In December of last year, gunfire knocked down the Moore County electric distribution substation, leaving 45,000 residents without electricity. In November, an electric substation in Jones County, NC, was targeted by gunfire, leaving 12,000 residents without power.
In a September interview, Michael Easley, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of the United States, said that “things like attacks on power grids can be indicative” of people who have become radicalized. “We are concerned by the increase in violent extremism.”
Domestic terrorism is a major threat to the United States, according to both the FBI and Department of Homeland Security. Easley has appointed a prosecutor who will work with the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force in order to assess threats within the Eastern District.
Michael F. Easley, Jr., is the first U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina to be born and raised within the district in over 30 years. Easley has lived in the area his entire life and understands its issues. He is now working to solve these problems.
Easley explained that his experience in Eastern North Carolina helped him understand the priorities and values of the community, which allowed him to better connect the work of our office with the most pressing problems in the area. Easley said that having local knowledge would be helpful when he took over the 125-person staff in November 2021. The district is home to four million people and is the most populous in the state.
We are only as effective as the partnerships that we create with local law enforcement. Federal prosecutors who sit in their ivory towers and do not get out and know and listen to local law enforcement are missing a great opportunity to have a real impact.
A desire to serve
He was born in Southport. His parents, former NC Governor Mike Easley (and First Lady Mary Easley), were both former prosecutors. Easley was a fireman for Orange County, NC while attending UNC. He found his passion early on. He received his Juris Doctor with honors from UNC School of Law. As a student, he prosecuted cases for Wake County District Attorney Colon Willianby. Easley then began a private practice in which he handled internal investigations, trial court work and state and federal courts.
Narcotics trafficking and violent crime
Easley’s priority cases include violent crimes, fentanyl trafficking and white-collar crimes, as well as domestic terrorism.
He targets large criminal networks which control the drug trafficking, violence and gangs in the district. Easley claimed that international cartels fuel the supply of fentanyl – a drug which is responsible for a record number of overdose deaths in the state. “We are very concerned about Mexican cartels who coordinate with American gangs in order to be their distribution networks for fentanyl.”
Easley stated that his office has more task forces than ever to combat organized crime and drug trafficking. Easley said that his office is prioritizing the prosecutions of cartel-linked drug traffickers and gangs pushing deadly fentanyl in our communities as well as gunrunners, who provide them with the weapons to kill.
Easley announced convictions this summer relating to an international fentanyl ring that had direct ties with the Sinaloa Cartel, using NC as a center for a nationwide fentanyl distribution chain. He explained at a press conference in June that one defendant was caught with “enough deadly fentanyl” to kill three times the population of Raleigh and Wilmington.
Easley has a reputation for being a tough prosecutor, but he is quick to admit that prosecution isn’t the only solution. Easley said that Eastern North Carolina, in terms of crime, is a region of promise. However, it’s also a place where there are many haves and nots, with communities who have been deprived of opportunity for too long. We can’t simply be tough on criminals if we want to resolve our problems. We must also be tough on the root causes of crime, such as poverty, inequality and a lack good-paying employment, well-funded schooling, and mental healthcare.
Fraud Fighter
Easley has said that he takes a more aggressive approach in prosecuting white collar crimes and financial fraud. He bolstered the district’s Economic Crimes section and presided over an increase in financial cases. This put the office into what he called “a more muscle enforcement posture” towards white-collar crimes.
This year, the office brought charges against a Ponzi scheme worth millions of dollars run by an ex-Morgan Stanley financial advisor who is now serving seven years in federal jail.
His team also prioritizes pursuing fraud committed by health care providers. The team secured a sentence of 25 years for a Raleigh physician who billed Medicare for $46 million in sinus surgeries where she used single-use surgical instruments.
Easley is a member of the U.S. Attorney’s General advisory subcommittee for white collar fraud. He helps to develop a national corporate criminal enforcement strategy. White collar criminals cause unique trauma to their victims. Easley said that if they avoid accountability, this undermines trust in our institutions and rule of law. “We treat white collar defendants the same as any other criminal and seek sentences that reflect this.”
National Security and Domestic Terrorism
This summer, Easley’s office won a case against a man accused of teaching bombmaking techniques to law enforcement officers with the intent to kill or maim them and rallying against the government. A racist plot was uncovered by an Army officer to “remove”, by any means, minorities from certain parts of NC.
Easley explained that “there are a lot of people who have bad ideas. Sometimes they’re deplorable, but not all of them can be criminally prosecuted.” “But this doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t pay attention to those who might want to incite violence.”
Easley’s Office is keeping a close eye on such racially-motivated violence. In response to an increase in hate crimes, many of which targeted Black Americans, Easley launched the first district-wide civil rights team last year. Over 200 officers have been trained to combat federal hate crimes by the team. Easley said he also sees the community as a key partner in this effort.
Our nation faces many challenges today, both new and old. We are most successful when people speak up and believe that justice will be done.
Attorney Michael Easley Battling Domestic Terrorism, Drug Trafficking & Fraud appeared first on Attorney at Law Magazine. Attorney Michael Easley Battling Domestic Terrorism & Fraud, Drug Trafficking & Fraud first appeared on Attorney at Law Magazine.