FedEx
attorney Edward L. Stanton III has to pinch himself sometimes to make sure that
his nomination by President Barack Obama on April 14, 2010, to be the next
chief federal law enforcement officer for West Tennessee’s 22 counties is still
real and not a dream.
“It
was an unbelievable honor. It’s something I will always cherish and try to
uphold…and I will honor this appointment in the appropriate way,” said Stanton,
who was confirmed by unanimous consent of the U.S. Senate on Aug. 5 of that
year as the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee.
Tennessee’s
9th District Congressman Steve Cohen and 8th District
Congressman John Tanner, two senior members of the U.S. House of
Representatives from the President’s party, recommended Stanton for the
position.
Memphis
attorney Veronica Coleman-Davis was the last
Democratic nominee and the first African-American to serve as U.S. Attorney for
the Western District of Tennessee. She received the nod from President Bill
Clinton.
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| U.S. Attorney Edward L. Stanton lll |
Sworn
into office on Aug. 16, Stanton is one of three U.S. Attorneys in Tennessee and
93 across the country. Atty. Gen. Eric L. Holder Jr. was in attendance for
Stanton’s ceremonial
investiture later on in December.
Stanton oversees a
staff of nearly 100 people working out of two offices. The main office is
located on the 8th floor of the Clifford Davis-Odell Horton Federal
Building in Memphis and the Jackson Branch Office is in Jackson, Tenn.
The staff includes 40
prosecutors, legal assistances, paralegals, support staff, and an
administrative division that deals with everything from H.R. to budget, IT to
investigations, and contracting. Over the past year, more than 20 million dollars in restitution, fines,
and fees in civil and criminal matters were collected.
U.S. Attorneys are responsible for the following: 1) the
prosecution of criminal cases brought by the Federal Government; 2) the prosecution and
defense of civil cases in which the United States is a party; and 3) the collection of debts
owed to the Federal Government, which are administratively uncollectible.
The Criminal Division of the U.S. Attorney’s
Office handled nearly 400 matters over the past year, including indictments and
information filed; and the Civil Division handled over 3,500 cases over the
same period. He established a Civil Rights Unit in 2011.
“What
makes the news all the time are high criminal profile cases,” said Stanton, 42.
Three well-known cases
come to mind prior to Stanton’s administration – Tennessee Waltz, which led to the arrest of seven Tennessee lawmakers
and two others in 2005; Tarnished Blue, the roundup of “corrupted” Memphis
police officers over a number of years; and Main Street Sweeper, where three
high-profile Memphians were nabbed in 2007.
The aforementioned sting operations are indicative
of the type of criminal cases that land squarely on the U.S. Attorney’s desk,
and the type of cases where taskforces of local, state and federal law
enforcement agencies are deployed.
Indictments and arrests
are often reported in the media, such as drug distribution conspiracies, sex trafficking, money laundering
conspiracies, illegal prescription drug distribution rings, mail fraud, child
pornography, and other crimes.
The apprehension and sentencing of Craig Petties and his drug
trafficking organization for packaging and distributing cocaine in Mexico,
Texas, Mississippi, North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, and elsewhere, is
perhaps Stanton’s crowning achievement to date as a U.S. Attorney.
He said the wife of
Mickey Wright Sr., who worked for the Shelby County Office of Construction Code
Enforcement before he disappeared in 2001, sent him a card thanking his office
for securing a life-sentence without parole in 2011 for Dale V. Mardis, who
admitted killing Wright and dismembering and burning his remains in
Mississippi.
“I told her that
justice delayed is not justice denied,” said Stanton, a driven crime fighter
focusing on ensuring the safety of the district’s 1.5 million citizens. “I give
it 110 percent. The staff steps in and gives the same.”
‘We’re
very vigilant…’
There
is an uptick in criminal activity in the district, notably prescription drug
abuse, which often leads to heroin use and trafficking, Stanton said. “Quite
frankly, we’ve seen a record number of heroin overdoses here, particularly of
young teenagers and young adults.”
Another
area is sex trafficking, he pointed out.
Crime
reduction initiatives have been relatively successful in Shelby County
primarily due to taskforces like Project Safe Neighborhoods, Project Safe Childhood and Safe Streets Task Force,
Stanton said. Partners
include local, state and federal law enforcement agencies.
The Multiagency Gang
Unit is another taskforce being deployed. Its mission is to eradicate gang
activity, Stanton said. It is comprised of the Memphis Police Department, the
Sheriff’s Department, the District Attorney’s Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and
Explosives, and the FBI.
“Our goal is to dismantle gang organizations, beginning at
the top. We’re very vigilant,” the U.S. Attorney said matter-of-factly.
While fighting crime is
Stanton’s No. 1 goal, “what is equally important is to get out into the
schools, neighborhood and communities,” he said. “There’s not a call that
doesn’t get returned. There’s not a request that doesn’t get answered for
someone to come out. The children need to see that.”
Stanton is a role model
trying to steer youth in a positive direction. Supporters like his guidance
counselor in school helped to nurture his aspirations – just like he’s trying
to do for students at the schools he visits.
“I thought I wanted to
be a pilot. That kind of went to the wayside,” said Stanton, whose foray into
public service began in 5th grade when he ran for student council
president at Idlewild Elementary. “That was my first loss. I thought I was
going to make a difference for the 5th graders.”
He’s made a difference
since graduating from Central High
School, the University of Memphis in 1994, and U of M’s Cecil C. Humphreys
School of Law in 1997. He began his legal career at the law offices of Charles
Carpenter. From there, he went to the assistant city attorney’s office, the law
firm Armstrong Allen, and finally to the legal department of FedEx before his
appointment as U.S. Attorney.
Setting an example…
Stanton comes from a family of
public servants. His father, Edward L. Stanton Jr., is the current General
Sessions Court Clerk; and his mother, Ruth Johnson Stanton, is retired from
Memphis City Schools.
He grew up with two sisters in Whitehaven. Arnetta Stanton Macklin
is vice president of seniors at MIFA and Tameaka Stanton-Riley, his younger sister, is the
administrative director for the Shelby County Property Assessor.
“It’s
a part of my DNA,” said Stanton, also noting that his maternal grandfather, a
trailblazer in his own right, was one of the first African-American letter
carriers in the North Memphis area. The examples set by the Stanton men, he
added, helped to solidify his role as a husband and father.
“I
didn’t have to look anywhere else,” said Stanton, who is married to Mae Smith
Stanton and has two children, a seven-year-old and a 10-year old. “I saw the
example of being a father, husband, a provider. I saw men who stood up on
principle as opposed to what was popular…and really instilling into me what
character is, integrity, and how important your name is.”
Quoting Dr. Martin
Luther King Jr., he said, “‘Life’s most persistent and urgent question is what
are you doing for others.’ That drive’s me. Not how much money you’ve made, how
many people know your name, how many titles you have, but what are you doing
for others.”
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