WASHINGTON — Federal prosecutors have spent far less time pursuing terrorism suspects over the past five years than the American people paid for, a new Justice Department audit concludes.
The study released Monday says the government has increased prosecutors’ time and other resources devoted to combating health-care fraud and drug trafficking.
The audit was issued by Justice Department Inspector General Glenn A. Fine.
It comes amid concerns that the FBI is too strapped by counterterrorism cases to fully investigate financial firms that may have contributed to the nation’s economic crisis.
The Justice Department official who oversees the 94 U.S. attorney’s offices nationwide says part of the reason they spent less time on counterterror cases is because investigators referred fewer national- security cases for prosecution.
Between 2003 and 2005, the audit shows, Congress provided money for 250 prosecutors to focus on counterterrorism. During 2006 and 2007, the number of jobs went up to 293. The report says the U.S. attorney’s offices devoted up to 204 prosecutors to terrorism issues annually over five years.
Dozens more counterterror prosecutors work at Justice Department headquarters in Washington and were not counted in the audit.
Responding to the audit, Ken Melson, who oversees the U.S. attorneys, said some prosecutors may have inaccurately recorded the time they spent on terrorism cases. Efforts are underway, he said, to make sure the offices are focusing on terrorism cases and accurately reporting time spent on them.
