Attorney General Todd Blanche Celebrates Prosecutorial Successes and Record-Setting Hiring During Atlanta Visit

During a recent visit to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta, Attorney General Todd Blanche addressed a large class of new federal prosecutors, met with law enforcement leaders, and celebrated some of the office’s prosecutorial successes.

“I appreciate the Attorney General for visiting the Northern District of Georgia to confer with me and our local law enforcement partners,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “I am particularly proud that, after discussing the work of our Homeland Security Task Force and meeting nearly 30 of my newest hires, the Attorney General heralded my office as ‘a shining star at the Department of Justice.’ Thanks to a heavy hiring push supported at the highest levels in Washington, we will continue to drive crime rates down and aggressively uphold the law without fear or favor.”

On September 3, 2026, Attorney General Blanche met with U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, his management team, and the full staff of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta. During these meetings, Attorney General Blanche praised the office’s work, including recent significant drug trafficking, firearms trafficking, and federal program fraud prosecutions. He also met with the regional leaders from more than a half-dozen federal law enforcement agencies, Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr, Georgia Bureau of Investigation Director Chris Hosey, several local police chiefs, and Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia Chair Sherry Boston.

Additionally, Attorney General Blanche provided the keynote address during a swearing-in ceremony for more than two-dozen federal prosecutors and litigators now serving in the Northern District of Georgia. U.S. District Judge Michael L. Brown administered the new attorneys’ oath of office.

Since mid-2025, U.S. Attorney Hertzberg has hired thirty-one Assistant U.S. Attorneys (AUSAs) and three Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys (SAUSAs)—setting a record for the office. The lawyers who U.S. Attorney Hertzberg hired from the Justice Department, other U.S. Attorney’s Offices, district attorney’s offices, other government agencies, and the private sector are:

Jonathan Adams is a Civil AUSA handling bankruptcy matters. He served as a Trial Attorney in the Office of the United States Trustee and clerked for U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Homer Drake of Northern District of Georgia. He attended Mercer University for law school and undergrad.

Anita Balasubramanian is a Civil AUSA handling defensive matters. She was a Co-Managing Partner of Buckley Bala Wilson Mew, an Atlanta law firm. She attended the University of Georgia School of Law and Emory University.

Jamie Bircoll is a Criminal AUSA in the Training Section. He worked as a Litigation & Trial Practice Associate at Alston & Bird and clerked for U.S. District Judge Nicholas Ranjan of the Western District of Pennsylvania. He attended the University of Michigan for law school and undergrad.

Patrick Cespedes will be a Criminal AUSA in the Training Section. He clerked for Judge Sandra Lynch of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit and U.S. District Judge Cecilia Altonaga of the Southern District of Florida. He attended Harvard University for law school and undergrad.

Melissa Cheape is a Criminal AUSA in the Training Section. She served as an AUSA in the District of Columbia and clerked for U.S. Magistrate Judge Brian K. Epps of the Southern District of Georgia. She attended Georgia State University College of Law and the University of Georgia.

Kassi Conley is a Criminal AUSA in the Training Section. She worked as a Special Matters & Government Investigations Associate at King & Spalding and clerked for Chief Justice David Nahmias of the Supreme Court of Georgia. She attended Georgia State University for law school, business school, and undergrad.

Bernard Eyth is a Criminal AUSA in the Violent Crime & National Security Section. He served as an Assistant District Attorney in Manhattan and clerked for the District of Columbia Court of Appeals. He attended Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law and the University of Pittsburgh.

Daniel Grill is a Criminal AUSA in the Violent Crime & National Security Section. He worked as a Complex Commercial Litigation Associate at Latham & Watkins. He attended the University of Virginia School of Law and the University of Michigan.

Steve Hsieh is a Criminal AUSA in the Transnational Organized Crime & Cartels Section. He served as a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas SAUSA and Chief Enforcement Officer of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). He clerked for U.S. District Judge William Kuntz, II of the Eastern District of New York and attended New York University School of Law and the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Nicholas Joy is a Criminal AUSA in the Complex Frauds & Cybercrime Section. He worked in the office of the Chief Executive Officer of Palantir Technologies and previously served as an AUSA and SAUSA in the Northern District of Georgia. He attended Harvard Law School and the University of Pennsylvania.

Nathaniel Lancaster is a Criminal AUSA in the Training Section. He worked as a Litigation Associate at Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler and clerked for Judge Myrna Pérez of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and U.S. District Judge Dan Polster of the Northern District of Ohio. He attended Emory University School of Law and Binghamton University.

Jonathan Letzring is a Civil AUSA handling defensive matters. He served as an AUSA in the Western District of North Carolina and clerked for Judge Phyllis Kravitch of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit and U.S. District Judge Timothy Batten, Sr. of the Northern District of Georgia. He attended Emory University School of Law and Davidson College.

Sara Lim is a Criminal AUSA in the Training Section. She served as an AUSA in the Middle District of Georgia and clerked for U.S. District Judge Louis Sands of the Middle District of Georgia. She attended Georgia State University College of Law and the University of Georgia.

