David Joseph is a dedicated public servant who is passionate about breaking the cycle of violence in Louisiana as well as protecting people from the growing number of scams taking advantage of innocent victims. In this episode of Discover Lafayette, you have the opportunity to understand the role of the U. S. Attorney in combatting federal crimes and the man leading the office.

Joseph serves as U. S. Attorney for the Western District of Louisiana, which encompasses 42 of Louisiana's 64 parishes. His office works on cases involving white-collar crime, public corruption, as well as cases referred by the FBI, ATF, DEA, Homeland Security, and the IRS. There is quite a bit of overlap between state and federal laws regulating criminal behavior and while many can be tried at either the state or federal level, the U. S. Attorney's office is oftentimes directed cases from local law enforcement when they think a federal crime is involved.

Joseph previously served as an Assistant U. S. Attorney and was assigned financial crime cases and those involving long-term investigations. As a member of the National Guard, he was called up during the Iraq War and served three years as an Officer in the JAG Corps. He also worked with the FDIC after the market crash in 2008 when many banks failed; his work included prosecuting directors and officers of banks that failed due to high-risk, imprudent lending practices which caused the loss of investors' money. A favorite quote from the interview that David shared: "When the tide goes out, you see who's not wearing their bathing suit!"

With Louisiana having the highest homicide rate in the U. S., Joseph is focused on trying to reduce the violent crime rate. (Even if you "took New Orleans out of the state," Louisiana would still have the highest homicide rate.) In particular, Shreveport, Monroe, and Alexandria experience the highest rates of violence as a result of gang activity related to the drug trade and domestic violence. Fortunately, Lafayette, Lake Charles and the rural parishes don't suffer from this high rate of violence.

One initiative undertaken by the Department of Justice ("DOJ") to reduce violent crime and get "alpha criminals" off the streets is the nationwide initiative called "Project Safe Neighborhoods." The U. S. Attorney's office partners with all levels of law enforcement to identify the most violent offenders and strategically remove them from the streets where they influence other felons and wreak havoc. As an example, Joseph explained there may be times when local law enforcement is not able to make a case on a suspected perpetrator of a homicide, but the DOJ can step in and arrest the felon caught with a firearm. The felon is prosecuted under federal statutes and incarcerated in federal prison for a few years, thus preventing them from influencing others Shreveport has seen great progress as a result of Project Safe Neighborhoods.

The U. S. Attorney's office has prioritized educating youth on the damages that firearms can cause to their families, friends, and of course, themselves. Youngsters can be easily influenced by alpha criminals who dominate their neighborhoods and as discussed above, removing these untenable actors is also high in importance in effectively breaking the cycle of violence by removing those who are negative influences on vulnerable youths.

Scams affecting the elderly are a continuing problem that affects at least 10% of older Americans each year. The Elder Justice Initiative addresses elder abuse, neglect, financial fraud, and scams that target our nation’s seniors. In particular, investment scams and romance scams are problematic. "Con" men will inspire confidence in their victims and abuse that trust in order to steal from them. Investment scams can deplete a senior's retirement savings; u...