DOJ-OGR-00021201.jpg

Case 22-1426, Document 77, 06/29/2023, 3536038, Page29 of 258
SA-27
Case 1:20-cr-00330-AJN Document 204-3 Filed 04/16/21 Page 27 of 348

CHAPTER ONE

SIGNIFICANT ENTITIES AND INDIVIDUALS

I. THE FEDERAL AND LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES

A. The Department of Justice, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation

The Department of Justice (Department) is a cabinet-level executive branch department headed by the United States Attorney General. The stated mission of the Department is to enforce federal law and defend the interests of the United States; ensure public safety; provide federal leadership in preventing and controlling crime; seek just punishment for those guilty of unlawful behavior; and ensure the fair and impartial administration of justice. The Department enforces federal criminal law through investigations and prosecutions of violations of federal criminal statutes. It also engages in civil litigation. During the period relevant to this Report, the Department had approximately 110,000 employees in 40 components. The Department’s headquarters are in Washington, D.C., and it conducts most of its work through field locations around the nation and overseas.

The prosecution of federal criminal laws is handled primarily through 94 U.S. Attorney’s Offices, each headed by a presidentially appointed (with advice and consent of the U.S. Senate) U.S. Attorney who has independent authority over his or her office but is overseen by the Attorney General through the Deputy Attorney General.¹ The Department’s Criminal Division, headed by an Assistant Attorney General, includes components with specialized areas of expertise that also prosecute cases, assist in the prosecutions handled by U.S. Attorney’s Offices, and provide legal expertise and policy guidance. Among the Criminal Division components mentioned in this Report are the Appellate Section, the Office of Enforcement Operations, the Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, and, most prominently, the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS).

CEOS, based in Washington, D.C., comprises attorneys and investigators who specialize in investigating and prosecuting child exploitation crimes, especially those involving technology, and they assist U.S. Attorney’s Offices in investigations, trials, and appeals related to these offenses. CEOS provides advice and training to federal prosecutors, law enforcement personnel, and government officials. CEOS also works to develop and refine proposals for prosecution policies, legislation, government practices, and agency regulations.

The U.S. Attorneys’ Manual (USAM) (revised in 2018 and renamed the Justice Manual) is a compilation of Department rules, policies, and guidance governing the conduct of Department employees. It includes requirements for approval by, or consultation with, the Criminal Division

¹ Two U.S. Attorney’s Offices, in the judicial districts of Guam and of the Northern Mariana Islands, are headed by a single U.S. Attorney. The Attorney General and the U.S. District Court have authority to appoint acting and interim U.S. Attorneys.

DOJ-OGR-00021201