U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey
William E. Fitzpatrick briefed the Mayors on the work of U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey. Mr. Fitzpatrick is the First Assitant U.S. Attorney in the district and is based in Newark. The agency also has offices in Trenton and Camden.
The primary focus of the federal law enforcement, including the U.S. Attorney and the FBI, is national security, Mr. Fitzpatrick said. That largest proportion of the 1,000 FBI agents in the state are assigned to that job.
“When we prosecute a fraud case, no one asks us why we didn’t know the accused was going to commit fraud,” Mr. Fitzpatrick said. “But when there is a terrorist incident, people want to know why we weren’t aware before it happened,” he explained.
A large part of his office’s efforts here involve illegal sales by New Jersey companies to proscribed countries like Iran and China. Keeping an eye on exports is a major undertaking, though his office has prosecuted a dozen or so young people who tried or planned to join a terrorist group overseas — ISIS in Syria or Al-Shabaab in Somalia.
Mr. Fitzpatrick also noted federal law enforcement is devoting more resources to combat fraud in Medicare and Medicaid.
The Ocean County Mayors’ Association has been found tax exempt by the IRS. Donations are deductible. Documentation of this determination and related financial disclosure documents are available for public examination. The Ocean County Mayors’ Association has been found tax exempt by the IRS. Donations are deductible. Documentation of this determination and related financial disclosure documents are available for public examination without notice.