[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 38 (Wednesday, February 26, 2025)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E163]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





 RECOGNIZING A TRAILBLAZING CAREER IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE: U.S. ATTORNEY 
                          EREK LAWRENCE BARRON

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. KWEISI MFUME

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 26, 2025

  Mr. MFUME. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the outstanding 
achievements and historic tenure of Maryland's outgoing United States 
Attorney, Erek Lawrence Barron. He is an experienced lawyer, an 
accomplished legislator, and a champion of civil rights, and his time 
as U.S. Attorney has left the people of Maryland safer and more secure 
in their communities, with greater confidence in the integrity of the 
justice system.
  Mr. Barron earned his Juris Doctor from the prestigious George 
Washington University Law School in 1999 and earned admission to the 
Maryland Bar that same year. He began his career in public service as 
an Assistant State's Attorney in Prince George's County in 2001, 
primarily prosecuting violent crimes, before transferring to Baltimore 
City in 2004 and continuing in this position until 2006.
  The next phase of his career was at the Department of Justice, as a 
Trial Attorney in their Criminal Division. There, he focused on 
tackling the scourge of organized crime, investigating and prosecuting 
figures involved in regional and national gangs.
  This law enforcement experience, gained at both the state and federal 
level, had Mr. Barron well-prepared for his subsequent role as Counsel 
and Special Advisor to then-Senator Joe Biden, serving on the United 
States Senate's Judicial Committee's Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs. 
Soon after, he was a member of the Justice and Civil Rights Review Team 
for President Barack Obama's Presidential Transition Team.
  Given his high qualifications and extensive experience, it is no 
surprise that in 2014, the good people of Prince George's County, 
Maryland elected Mr. Barron to the House of Delegates. In the state 
legislature, he prioritized public safety and criminal Justice reform, 
co-authoring bipartisan legislation that instituted sweeping 
improvements to Maryland's sentencing and corrections systems.
  His thoughtfulness and effectiveness as a legislator helped Mr. 
Barron win re-election in 2018, and he continued serving in the General 
Assembly through October 2021, when the United States Senate confirmed 
him as the chief federal law enforcement official in the great state of 
Maryland.
  When he took his oath of office, Mr. Barron became the first African 
American to serve as Maryland's United States Attorney. Despite the 
historic nature of his service, Mr. Barron never sought out the 
limelight--he focused entirely on doing his job and doing it well, 
working closely with state and local law enforcement to implement 
crime-fighting strategies that reduced violent crime.
  Most importantly, Mr. Barron got results. During his tenure, Maryland 
saw homicide rates drop by 41 percent. He established a new Violent and 
Organized Crime Section within the office and instructed his 
prosecutors to utilize an ``Al Capone'' model of prosecution, using all 
available legal means and resources to get repeat offenders off the 
streets. He also established a new Civil Rights and Special Victims 
Section, a dedicated unit focused on prosecuting hate crimes, civil 
rights violations, and crimes committed against our most vulnerable 
populations.
  Mr. Barron's incredible value to Maryland is exemplified by a case of 
federal-local partnership that led to a major crime bust. Ivan Bates, 
Baltimore's State's Attorney, approached Mr. Barron for assistance in 
getting the federal resources necessary for a wiretap. Mr. Barron 
personally lobbied law enforcement leaders and secured those 
resources--and after a 6-month operation, 39 people across 4 criminal 
networks were arrested, 67 firearms were confiscated, 15 stolen 
vehicles were recovered, and more than $350,000 in drug money was 
seized. That is the power of an effective partnership.
  Now that his term as our United States Attorney has ended, I join 
Governor Moore, former Governor Hogan, and law enforcement officials 
across our state in thanking Mr. Erek Lawrence Barron for his tireless 
efforts to make our streets safer and our communities more secure. I 
congratulate him on his many achievements.

                          ____________________