U.S. Attorney announces resignation

Press release: Pamela Cothran Marsh announced her resignation today as United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, effective September 4, 2015. Since 2010, U.S. Attorney Marsh has served as the leading federal prosecutor for Florida’s 23 panhandle counties, from Alachua to Escambia, overseeing offices in Gainesville, Tallahassee, Panama City, and Pensacola.

“For more than five years as United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, Pamela Cothran Marsh has worked tirelessly to protect and empower the people of her community,” said Attorney General Loretta Lynch.

“The skills, integrity, and passion that Pam has brought to the job each and every day have advanced the cause of justice on a variety of important fronts, from human trafficking to public corruption to law enforcement officer safety. Pam’s remarkable record of service reflects her immense talent as an advocate, her consummate professionalism as a leader, and her unwavering commitment to the pursuit of justice. From our earliest days together on the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee, I have always admired Pam’s dedication to the mission of this Department, to the high ideals of public service, and to the timeless principles that make our nation exceptional. I thank her for her extraordinary work as United States Attorney, and I look forward to all that she will continue to achieve in the next phase of her already distinguished career.”

“It was a tremendous honor to be appointed by President Barack Obama as United States Attorney, and it has been my great privilege to lead this office for the last five and a half years,” said U.S. Attorney Marsh.

“I have loved working for Justice since my first day on the job. The lawyers and staff are incredibly talented and work hard every day in the name of justice, fairness, and equality. I would like to express my deep thanks to the President, the two wonderful Attorneys General with whom I worked – Eric H. Holder, Jr., and Loretta Lynch – and to Senators Nelson and Rubio for the confidence they placed in me. I will be forever grateful for the opportunities I have had as United States Attorney to protect our communities in the Northern District of Florida.”

On June 25, 2010, following President Obama’s nomination and the U.S. Senate’s confirmation, U.S. Attorney Marsh became the district’s 40th U.S. Attorney, and the first woman to serve in this position for the Northern District of Florida

Over the past five years, the Northern District of Florida has prosecuted a variety of cases related to tax and BP oil spill fraud, drug trafficking, sexual exploitation of minors, health care fraud, mortgage fraud, and civil rights violations, including:

• In 2012, seven individuals were sentenced in Tallahassee for conspiring to file more than 350 fraudulent income tax returns, seeking more than $2.4 million in tax refunds.
• In 2012 and 2013, as part of “Operation See Change”, nine individuals were sentenced in Tallahassee after a six-month undercover investigation targeting street-level drug distribution along Tallahassee’s Alabama Street corridor.
• In 2013, as part of the Project Safe Childhood initiative, a Georgia man was sentenced in Gainesville to 235 months in prison for attempted sexual exploitation of a minor via the Internet.
• In 2014, nine individuals were sentenced in Pensacola for filing fraudulent BP oil spill claims.
• In 2014, a California woman was sentenced to seven years in federal prison for her role in a $16 million mortgage fraud scheme involving properties in Navarre, Santa Rosa Beach, and Panama City. She was ordered to pay over $10 million in restitution to the victims of the fraud.
• In 2014, a Freeport physician was sentenced to 30 years in prison on charges that included health care fraud violations and illegally distributing controlled substances.
• In 2015, a former Gadsden County Deputy Sheriff’s Captain was sentenced in Tallahassee to 30 months in prison for violating the civil rights of an arrestee.

During her tenure, in addition to criminal prosecution, U.S. Attorney Marsh’s priorities have included outreach in human trafficking, reentry, violent crime prevention, and law enforcement officer safety.

U.S. Attorney Marsh created and chaired the Big Bend Coalition Against Human Trafficking, which has contributed to an increase in both human trafficking awareness and prosecutions. In a 2014 Panama City case, a human trafficker received life in prison for kidnapping and transporting a victim to Mississippi for prostitution.

Through the Big Bend After Reentry Coalition, U.S. Attorney Marsh’s office has joined other government agencies and non-profit groups in North Florida to assist offenders upon their release from incarceration, by providing support during their transitions into our communities.

U.S. Attorney Marsh has hosted law enforcement training sessions and recently co-produced an officer safety training video for officers responding to violent encounters.

Also, in a unique case, U.S. Attorney Marsh personally led a successful civil case to return a renaissance painting taken from the rightful owners, a Jewish family living in France, during World War II. The painting, known as the Cristo Portacroce by Romanino, was seized from an exhibit of paintings on loan from the Italian state museum in Milan, Italy.

After U.S. Attorney Marsh’s departure, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher P. Canova will serve as Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.