Unit Chief: All units visited have a designated Unit Chief, either the Specialist, an AUSA, or in one instance, the U.S. Attorney; this individual may be responsible for reporting to the Chief of the Criminal Section, the the First Assistant, and/or the U.S. Attorney, according to the office organization. Where the Specialist is the Unit Chief, he reports not only to the OECE, but also to the OUSA, as a part of line management. While this situation intensifies the difficulties in reporting to two organizations, it also makes the Specialist a component of the OUSA management. This inclusion may give the Specialist a more active part in shaping the unit's role and direction, because he participates in management decisions. For example, where the Unit Chief participates in the selection and assignment of cases, he has much influence in shaping the direction and impact of the unit. However, he may then become burdened by having to perform management tasks, e.g., attending case selection meetings, in addition to his responsibilities for OECE, and thus, have less time to devote to his primary duties.

The Specialist was designated as the Unit Chief at two of the seven locations visited, both were smaller offices, with less formalized organizational structures. It was the study team's observation that the Specialists were operating well in the situation and, to date, did not appear to have any major difficulties in executing their primary duties, while functioning as a part of OUSA management. The study team was unable to assess the feasibility of this arrangement for a large OUSA because the Specialist was not the Unit Chief in either of the two large offices visited.

The Specialist: The Attorney General's Order did not specify the position of the Specialist relative to the unit. Therefore, the U.S. Attorney's perception of the program in relation to his office's operations has determined, in part, whether the Specialist's position is integrated or adjunctive. In theory, a hybrid position may be best; in practice the positions tend, organizationally, to be either line or staff.**

For example, one of the Specialists, designated as a Special Assistant to the U.S. Attorney, works in a large OUSA with a pre-existing Special Prosecutions Unit, and acts primarily in an advisory capacity; his role is adjunctive. Another Specialist designated as the Unit Chief, works in a small office and is actively involved in decisions concerning the unit's role and function in the OUSA, e.g., case selection for the unit; his role is integral.***

Based on the study team's findings, in an integrated position, the Specialist generally has: a greater voice in the management of the unit (including case selection), a greater degree of acceptance in the office, and better

These terms refer to the Specialist's overall relationship to the office and include such matters as organizational relationships, support requirements, and duties assigned.

Line office members are those employees who are responsible for some part of the direct operation of the office, while staff implies a supportive position; e.g., in an OUSA, an AUSA would be a line position, while an advisor is a staff position.

*** Although this example of an integral role within the unit is one in which he is the Unit Chief, it is not intended to indicate that this is the only organizational structure that will allow the Specialist to be an integral part of the unit.

clerical support and accommodations. These latter advantages are in comparison to the three cities where the Specialist was in an adjunctive role; in these three offices one Specialist was not located with the unit, one worked in an open office arrangement, and two had no clerical assistance. In contrast, an adjunctive role usually gives the Specialist greater independence and a more direct channel to top management, while relieving him of managerial burdens.

Whatever his organizational relationship to the OUSA, the Specialist should serve as a focal point for information, given: his knowledge of the white-collar criminal activity in his district; his awareness of the national dimensions of the problem; his contacts with local investigative agencies, other prosecutorial offices, various interest groups, other Specialists and the Department; and his prior experience as a prosecutor. In addition, several OUSAs noted that the Specialist was in a position to bring a fresh perspective to pending cases in terms of new investigative techniques and prosecutorial approaches, because he is not overburdened with a normal caseload. For example, one Specialist revived a major case which had languished for two years because the investigators and the OUSA had not yet developed evidence of intent. He set up a conference to show the investigators how they could prove intent. Following his instructions, the investigators completed the case, and recently, the subject was indicted.

EXTERNAL OPERATIONS AND RELATIONSHIPS

Beyond his relationships and responsibilities within the OUSA, the Specialist interacts with a multitude of organizations having varying responsibilities

in white-collar crime enforcement: OECE, the Fraud and Public Integrity Sections, CRM; traditional Federal investigative agencies, OIGS and Federal regulatory agencies; and State and local investigative and prosecutive offices. The Specialist also interrelates with other groups interested in white-collar crime enforcement: interest and advisory groups; professional

and business organizations; and the general public.

OECE: As an employee of CRM, the Specialist reports directly to OECE, and channels information between OECE and OUSA. This communication is the basis of a planned information network, to be organized by OECE, developed through the Specialists, and utilized by the OUSAs. It will connect the ECE regions, their respective OUSAS and the Department, so that the Department may make a concerted effort against white-collar crime.

This information network, bolstered by the interaction of program participants at the national conferences and various district seminars, has already proven to be valuable in providing participants with referrals to other individuals versed in problems or cases similar to those they currently face. In addition to the transfer of this case-specific information, many AUSAS noted that the general exchange of anecdotal case experience was also useful. Criminal patterns and trends in white-collar crime have already been discovered. instance, a pattern of low level corruption led an OIG investigator--with

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the advice of a Specialist--into a significant program fraud case; a successful Medicare/Medicaid investigation in one jurisdiction led to the discovery

of similar activities in other jurisdictions.

When these trends and patterns are established, successful investigative techniques and prosecutive approaches may be relayed to other districts and adopted, as appropriate. As the program reaches full implementation, the impact of this network should increase greatly; once the network is complete, a national overview of white-collar crime should exist. This complete information base will identify duplications of effort and gaps in enforcement, and allow the Specialist to consolidate and coordinate these efforts.

Fraud and Public Integrity: For additional expertise and assistance, the Specialist may call upon attorneys in the Fraud and Public Integrity Sections, CRM. Where an OUSA cannot handle a significant and complex white-collar crime case due to a lack of sufficient prosecutive resources, these two sections may be able, in some instances, to assign an attorney to that office in order to alleviate the problem. In addition, the Public Integrity Section plans to assign their section attorneys responsibility for specific geographic areas, thus providing a ready contact for the Specialist.

Federal Agencies: An important part of the Specialist's role, and a major factor for ensuring the success of the program, is his interaction with the investigative and program agencies, including the coordination of their efforts among themselves and with the OUSA. Initially, the Specialist acts as a liaison for the program: directly communicating with agency personnel