by U. S. District Judge Frank C. Damrell Jr.
"It will be an honor to lead the men and women of this outstanding office," Wagner said. He praised Lawrence Brown's stewardship of the office during the 10 months since McGregor Scott resigned the position to enter private practice. Brown was Scott's first assistant, the second-ranking spot in the office.
"Larry Brown is a true professional," Wagner said.
Brown has agreed to stay on as executive assistant U. S. attorney, the third-ranking spot in the office. Carolyn Delaney, who held that job under Scott, will become Wagner's first assistant.
The Eastern District covers 34 counties in the Central Valley and the Sierra, stretching from the Oregon border in the north to the Los Angeles County line in the south. The U.S. attorney's office, with a branch in Fresno, has 80 attorneys and an equal number of support staff.
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