Federal prosecutor says they are focused on prosecuting violent crime in metro Atlanta

ATLANTA — The top federal prosecutor in the Atlanta area says if certain people who drive violence off the street, the safety of citizens in the community, which is his aim.

Acting U.S. Attorney Kurt Erskine says he wants criminals and the community to know that combatting the violent crime crisis with considerable weight of the federal system is a key focus.

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“We’ve devoted more resources to the prosecution of violent crime and one thing I want to highlight is we’ve spent more time working with our state and local law enforcement partners,” Erskine told Channel 2 investigative reporter Mark Winne. “We talk for instance to Chief Bryant on a regular basis.”

Erskine says that while certain cases require the resources of the federal government, they can’t take every case, so they focus on guns.

“People are picking up guns to solve problems,” he said.

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He says that those accused of gun crimes rarely get bond in the federal system unlike in some local jurisdictions.

96% of his office’s cases end up in a guilty plea or verdict, according to the Acting U.S. Attorney. He also adds that 50% of violent or gun crimes result in a sentence of at least 5 years in a system without parole.

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Gangs are another major focus.

“They make their money through violence, through drug trafficking, and we’ve seen them expand out into COVID relief fraud,” Erskine said.

So far in 2021, almost 99% of charged violent criminals that Erskine has dealt with have pled guilty, and none have been acquitted.

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