The U.S. attorney’s office in the Central District of California has finally received additional funds from Washington to hire new assistant U.S. attorneys. In the past two years, however, the office has been 20 percent understaffed and has lost experienced prosecutors, as well as the ability to take on large cases. Pamela Johnston, former federal prosecutor and a partner in Foley’s Los Angeles office, was quoted in the July 9, 2007 issue of the Daily Journal in an article, “Central District U.S. Attorneys Get Staff Boost.” Johnston was quoted as saying that amongst other areas, this shortfall of experienced prosecutors has led to the office’s slow response in investigating potential fraud in the subprime mortgage lending market.
