Throughout the United States there are federal prosecutors called U.S. Attorneys.  Many states are divided into districts (ie. Western District of Arkansas) and a U.S. Attorney is put in charge of that district on behalf of the federal government.  More specifically, a U.S. Attorney is the U.S. Attorney General’s representative for the district that he/she serves.  U.S. Attorneys are appointed by the President (as you probably now know through the continuing trials and tribulations of our current AG Alberto Gonzalez) and usually at the recommendation of the local political bigwigs located in the district.  The U.S. Attorney will have one or several Assistant U.S. Attorneys (AUSAs) working under his command.  The overall duty of the U.S. Attorney and the AUSAs is to make sure the federal laws are complied with in his/her particular district - and to prosecute those that fail to do just that.

I have become acquainted with the work of the U.S. Attorney’s office through a few federal criminal cases I have defended.  I can tell you that if you are ever indicted by the U.S. Attorney, your chances of winning your case are slim and none.  The resources available to that office are substantial (US Marshals, FBI, DEA, high tech surveillance equipment, etc.) and the competency level of the AUSAs is high.  The bottom line is that they usually have you dead to rights by the time they arrest you.

Michael Vick, the superstar quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons, is probably about to find all of this out.  He has just been indicted on charges of running an illegal dog fighting operation on his property in Virginia.  Federal criminal cases are usually brought to trial quick, and the district where Vick has been indicted is known as the “rocket docket” district.  I agree with the article that it will not surprising if he is brought to trial within the next 4-6 months, which would be right in the middle of the NFL season.

Here’s a link to the article on ESPN.com… http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2940312