By Richard Danielson, Times Staff Writer
Thursday, September 30, 2010
The United States Senate Wednesday night confirmed veteran federal prosecutor Robert E. O'Neill as the new U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Florida.
O'Neill, 53, had been nominated by President Barack Obama in June from a list of three finalists and unanimously recommended by the Senate Judiciary Committee on Sept. 23. The Middle District stretches from Jacksonville to Tampa to south of Naples, covering 35 counties.
A native of the Bronx who was educated at Fordham University and New York Law School, O'Neill began as an assistant district attorney in Manhattan and has worked most of his career as a federal prosecutor. He has worked as an assistant U.S. attorney in Miami and deputy chief in charge of litigation for the U.S. Department of Justice's Narcotic and Dangerous Drugs Section. He joined the U.S. Attorney's Office in Tampa in 1993, was the interim U.S. attorney in 2007 and 2008 and was the chief of the district's criminal division until his confirmation.
O'Neill, who also is a co-owner of Tampa's Four Green Fields Irish pub, succeeds A. Brian Albritton. He will serve a four-year term.
Richard Danielson can be reached at Danielson@sptimes.com or (813) 226-3403.