Former US Attorney Sullivan to join John Ashcroft's firm

(David L. Ryan/The Boston Globe/File 2008)

By Brian MacQuarrie, Globe Staff

Michael Sullivan, who resigned this week as US attorney in Boston, has been named to head a new Boston office in the legal and consulting firm of former US Attorney General John Ashcroft.

The office, to be called Ashcroft Sullivan LLC and based at 60 State St., will have a wide-ranging portfolio that could include work on national security, healthcare, financial services, and corporate compliance issues, Sullivan said yesterday.

"My focus will be on the legal side, but the Ashcroft Group has a fairly robust consulting component to it as well," Sullivan said.

Ashcroft, in a statement, praised Sullivan's breadth of experience and "reputation for integrity, intelligence, and an aggressive pursuit of justice."

Sullivan, 54, is one of four US attorneys, all Republican appointees, whom Ashcroft has named to lead new offices in Boston, St. Louis, Dallas, and Austin, Texas.

Appointed with a tough-on-crime reputation, Sullivan served as US attorney in Boston from 2001 until he resigned at midnight Sunday. In that position, he created a national security and antiterrorism section and also brought an intensity to the fight against healthcare fraud.

Sullivan received national recognition for his work in those areas but also faced criticism for a decline in prosecutions by his office. Sullivan, in response, countered that the number had dropped because of a focus on complex, white-collar cases and because of staff vacancies and an increase in appellate and civil work.

While US attorney, Sullivan also served as acting head of the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives from 2006 until January of this year. Before his appointment as US attorney by President George W. Bush, Sullivan served as Plymouth district attorney and as a Massachusetts state representative.

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