Politics & Law

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.

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.

DAVID WELKER

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 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.

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.