With a new president soon, Kentucky’s two U.S. attorneys resign
Kentucky’s top two federal prosecutors are resigning.
U.S. Attorney Robert M. Duncan Jr. of Lexington, whose Eastern District covers 67 counties, announced his resignation Monday, effective midnight Sunday, Jan. 24. He said in a release that he plans to enter the private practice of law.
Meanwhile, U.S. Attorney Russell Coleman of Louisville, who represents the state’s Western District, said he submitted his resignation Monday to the president and acting U.S. attorney general, effective Jan. 20.
U.S. attorneys are nominated by and serve at the pleasure of the president. They usually are replaced when a new president of a different party is elected. Democrat Joe Biden is to be inaugurated as president Jan. 20, replacing Republican Donald Trump. Also, Democrats will gain a small advantage in controlling the U.S. Senate and they will keep control of the House.
“It has been a true honor and privilege to lead this office, an office that has a demonstrated commitment to fairness and justice, and a long history of handling tough and important cases,” Duncan said in a release.
He began his career in the office nearly 16 years ago as an assistant U.S. attorney and said he is appreciative of the people with whom he has worked.
“In partnership with our law enforcement colleagues, we have implemented efforts to reduce violent crime; we have fought to disrupt the flow of deadly drugs, including opioids and methamphetamine, into our communities; we have combatted fraud and public corruption; we have sought justice for victims; and we have endeavored to faithfully enforce the law,” he said.
He noted that these efforts have been made “despite several challenges, including the longest federal government shutdown in history and a global pandemic that has upended our lives. While there is always more to be done, I am proud of what we have accomplished.”
Since 2018, said Duncan, his office has prosecuted 525 defendants throughout the district as part of the Project Safe Neighborhoods or Project Guardian programs. Most of those convicted of federal firearms related crimes received a federal sentence of greater than five years in prison, he said.
Duncan spearheaded the creation of the Fayette County Violent Crime Task Force, a joint, multi-jurisdictional effort to combat violent crime and drug trafficking in Lexington.
The task force was formed as part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative, which focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and coordinates with locally-based prevention and reentry programs in an effort to achieve lasting reductions in crime.
In public corruption and fraud, Duncan said his office prosecuted several notable cases, including those of former state Democratic Party chair Jerry Lundergan and Democratic consultant Dale Emmons for illegal campaign contributions; Beth Sallee, the former Jackson County treasurer, for wire fraud and identity theft; and Lexington businessman Wayne Wellman, for obstruction of justice related to a bribery investigation.
Duncan was appointed by President Trump as the 23rd presidentially appointed U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky. He was unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate, on Nov. 9, 2017, and was sworn in to office Nov. 21, 2017.
The Eastern District of Kentucky covers about 2.2. million people and includes the cities of Lexington, Covington, Frankfort, Ashland, Pikeville, Somerset, and London.
In the state’s Western District, Coleman said, “For a guy whose childhood dream job as an FBI Agent ended early due to a spinal injury, serving as the chief federal law enforcement officer in the place I love, and for the people I’ve known all my life, has been a humbling honor.”
He said he is grateful to U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Louisville, who recommended him for the job.
“I traveled to each of the 53 counties in our district seeking ways to be a more responsive partner to business and community leaders, Commonwealth’s Attorneys, sheriffs, and police departments of all sizes.,” said Coleman.
He said he was “plagued by the loss of life we grieved this year: violent crime took the lives of 173 Louisvillians in 2020 alone, with 572 wounded non-fatally.
And Coleman said he was “shocked, appalled, and saddened at the violent mob that stormed our Capitol on January 6, resulting in deaths and multiple injuries, including fallen heroes from the United States Capitol Police.
“I hope each and every perpetrator is brought to justice, and our country can heal from this tragic chapter. Law enforcement is not a partisan calling, and to be clear, I stand at the ready to be helpful to my successor in any way.
Coleman did not say what he will be doing next.
