Politics & Law

Class Date: 11/01/2011

Instructor(s): Jim Letten & David Welker

JIM LETTEN

Jim Letten, who has served as the United States Attorney since April, 2001, is a native of New Orleans, having graduated from Tulane Law School in 1979. He spent a total of four years in the New Orleans District Attorney’s Office, where he participated in hundreds of jury and bench trials, prosecuting offenders for all types of criminal violations, including thefts, burglaries, armed robberies, drug distributions, rapes, murders, and white collar offenses.

He has served for over twenty-seven years as a federal prosecutor beginning with the U. S. Department of Justice Organized Crime and Racketeering Strike Force, and became Chief of the Strike Force in March of 1988 and remained Chief of the unit through that office’s merger into the United States Attorney’s Office in 1990, until being named First Assistant in August of 1994. While First Assistant, Jim served as a lead prosecutor in the investigation, prosecution, and successful conviction of former Louisiana Governor Edwin Edwards following a four-month jury trial in early 2000.

Jim was initially appointed by the U. S. Attorney General as the U. S. Attorney in April of 2001, until his Presidential appointment and subsequent Senate confirmation in July, 2005. He continues to serve as United States Attorney, and has recently served as a member of the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee, while serving as Chair of the Violent and Organized Crime Subcommittee. Jim also serves on the Attorney’s General’s Advisory Subcommittee on Terrorism/National Security, the Environmental Issues Working Group and serves as co-chair of the Capital Sentencing Issues Team. From 2009 until mid-2011 Jim was appointed to serve as the Executive Director of the National Center for Disaster and Recovery Fraud, which has its National Command Center in Baton Rouge. Jim is a retired Commander in the U. S. Naval Reserve having served as NCIS Agent.

Jim has been and remains active in the U. S. Department of Justice’s role in efforts to rebuild the New Orleans Police Department.

Over his career as a prosecutor, Jim has received numerous awards from federal, state and local enforcement agencies and civic institutions, including University of New Orleans Distinguished Alumnus of the Year in 2008, and was UNO’s December 2009 Commencement Speaker. Jim was voted Top Attorney of 2007 in New Orleans Magazine, where he was additionally voted as New Orleanian of the Year and Most Admired New Orleanian in 2008 and 2009. He was also named New Orleanian of the Year in Gambit Magazine for 2009. Jim was awarded the United States Attorney General’s Medallion for Distinguished Service recognizing his leadership following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. Most recently, Jim received the Anti-Defamation League’s 2010 Torch of Liberty Award for his leadership and contributions to counteractive bigotry and advancing civil rights. He also received the Southeast Louisiana Boy Scouts of America 2010 Citizen of the Year award. 

DAVID WELKER

David W. Welker has been named Special Agent in Charge (SAC) of the FBI’s New Orleans Division. Director Robert S. Mueller, III appointed him to this position to replace former SAC James Bernazzani, who retired in May 2008. Most recently, Mr. Welker served as an inspector in the FBI’s Inspection Division.

Mr. Welker entered on duty as a special agent with the FBI in 1987. Upon completion of training at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia, he was assigned to the Detroit Field Office, Saginaw Resident Agency, where he conducted drug, violent crime, and civil rights investigations.

In 1992, Mr. Welker was promoted to FBI Headquarters as a supervisor in the Colombian/Caribbean Drug Traffickers Unit and later in the Mexican Drug Traffickers Unit. In 1995, he was transferred to the Cincinnati Division as a field supervisor, where he managed the Organized Crime/Drug Program and Violent Crimes and Major Offenders Program.

In August, 2002, Mr. Welker was appointed as the Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Tampa Division. Mr. Welker was responsible for National Security Branch matters in the Tampa Division.

In August, 2006, Mr. Welker was promoted to the position of Inspector at FBI Headquarters. Mr. Welker conducted inspections of FBI field offices, Legat offices, shooting incident reviews, and management reviews.

Born in Shamokin, Pennsylvania and raised in suburban Philadelphia, Mr. Welker graduated from the Philadelphia College of Bible (currently Philadelphia Biblical University) in 1977 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Bible/Pastoral Studies. In 1979, Mr. Welker joined the Bristol Township Police Department in Bristol, Pennsylvania, where he attained the rank of Sergeant. While employed at the Bristol Township Police Department, Mr. Welker attended the West Chester University, West Chester, Pennsylvania, where he studied criminal justice in the Criminal Justice Graduate Program. Mr. Welker is married and has three sons.