- A top Justice Department official was named as the chief prosecutor for COVID-related fraud.
- Kevin Chambers was previously a top white-collar partner at the law firm Latham & Watkins.
- In a past stint at the Justice Department, Chambers prosecuted R&B singer Chris Brown.
There's a new chief prosecutor for the Justice Department's crackdown on COVID-related fraud.
Kevin Chambers, who joined the Justice Department in early 2021 as an associate deputy attorney general, will oversee civil and criminal cases as director of COVID-19 fraud enforcement. He has been serving as a top aide to Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco.
The appointment Thursday follows President Joe Biden's State of the Union address, in which he announced that his administration would be "going after the criminals who stole billions in relief money meant for small businesses and millions of Americans."
Before joining the Justice Department, Chambers was a partner at the law firm Latham & Watkins, where he focused on white-collar defense and led diversity efforts. In 2020, he made more than $3 million representing Facebook, Morgan Stanley, Credit Suisse, and other corporate clients, according to his financial disclosure.
Chambers was previously a career prosecutor in the US attorney's office in Washington, DC. At the end of his tenure there, he prosecuted the R&B star Chris Brown on charges he punched a man in the face outside a hotel in downtown Washington.
Brown pleaded guilty in 2014 to a misdemeanor assault charge.
Attorney General Merrick Garland established the COVID-19 fraud enforcement task force in May 2021, within months of his confirmation to lead the Justice Department.