Jonell Lucca is a Criminal AUSA in the Transnational Organized Crime & Cartels Section. She served as an Associate Director for Prosecutorial Operations at the OCDETF Executive Office after serving as an AUSA in two districts and clerking for Justice Wayne Kidwell of the Idaho Supreme Court. She attended University of Notre Dame Law School and Arizona State University.

Julia Martin is a Criminal AUSA in the Training Section. She served as an Assistant District Attorney in the DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office and worked as an Associate with Greenberg Traurig. She attended Georgia State University College of Law and the University of Georgia.

Cole McFerren is a Criminal AUSA in the Training Section. He served as an AUSA in the Western District of Oklahoma and clerked for U.S. District Judge Stan Baker of the Southern District of Georgia. He attended the University of Georgia for law school and undergrad.

Christopher Meredith is a Criminal AUSA in the Violent Crime & National Security Section. He served as an Assistant Chief Counsel with Immigration & Customs Enforcement. He attended Mercer University School of Law and the University of Georgia.

James Murray is a Criminal AUSA in the Training Section. He served as an Assistant Corporation Counsel with the New York City Law Department and clerked for U.S. District Judge Harvey Schlesinger of the Middle District of Florida and U.S. Magistrate Judge Daryl Bloom in the Middle District of Pennsylvania. He attended Cornell Law School and the State University of New York at Geneseo.

Andrew Navratil is a Bureau of Prisons attorney serving as a Civil Division SAUSA. He clerked for U.S. District Judge Mark Cohen in the Northern District of Georgia and attended Georgia State University College of Law and Carleton College.

Rebecca Perez-Espejo is an Immigration & Customs Enforcement attorney serving as a SAUSA in the Training Section of the Criminal Division. She attended the Emory University School of Law and the University of Central Florida.

Edward Robinson is a Criminal AUSA in the Transnational Organized Crime & Cartels Section. He served as an AUSA in the Southern District of New York and clerked for U.S. District Judge Andrew Carter of the Southern District of New York. He attended Harvard University for law school and undergrad.

Kendall Runyan is a Criminal AUSA in the Training Section. She worked as a Business & Securities Litigation Associate at Jones Day. She attended the University of Florida for law school and undergrad.

Kaitlyn Salinas is a Criminal AUSA in the Training Section. She served as an Assistant Attorney General in the Georgia Attorney General’s Office in the human trafficking section. She attended the University of Georgia for law school and undergrad.

Stephen Scaife is a Criminal AUSA in the Training Section. He served as an AUSA in the Northern District of Oklahoma and clerked for U.S. District Judge Karen Marston of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and U.S. District Judge Nicholas Ranjan of the Western District of Pennsylvania. He attended University of Richmond School of Law and Presbyterian College.

Amy Schwarzl is a Criminal AUSA in the Transnational Organized Crime & Cartels Section. She served as a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas SAUSA. She attended Penn State Dickinson Law and the University of Maryland.

Robert Shapiro is a Criminal AUSA in the Training Section. He served as an Assistant District Attorney in Cobb County. He attended Pepperdine University School of Law and Piedmont University.

Patrick Silloway is a Civil AUSA handling defensive matters. He worked as a Counsel at Balch & Bingham and clerked for Judge Daniel Manion of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Homer Drake of Northern District of Georgia. He attended Mercer University School of Law and the University of Georgia.

Alexa Simonini is a Civil AUSA handling defensive matters. She worked as a General Liability Associate at Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith. She attended Georgia State University College of Law and Florida State University.

Chloe Smith is a Criminal AUSA in the Violent Crime & National Security Section. She worked as Special Matters & Government Investigations Associate at King & Spalding and clerked for U.S. District Judge Steven Grimberg. She attended Emory University School of Law and Harvard University.

Adam Sunstrom is a Criminal AUSA in the Training Section. He served as an enforcement attorney with the Securities and Exchange Commission in the Division of Enforcement. He attended the University of Georgia School of Law and the University of West Georgia.

Patrick Suter is a Criminal AUSA in the Training Section. He served as a Trial Attorney in the Fraud Section of Department of Justice’s Criminal Division and as the Department’s Resident Legal Advisor in Beijing, China after serving as an AUSA in the Eastern District of California. He attended American University-Washington College of Law and the University of California, Berkeley.

Katie Taylor is a Civil AUSA handling defensive matters. She worked as an Associate at Freeman Mathis & Gary. She attended Mercer University for law school and undergrad.

Drew Waldbeser is a Criminal AUSA in the Training Section. He worked as a Counsel at Lehotsky Keller Cohn, served as Deputy Solicitor General for the State of Georgia, and clerked for Judge Michael Kanne of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and U.S. District Judge Thomas Ludington of the Eastern District of Michigan. He attended Indiana University Maurer School of Law and Thomas Edison State University

Conor Woods is a Social Security Administration attorney serving as a SAUSA in the Complex Frauds & Cybercrime Section of the Criminal Division. He attended the University of Notre Dame for law school and undergrad.