Summary The United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of New York (NDNY) is comprised of 32 counties in upstate New York. Assistant United States Attorneys (AUSAs) are staffed in Albany, Binghamton, Plattsburgh, and Syracuse, and appear before federal judges there and in Utica. Approximately 55 attorneys and 51 support personnel work in NDNY, along with several subject-matter specialist contract personnel. Find additional information about NDNY at https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndny Responsibilities The United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of New York (NDNY) is seeking an Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) to work in the Criminal Division's Asset Recovery Unit, as the Asset Forfeiture Coordinator in its Syracuse, New York office. The United States Department of Justice has prioritized investigations and prosecutions relating to illegal immigration, Cartels and Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs) and the illegal trafficking of dangerous drugs and human beings, collectively known as the Border District Surge (BDS). As part of this initiative, AUSAs work on various criminal and affirmative or defensive civil cases as well as related asset forfeiture efforts. This position is in NDNY's Criminal Division which is comprised of approximately 39 attorneys and is responsible for enforcing federal criminal statutes. Within the Criminal Division, the Asset Forfeiture Program encompasses the seizure, management, forfeiture, and disposition of assets that represent the proceeds of, or were used to facilitate, federal crimes. The selected AUSA will serve as the Asset Forfeiture Coordinator within the Criminal Division's Asset Recovery Unit. The Asset Recovery Unit is supervised by the Chief of the Criminal Division and includes both the Asset Forfeiture and Financial Litigation Programs. Together, they form a team dedicated to forfeiting the profits of crime, enforcing federal criminal monetary penalties, and vindicating the rights of crime victims under federal law. The Asset Forfeiture Program has four primary goals: (1) Punish and deter criminal activity by depriving criminals of property used in or acquired through illegal activities. (2) Promote and enhance cooperation among federal, state, local, tribal, and foreign law enforcement agencies. (3) Recover assets that may be used to compensate victims when authorized under federal law. (4) Ensure that the Program is administered professionally, lawfully, and in a manner consistent with sound public policy. The Asset Forfeiture Coordinator is expected to effectively coordinate asset forfeiture and money laundering litigation throughout the Criminal Division, including by providing training to all Criminal Division Assistant U.S. Attorneys (AUSAs), instituting best practices and model pleadings for asset forfeiture litigation, providing consultation and guidance to AUSAs in individual cases, leading asset forfeiture litigation in complex matters as needed, overseeing the work of contract asset forfeiture personnel, fulfilling the Office's various reporting requirements, and coordinating efforts with the U.S. Marshals Service and other external partners. The work requires discretion and independent judgment in the application of specialized knowledge of particular laws, regulations, precedents and agency practices. The Asset Forfeiture Coordinator works closely with Criminal AUSAs to ensure appropriate forfeitures in criminal cases and bears primary responsibility for the litigation of civil asset forfeitures, and coordinates with the District's Financial Litigation Unit to maximize compensation to crime victims. Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex, as training and experience progress. Security Requirements: Initial appointment is conditioned upon a satisfactory preemployment adjudication. This includes fingerprint, credit and tax checks, and drug testing. In addition, continued employment is subject to a favorable adjudication of a background investigation. Selective Service Requirement: If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. See www.sss.gov. Residency Requirement: Assistant United States Attorneys generally must reside in the district to which he or she is appointed or within 25 miles thereof. See 28 U.S.C. 545 for district-specific information. Travel Requirement: Employment will require occasional travel to court at one of the designated District sites, namely Albany, Auburn, Binghamton, Malone, Plattsburgh, Syracuse, Utica, and Watertown. Other occasional travel within and/or outside the District may be required. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications Required Qualifications: Applicants must possess a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree (or equivalent), be an active member in good standing of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction), and have at least 1-year post-J.D. (or equivalent) legal or other relevant experience. Applicants must hold United States citizenship. Preferred Qualifications: The ideal candidate will: Have at least 3 years of post-J.D. experience that provided significant opportunity to develop strong legal writing, oral advocacy, and courtroom litigation skills; Demonstrate facility with federal criminal and civil practice; Demonstrate leadership qualities and the ability to work well with and manage support staff; Be comfortable with all aspects of electronic discovery and litigation; Collaborate effectively with others, including AUSAs, law enforcement, support staff, and court personnel; Possess impeccable integrity; and Be self-motivated, justice-oriented, organized, and courteous. Applicants must meet all qualification requirements upon closing date of this announcement. All initial attorney appointments to the Department of Justice are made on a 14-month (temporary) basis pending favorable adjudication of a background investigation. Temporary appointments may be extended or made permanent without further competition. Initial appointment is conditioned upon a satisfactory pre-employment adjudication. This includes fingerprint, credit and tax checks, and drug testing. In addition, continued employment is subject to a favorable adjudication of a background investigation. The staffing of this position is subject to the availability of funds. As needed, additional positions may be filled using this announcement. Education Applicants must possess a J.D. Degree. Additional Information Salary: Assistant United States Attorney's pay is administratively determined based, in part, on the number of years of professional attorney experience. The range of basic pay is $63,163 to $165,209 per year, plus a locality pay supplement, where authorized. For Syracuse, the total salary range is $73,939 to $193,394 per year, which includes 17.06% locality pay. Benefits: The Department of Justice offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, paid vacation; sick leave; holidays; telework; life insurance; health benefits; and participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System. The Benefits link provides an overview of the benefits currently offered to Federal Employees. Relocation Expenses: Relocation expenses will not be authorized. This and other vacancy announcements can be found under Attorney Vacancies and Volunteer Legal Internships. The Department of Justice cannot control further dissemination and/or posting of information contained in this vacancy announcement. Such posting and/or dissemination is not an endorsement by the Department of the organization or group disseminating and/or posting the information. Applicants should familiarize themselves and comply with the relevant rules of professional conduct regarding any possible conflicts of interest in connection with their applications. In particular, please notify this Office if you currently represent clients or adjudicate matters in which this Office is involved and/or you have a family member who is representing clients or adjudicating matters in which this Office is involved so that we can evaluate any potential conflict of interest or disqualification issue that may need to be addressed under those circumstances. Political Appointees (Current and Former): The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C or Non-Career SES employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the HR Office. Failure to disclose this information could result in disciplinary action including removal from Federal Service. EEO Statement: The United States government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service or other non-merit factor.
