US attorney to create corporate fraud force

SAN FRANCISCO — Northern District U.S. Attorney David L. Anderson has ambitious plans for his office, including aggressive efforts to prosecute white-collar crime and creation of a corporate fraud strike force he says will operate “in a style more akin to how the office prosecutes organized crime cases.”

Anderson — an appointee of President Donald J. Trump who took over in January — said during a panel discussion Tuesday night at an Association of Business Trial Lawyers event he wants to take advantage of the “unique opportunity of this district” to aggressively pursue criminal activity and pursue major cases often handled by the Southern District of New York.

“We’d like the cases here,” Anderson said.

But prominent defense attorney Cris C. Arguedas raised concerns at the event about Anderson’s expressed interest in using wiretaps, search warrants and early plea offers that would be withdrawn if not accepted immediately.

“It sounds like the laid-back days of Northern California criminal practice are over,” Arguedas said.

“His assistants are going to be told to give the best offer early in the process, and then we’re never going to see it again,” she added. “It puts too much power in the hands of the assistant U.S. attorney. I don’t know what the best offer is until I have investigated the case.”

Arguedas, a partner at Arguedas, Cassman, Headley & Goldman LLP in Berkeley, predicted Anderson’s proposals would lead to a big increase in jury trials. “If you send us discovery at the same time you send us your best plea offer, that doesn’t seem like a very good idea,” she said.

Anderson, during the lively exchange, was unfazed. He told Arguedas not to accept the first offer if she doesn’t think it’s in her client’s interest.

“I want [newer prosecutors] going to trial,” Anderson said. “I don’t want them to be afraid of it.”

Noting the decline in the number of criminal cases filed during the past decade, Anderson said he wants to charge more defendants and move the complaints more quickly. He spoke admiringly of border districts, which handle large numbers of immigration and drug cases and said, “We should be trying to set a drumbeat” that decreases disposition time.

Anderson said he sought input from supervisors in his office on possible changes and emphasized trying to improve “operational efficiencies across all case categories.”

He said 80 percent of the office’s cases are criminal with the remainder being civil matters.

Anderson is a veteran of the Northern District U.S. attorney’s office, serving as an assistant U.S. attorney and later as first assistant U.S. attorney. He was a partner at Sidley Austin LLP before his appointment.

He announced a new leadership team Monday. Adam A. Reeves was named first assistant U.S. attorney.

Here are the other appointments:

•Wil Frentzen, heads a new Corporate Fraud Strike Force division. He’s the former chief of the Organized Crime Strike Force;

•Brigid S. Martin, chief of the Organized Crime Task Force;

•Sara Winslow, chief of civil;

•Hallie M. Hoffman, chief of criminal;

•Jeffrey D. Nedrow, San Jose bureau chief;

•Garth E. Hire, Oakland bureau chief;

•John H. Hemann, chief of special prosecutions;

•David B. Countryman, chief of asset forfeiture;

•Merry Jean Chan, chief of appellate;

•Thomas A. Colthurst, chief of the organized crime drug enforcement task force;

•Laura Vartain Horn, chief of general crimes;

•Matthew Parrella, senior litigation counsel with an emphasis on computer hacking and protection of intellectual property. He is the former San Jose bureau chief;

•Deputy U.S. Attorney Stephanie M. Hinds, criminal matter intake head;

•Deputy U.S. Attorney Josh B. Eaton, operations and management head.