U.S.

Department of Justice

United States Attorney

Northern District of Mississippi

900 Jefferson Avenue 662/234-3351

Oxford, Mississippi 38655-3603 FAX 662/234-0657

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: KRISI ALLEN

January 20, 2010 PHONE: (662) 234-3351
EMAIL: kris.allen@usdoj.gov

OXFORD, Miss. – United States Attorney Jim M. Greenlee announced today that he will
retire from his position as United States Attorney for the Northern District of Mississippi
effective at midnight, January 31, 2010. Mr. Greenlee was confirmed by the U.S. Senate and
sworn in as U.S. Attorney on October 30, 2001. He began as an Assistant United States Attorney
in the Oxford office in August of 1987 and has given over 22 years of service to Northern
District of Mississippi, first as an Assistant, then as United States Attorney.

“To say that it has been an honor to serve with the people in this office is a remarkable
understatement,” stated Greenlee. “It is they who have made this office successful with many
accomplishments coming for the right reasons while seeking justice. The office of the United
States Attorney is an extraordinary institution, one which can help law enforcement agencies and
the public achieve so much. Being removed from the reality of elections and politics, the office
can do the cleaning that should and must be done to enable our society and government to
flourish and to recover from the plagues of criminal and corruptive influence.”

In the aftermath of the attack on September 11, 2001, as United States Attorney, Greenlee
emphasized cooperation among federal, state and local authorities. In the wake of 9/11, the
office’s Anti-Terrorism Advisory Council (ATAC) and Law Enforcement Coordination
Committee (LECC) conducted training of thousands of law enforcement, medical and emergency
responders on coordination and reaction to crises and terrorist incidents, as well as how to
recognize such before it occurs. The training was hailed as a model and has been used in other
areas and states.

Greenlee’s priorities also included white collar crimes, public corruption, drug and gun
trafficking, violent gang crime, child and internet pornography, and identity theft. Under
Greenlee’s direction, the Northern District has successfully worked with federal law enforcement
officials to dissolve a number of large drug organizations. Operations Mojave Desert Snow and
Dirty Pool in DeSoto and Marshall County, Mississippi, dismantled an organization responsible
for distribution of copious amounts of marijuana, cocaine and methamphetamine, and resulted in
the convictions of dozens of individuals and multiple forfeitures.

Under Greenlee’s leadership, the Northern District of Mississippi has seen the revival of
the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), which works with federal,
state and local law enforcement officials to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug
trafficking and money laundering organizations and those primarily responsible for the nation’s
drug supply. During his tenure, the district initiated its first HIDTA, High-Intensity Drug
Trafficking Area, which has brought more investigative assets to fight illicit drug distribution,
which robs so many of their future.

In conjunction with federal, state and local law enforcement officials, the Northern
District of Mississippi has successfully implemented two Project Safe Neighborhoods, one in
Clarksdale and one in Greenville, serving to significantly reduce by over 50% the presence of
gun violence in those communities, while providing education and training on ways to prevent
future instances of gun violence. The Clarksdale Safe Neighborhoods earned two national
awards for its efforts in addressing and reducing gun violence and gang activity.

Similarly, with the leadership of state and local officials, Greenlee and his staff have
implemented and completed three Weed & Seed Initiatives, a five-year program which aims to
prevent, control, and reduce violent crime, drug abuse, and gang activity in targeted high-crime
neighborhoods by weeding out the criminal element and bringing in community development
services and neighborhood revitalization. These initiatives proved successful in the Haven Acres
neighborhood of Tupelo from 2000-2005, the South Corinth neighborhood in Corinth from
2005-2009, and the Washington County initiative from 2005-2009.

The Northern District of Mississippi also played an instrumental role in assisting with the
investigation of the murder of Emmitt Till, a civil rights “cold case” that was reopened in 2004.

Greenlee directed the investigation and prosecution of a number of individuals associated

with the failed Mississippi Beef Processing Plant. His office also handled the far-reaching public
corruption investigation involving Richard F. “Dickie” Scruggs and a number of his associates,
as well as Hinds County, Mississippi, Circuit Court Judge Bobby DeLaughter.

Most recently, Greenlee and his staff, together with federal and state law enforcement
officials, have investigated a large, multi-state ring of tobacco manufacturers, importers and
wholesalers seeking to circumvent the payment of millions of dollars in state and federal
cigarette taxes.

Over the 8-year span of Greenlee’s service, the Civil Division, Financial Litigation Unit,
collected over $20,000,000 in criminal fines and restitutions and civil debts. Included in that is a
recently-obtained $1.375M settlement on behalf of the United States against Harborside
Healthcare and HHC Nutrition Services. In addition, Greenlee oversaw an Asset Forfeiture Unit
that forfeited more than $7.7M worth of property used to facilitate crimes. The civil division has
successfully represented the United States and its employees in lawsuits and has been recognized
for its acumen in such litigation.

Greenlee added: “I would be remiss in not acknowledging the outstanding work of our
federal, state and local law enforcement partners and the unyielding cooperation they have
provided to this office during my tenure. Without them, these important investigations and
prosecutions could not have been accomplished.”

Greenlee worked on the national level, serving on the Attorney General’s Advisory
Committee immediately following September 11. He has also served as Chair of the Military
Issues Working Group, Chair of the Security Working Group, as well as a member of the
Terrorism & National Security Subcommittee, the Controlled Substances Subcommittee, the
White Collar Crime Subcommittee and the Office of Management & Budget Subcommittee of
United States Attorneys.

The United States Attorney’s Office for Northern District of Mississippi, located in
Oxford, serves a district of 37 Mississippi counties. The office employs 19 Assistant United
States Attorneys and 26 support staff.

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