USAtty Office Shake-Up 2004

Adding to the post below, where two Asst. USAttys died and three others left within a three-month span in 2004, add another change in the office to the mix: the USAtty for that district himself.

UTA alumnus Richard B. Roper was sworn in Tuesday as the interim U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas and stands as the likely candidate to be nominated by President George W. Bush within the next month to fill the position permanently.

Roper was recommended to Bush by Senators Kay Bailey Hutchison and John Cornyn to be the successor of former U.S. Attorney Jane Boyle, who left the position to become a federal judge. If approved by the Senate, Roper will represent over 100 counties in North Texas. Roper was sworn in the same day Boyle was appointed as a federal judge.

That was on July 1, 2004, three weeks before the first mysterious death in the office, and three months before three veteran prosecutors left - two to the same defense firm. (See post below for details.)