U.S. Attorney defends capacity to prosecute crimes, announces major drug bust
Go Deeper.
Create an account or log in to save stories.
Like this?
Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.
Minnesota’s U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen defended his office’s ability to prosecute crime amid recent resignations of federal prosecutors. The comments came as federal and local officials on Wednesday announced charges against 12 individuals with alleged connections to a “violent Minneapolis street gang.”
Several experienced prosecutors left the U.S. Attorney’s office last month after top Justice Department officials pushed for an investigation into the widow of Renee Macklin Good, who was shot and killed by a federal agent. There had already been an exodus in the last year over objections to Trump administration directives, according to a former federal prosecutor.
A judge dismissed a case after federal prosecutors missed a deadline because of staffing shortages, according to the New York Times. The Associated Press also reports a man scheduled to stand trial on methamphetamine trafficking charges that could have locked him up for 25 years was able to walk free because the federal prosecutor on his case retired.
Speaking at his first news conference since taking over the role in October, U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen said staffing is not an issue.
Turn Up Your Support
MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all.
”Our office has all of this bandwidth and more. Our office continues to grow. And if you're a criminal in the city Minneapolis or in the state of Minnesota, I recommend that you don't commit crimes on the assumption that the U.S. Attorney's office doesn't have enough lawyers. We've got enough to get you all,” he said.
Rosen, a Trump appointee, said 11 assistant attorneys have left since he took office. Thirty-six still remain, and the office is making progress at hiring, he said.
”We're hiring at a good clip. We've got people who have accepted positions. We've got offers that are going out, and we're actually very gratified that we are getting extraordinarily high quality applications from all over the country, people that want to come and join our effort here,” said Rosen.
Rosen declined to comment on the lack of cooperation between federal and Minnesota officials on investigations into the shooting deaths of Renee Macklin Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents. He also would not comment on whether he would investigate misconduct by federal immigration officers.
“Here in our office, we're not policymakers,” he said. “We are the lawyers who represent the people who execute the policies.”
Officials target Minneapolis gang accused of drug trafficking and violence
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara and Hennepin County Sheriff Dawanna Witt joined Rosen for the press conference in downtown Minneapolis and shared about their successful law enforcement collaboration.
Wednesday, their officers — along with teams from the FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration — executed search warrants across Minneapolis, Bloomington, Brooklyn Park, Richfield and St. Paul.
At the time of the press conference, they had arrested five individuals. They had also seized 14 firearms and a combined 9.5 kilograms of drugs including fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine and crack.
Officials planned to arrest seven more people by the end of the day.
Rosen said the individuals are associated with the “Family Mob” gang and have been important players in open-air drug markets along Lake Street in south Minneapolis. O’Hara said the gang is also connected to two mass shootings along that corridor on Sept. 15 where gunfire injured 10 people, killing two.
“This is a clear example of what dedicated, focused, precise police work can achieve. Our officers are committed to identifying and targeting those who are responsible for causing the most harm to our residents. Their knowledge of gang activity and their persistence led directly to this meaningful enforcement action, and it demonstrates the power of our partnerships when we are working together,” said O’Hara.
Officials said the investigation is still ongoing.
