The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania welcomes the newly appointed Chief Federal Law Enforcement Officer Bruce D. Brandler. The announcement of the Office’s adjustments was made on January 4, 2020, two days after Attorney Brandler was officially assigned to take over, following the resignation of former U.S. Attorney David J. Freed, which became effective midnight of January 1, 2021. The appointment of Bruce D. Brandler as the Acting United States Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania shall expire after 300 days. Until such time, a Presidential appointment is made and confirmed by the Senate, whichever shall occur first.
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Education
Bruce Brandler is a graduate of Stony Brook University, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science in 1978, graduating with honors. He was also inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society at the time. In 1981, U.S. Attorney Brandler received his Juris Doctorate from the Boston University School of Law.
Legal Career
Beginning his legal career as an Assistant District Attorney at the King’s County District Attorney’s Office in Brooklyn, New York, U.S. Attorney Brandler handled a wide variety of cases and was responsible for the investigation of alleged crimes in cooperation with law enforcement, as well as filing criminal charges and prosecuting crimes within the district. For about four years, from 1981 to 1985, United States Attorney Bruce D. Brandler served the King’s County District Attorney’s Office until he decided to join the New York State Senate Committee on Investigations, Taxation and Government Operations in 1985. He was first a Deputy Chief of the standing committee prior to becoming the Chief Investigative Counsel of the New York State Senate Committee on Investigations, Taxation and Government Operations. U.S. Attorney Bruce Brandler was a part of the committee for a year.
In 1986, U.S. Attorney Bruce Brandler joined the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania as an Assistant United States Attorney. After about six years, in 1992, he was promoted to Senior Litigation Counsel, where he was primarily responsible for responding to legal issues that involved conditions of confinement arising out of specialized housing units. Furthermore, his responsibilities included analyzing adverse decisions, drafting recommendations, developing expertise in the different sections of the law to provide support to attorneys in the Department of Justice efficiently, and providing training to attorneys and participating in moot courts.
During his 28th year of service in the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, Bruce D. Brandler was appointed as the Criminal Division’s Chief. He served in the position for two years, beginning in 2014 until October of 2016, when he was appointed to be the United States Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. On October 2, 2016, U.S. Attorney Brandler was officially named by the former Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch as the Top Federal Prosecutor in the Middle District of Pennsylvania on an interim basis, taking over former U.S. Attorney Peter J. Smith. His service in the position ended on November 26, 2017. U.S. Attorney Bruce Brandler then served as the First Assistant United States Attorney under the former U.S. Attorney David J. Freed for four years, from November 27, 2017, until January 1, 2021.
Some of U.S. Attorney Brandler’s Notable Cases
Now with approximately 35 years of service in the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, Bruce Brandler continues to perform his duties in the Office, currently as the Chief Federal Law Enforcement Officer. In his early years in the Office, U.S. Attorney Brandler managed an extensive scope of criminal cases and litigations with a particular focus on complex white-collar prosecutions, including investigating and prosecuting high-profile public corruption cases. Among some of the notable cases, U.S. Attorney Brandler has prosecuted involving public corruption on tax evasion against former Luzerne County Judge Arthur Dalessandro. In 2012, he also managed to successfully prosecute former Lackawanna County Commissioners Robert Cordaro and Anthony Munchak, following their 2011 convictions of multiple felony counts to corruption. Bruce D. Brandler has also handled the 1997 perjury case against former State Representative Frank Serafini, who was indicted after denying to a federal grand jury that he was, in fact, illegally reimbursed by the Empire Sanitary Landfill after laundering contributions through employees during a federal election. Another notable case that U.S. Attorney Bruce Brandler worked on was the case of the environmental crimes against Chemical Waste Management, Inc. that was brought upon the company due to their illegal dumping activities at a Superfund site in Lackawanna County. Apart from high-profile public corruption cases, there were notable fraud cases that U.S. Attorney Brandler previously worked on, including the accounting fraud case against Paul Polishan, the former Chief Financial Officer for the Leslie Fay Companies, Inc., the disadvantaged business enterprise fraud case against Joseph Nagle, the former President of Schuylkill Products, Inc., and the illegal campaign contribution and fraud case against Renato Mariani, the former President of Empire Sanitary Landfill, Inc.
Office Jurisdiction
As the Acting United States Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, Bruce Brandler, works closely with federal law enforcement agencies in order to effectively investigate and prosecute criminal cases involving the district. Moreover, the Office shall be in charge of federal crimes involving public corruption, firearms, financial fraud, and narcotics, among others. U.S. Attorney Brandler shall also manage civil cases involving the United States and recover debts owed to the United States. For the second time, Bruce D. Brandler will oversee the 33 counties of the Middle District Pennsylvania as its Chief Federal Law Enforcement Officer.
Contact Details
Full Name: Bruce D. Brandler
District/State: Middle District of Pennsylvania
Public email ID: bruce.brandler@usdoj.gov
Scranton Office
235 N. Washington Avenue
Scranton, PA
(570) 348-2800
Main
(570) 348-2037
Fax
(570) 341-2077
TTY
Harrisburg Office
228 Walnut Street
Harrisburg, PA
(717) 221-4482
Main
(866) 673-7340
Toll-Free
(717) 221-4493
Fax
(717) 221-4452
TTY
Williamsport Office
240 West Third Street
Williamsport, PA
(570) 326-1935
Main
(570) 326-7916
Fax
(570) 326-9843
TTY
Delivery Service
Scranton Office
William J. Nealon Federal Building and Courthouse
235 N. Washington Avenue, Suite 311
Scranton, PA 18503
Harrisburg Office
Harrisburg Federal Building and Courthouse
228 Walnut Street, Suite 220
P.O. Box 11754
Harrisburg, PA 17108-1754
Williamsport Office
Herman T. Schneebeli Federal Building
240 West Third Street
Williamsport, PA 17701-6465
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Updated: January 12, 2021