The Department of Justice has hired a ‘rock star’ to lead the Department’s Criminal Fraud section. Denis McInerney, a former partner at Davis Polk, has a long history of litigating white collar cases, including assisting in the Whitewater investigation and defending Arthur Andersen during the Enron meltdown. It had long been rumored that DOJ was seeking a ‘rock star’ to lead the section and that DOJ is looking to hire anywhere between 1 and 10 new attorneys in the section.

The focus on hiring a ‘rock star’ exposes the Obama administration’s dedication to prosecuting high-profile fraud cases and, in particular, large-scale financial fraud cases. We expect the administration to dedicate considerable resources to investigations and prosecutions prior to the next Presidential election.

More on McInerney’s appointment can be found at the Wall Street Journal law blog.