Memeger new Philadelphia U.S. Attorney?
The lawyer expected to be nominated for U.S. Attorney in Philadelphia is Zane D. Memeger, a former prosecutor who is now a partner at a major city law firm, according to two sources.
The lawyer expected to be nominated for U.S. Attorney in Philadelphia is Zane D. Memeger, a former prosecutor who is now a partner at a major city law firm, according to two sources.
Memeger spent 11 years as an assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania before leaving for the firm of Morgan Lewis in 2006, where he is now a partner representing corporate and white collar clients facing criminal investigation.
A graduate of the University of Virginia's law school, Memeger declined to make any comment today.
The job has been officially vacant since Republican nominated Pat Meehan left office in 2008.
The current acting-U.S. Attorney, longtime federal prosecutor Michael L. Levy, referred questions to the Justice Department.
Memeger was recommended to the White House by Pennsylvania's two Democratic United States Senators, Bob Casey and Arlen Specter, according to the sources with knowledge of the selection process.
Memeger will now undergo an FBI background check. If he passes, President Obama is expected to formally send his name to the U.S. Senate for confirmation. Memeger's recommendation was first reported in the Legal Intelligencer.
In Philadelphia, Memeger served on the Organized Crime Strike Force, and played a role in the prosecution of mobster Joey Merlino, who in 2001 received a 14 year prison sentence.
Memeger was also on the team that convicted Imam Shamsud-din Ali of racketeering in 2005, a case that sparked a City Hall corruption investigation under former Mayor Street.
In Delaware, the likely leading candidate is Charles M. Oberly III, a former state attorney general who is now of counsel with the Wilmington office of the firm Drinker Biddle.
Three attorneys familiar with the process said Oberly is expected to be named U.S. Attorney within a month.
Oberly declined to comment.
The 63-year-old defense lawyer was a longtime prosecutor, and was elected Delaware Attorney General, serving as the statewide prosecutor, from 1983 to 1985. He unsuccessfully ran for U.S. Senate in 1994.
Oberly received his A.A. degree from Wesley College in 1966, his bachelor's degree from Penn State in 1968 and his law degree from the the University of Virginia in 1971.
