Pubdate: Thu, 24 Dec 1998 Source: Houston Chronicle (TX) Contact: http://www.chron.com/ Forum: http://www.chron.com/content/hcitalk/index.html Copyright: 1998 Houston Chronicle Author: ED ASHER CRIMINAL CASES CLIMBING IN S. TEXAS FEDERAL COURTS The number of criminal cases filed in federal courts in South Texas dramatically increased in 1998, according to figures released this week by the U.S. Attorney's Office. Federal indictments rose from 1,692 in fiscal 1997 to 2,945 this year, a 74 percent increase. The numbers do not mean crime is running rampant in South Texas, federal prosecutors said. "We're not necessarily seeing an increase in crime, we're seeing an increase in prosecutions," said Greg Serres, first assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Texas, which ranges from Houston to Brownsville to Laredo. The largest increase was in immigration cases, which jumped 93 percent, from 565 last year to 1,093 in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30. The increase, Serres said, reflects a commitment by Attorney General Janet Reno to focus on the border. "There was a tremendous increase in (federal) agency resources along the southwest border. And within our own office we've seen more of a focus on border initiatives," Serres said. Although the number of federal prosecutors in South Texas remained the same -- about 135 -- several were reassigned from Houston to courts in Brownsville, McAllen, Laredo and Corpus Christi. "We just have a tremendous flow of alien immigration and drug cases in those areas that required us to do that," Serres explained. The number of South Texas prosecutors assigned to federal courts outside of Houston, including the border, increased from 29 to 45, he said. Also, for the first time, U.S. Attorney James DeAtley appointed two prosecutors in Houston to handle immigration cases full time. "With our increased focus on the border area and the cooperation of the (U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service), we've seen a huge jump in the number of cases brought and prosecutions made," Serres said. "That has allowed us to prosecute illegal aliens who have violent criminal histories and take them off the street. We don't do numbers just for numbers' sake." The second largest increase was in drug cases, which grew from 721 to 1,233, or 71 percent. Serres pointed to several reasons, one being that beginning in October 1997, state prosecutors in Webb and Zapata counties along the border stopped accepting cases involving drugs seized at federal bridges and checkpoints. State prosecutors said they did not receive enough federal assistance to handle the cases. As a result, federal courts prosecuted 370 drug cases this year that otherwise would have been tried in state courts. Another reason is that DeAtley lowered the "threshold" for prosecution in some cases. For example, the U.S. Attorney's Office used to accept cases involving five kilograms of cocaine or more. Smaller cases went to state courts. Beginning this year, DeAtley has accepted cases involving half a kilogram or more. "We're being more receptive to (police) agencies. We want to let those agencies know we're open for business," Serres said. Violent crime cases, including bank robberies, rose 62.5 percent, from 80 cases to 130. Most violent crimes are prosecuted in state courts. White-collar crime indictments increased 63 percent, from 71 to 116. Serres said prosecutors are being more productive in those cases. "Is there some kind of giant increase in white-collar crime? No," he said. Serres said the statistics also do not mean that prosecutors are going after insignificant cases just to boost numbers. As proof, he points to the statistic that shows in 1998, 89.7 percent of defendants in South Texas federal courts were sentenced to prison, the highest percentage in the last seven years. - --- Checked-by: Rich O'Grady