US Attorney in Charlotte, appointed by Trump, to leave at month’s end. Who’s next?
U.S. Attorney Andrew Murray, a veteran Charlotte attorney nominated by President Donald Trump to be Western North Carolina’s top federal prosecutor, will leave the position by the end of the month.
Murray announced his departure from his post in the Western District of North Carolina in a statement Tuesday afternoon. His top assistant, Bill Stetzer of Charlotte, will serve as acting U.S. Attorney until a formal replacement is sworn in.
“It has been a privilege to serve the people of the Western District and I am grateful for the opportunity to have worked with such an extraordinary group of consummate, dedicated and experienced public servants,” Murray said. “I am proud of our accomplishments and our collective hard work to protect communities across the district and to seek justice.”
Murray’s exit is a routine part of the transfer of presidential power. Last week, the U.S. Justice Department under the new administration of President Joe Biden announced that most U.S. attorneys appointed by Trump were to submit their resignations. Sources said the exit date was Feb. 28.
Alma Adams a key player in picking Murray successor
Whom Biden nominates as Murray’s replacement has been a topic of conjecture for months. In the wake of the George Floyd protests for racial justice last year, then-candidate Biden pledged that his Justice Department would lead the reform of the federal courts. With Murray’s departure now official, some longtime Charlotte legal figures are expecting the president to make good on his campaign promise.
Charlotte attorney James Ferguson said in a statement to The Charlotte Observer that Western North Carolina “has suffered from antiquated notions of justice and safety for far too long.”
“There is a growing recognition across this state and across the nation that the old ‘tough on crime’ approaches that have filled our jails and prisons are really massive policy failures,” said Ferguson, one of the state’s most prominent civil rights litigators.
“I hope the next U.S. Attorney brings a fresh perspective and willingness to approach these issues differently. To be clear, this is not a battle between justice and safety ... Saddling people with convictions and seeking lengthy sentences does not meaningfully increase public safety or prevent crime.”
Political and legal observers say U.S. Rep. Alma Adams, a Charlotte Democrat, will play a key role in finding Murray’s replacement. Asked for information on the selection process late last month, Adams spokesman Sam Spencer declined comment about the ongoing discussions with the White House, adding that Adams “is advocating for a strong group of qualified candidates for these and other positions within the administration.”
Murray’s priorities lined up with Trump’s
Murray, a lifelong Republican and former Mecklenburg County District Attorney, will be one of three top federal prosecutors in North Carolina that Biden must replace. The U.S. attorneys in the Middle and Eastern districts also will be leaving office.
Robert Higdon, the top prosecutor in the Eastern District, announced his departure last week. Matthew Martin, who became U.S. Attorney for the Middle District in January 2018, has not yet announced his departure plans.
Nominated by Trump and confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Murray took over the office in November 2017, directing a staff of 80 prosecutors and staff that operated in Charlotte and Asheville. The Western District of North Carolina covers 32 counties and the Cherokee Reservation, an area of some 3 million residents.
Days into his job, the retired Coast Guard officer said he would take his orders from above, and that his priorities lined up with those of Trump and then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions: combating violent crime, gang violence, drug and human trafficking, illegal immigration.
“I understand I have leadership above me, and those priorities will be enforced regardless how I align with them,” said Murray, who retired from the Coast Guard in 2016 after a 35-year career. “However, I align very well with those priorities, and I look forward to enforcing them.”
Murray did just that, with his office focusing much of its resources on traditional public safety issues as gangs, violent crime, drug trafficking, human trafficking and the new arena of COVID-19 fraud.
But some of his biggest successes involved far more high-profile prosecutions of white-collar abuses: the $3 billion settlement with Wells Fargo over its predatory sales practices. In a statement at the time of settlement, Murray said the financial penalty was appropriate “given the staggering size, scope and duration of Wells Fargo’s illicit conduct.”
Murray’s prosecutors also helped reach an antitrust settlement with Atrium Health in 2018.
On the criminal side, Murray went after members of his own political party by successfully convicting billionaire businessman Greg Lindberg and others in the attempted bribery of State Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey.
As part of the conspiracy, some of bribes were channeled through the state Republican Party with the participation of Robin Hayes, the GOP party chairman at the time and a former longtime congressman.
To avoid a prison sentence, Hayes pleaded guilty to a lesser felony charge as was given probation. He was pardoned by Trump mere hours before the defeated president left office.
Lindberg has begun his 87-month prison sentence while appealing his conviction.
Murray’s office also successfully prosecuted David Lewis, a longtime member of the Republican leadership of the N.C. General Assembly. Lewis resigned his seat and later pleaded guilty to tax and bank fraud-related charges.
This story was originally published February 16, 2021 at 1:33 PM with the headline "US Attorney in Charlotte, appointed by Trump, to leave at month’s end. Who’s next?."
