Government
Aug. 6, 2002
Bush Chooses San Diegan for U.S. Attorney
SAN DIEGO - President Bush has nominated a Superior Court judge who is also a veteran federal prosecutor to become the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of California, which encompasses San Diego and Imperial counties.
The U.S. Senate must confirm Carol Chien-Hua Lam, a judge in Vista. Bush selected Lam in May but did not make her nomination official until the FBI completed its background check.
Patrick O'Toole has been interim U.S. attorney since Gregory Vega, appointed by President Clinton, left his post when Bush took office. Vega remained in San Diego as a private lawyer.
The opening led to a long screening process for people who wished to succeed Vega. Several were to be at the top of the list, but apparently none pleased the White House.
Charles LaBella, former acting U.S. attorney in San Diego, remained in the contest for the position until Lam's selection. LaBella was well-regarded by Republicans for his investigation of Clinton campaign finances.
Lam was a latecomer to the selection process, having been appointed to the Superior Court by Gov. Gray Davis in November 2000, just shortly before Vega resigned.
But once her name surfaced, the 43-year-old graduate of Stanford Law School became the favorite for the nomination, in the eyes of those following the selection process.
Before her appointment to Superior Court, Lam had served 14 years as an assistant U.S. attorney. She prosecuted Chicago mobsters and their San Diego counterparts in a money-laundering scheme, including Richard Silberman, a financier, political power and the husband of Supervisor Susan Golding.
Lam became chief of the major frauds and economic crimes section of the U.S. attorney's office in 1997. Among her noteworthy prosecutions was that of National Health Laboratories, Inc., which involved a fraud against the Medicare program. Her efforts brought civil and criminal fines of $111.4 million, at the time the largest health-care fraud recovery in the nation.
Lam, whose undergraduate work was at Yale University, was admitted to the State Bar in 1987. She is married and has four children.
The Senate confirmation vote is expected in September. If confirmed, Lam would be paid $130,000 per year, according to Debra K. Hartman, a spokeswoman for the San Diego office.
Claude Walbert
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