Following the resignation from his post, Bobby Christine, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia, offered reflections on his tenure as the top attorney for the southern region of the state.
“It has been my distinct honor and privilege to serve the people of the 43 counties of the Southern District as their chief federal prosecutor and law enforcement officer,” said Christine. “I am proud to have worked alongside an unparalleled team of lawyers and staff in assisting our law enforcement partners to make our communities safer.”
Christine was appointed by President Trump and served from November 22, 2017 to February 9, 2021.
As U.S. Attorney, Christine:
- implemented the Prosecutor to Prosecutor Program, or P3, a partnership between the U.S. Attorney’s Office, state and local law enforcement, and the 11 state District Attorneys’ offices that intersect the Southern District.
- generated a dramatic increase in prosecutions – including the pursuit of felony illegal firearms charges against an additional 650 defendants in three years.
- witnessed the office consistently being among the most productive in the nation per lawyer in prosecution of violent crime.
- saw success of the office’s Affirmative Civil Enforcement (ACE) Division in pursuing civil proceedings against criminal defendants in recovering nearly $160 million in taxpayers’ money lost to fraud or other misconduct.
- brought the office’s Criminal Health Care Fraud Unit to third-ranking status among the nation’s 94 U.S. Attorney’s Offices as it prosecuted a ring of more than 30 defendants responsible for more than $1.5 billion in fraudulent health care claims.
- created the Asset Recovery Unit, resulting in the recovery of additional tens of millions of dollars for victims and the United States.
A graduate of Georgia Military College (Milledgeville), the University of Georgia, Samford University’s Cumberland School of Law, and the U.S. Army War College, Christine worked for a decade in the District Attorney’s Office in Augusta, where he became the first Chief of the Columbia County Division. He is one of only a few prosecutors in modern Georgia to win a conviction for murder in a case where the body of the victim has never been located.
Appointed Judge of Columbia County Magistrate Court in 2005, he held that post continuously until his appointment as U.S. Attorney, serving as Chief Magistrate from 2009-2012. From 2005 to 2017, Bobby also maintained a private practice concentrating in domestic, probate, personal injury, and criminal litigation.
Bobby has been an Army reservist since the age of 17, both as a Combat Engineer and a Judge Advocate. It is in uniformed military service where Christine first received education in cyber legal issues. A Brigadier General in the Army National Guard with duty at the Pentagon, he currently serves as the National Guard Advisor to the Judge Advocate General and Assistant to the General Counsel of the National Guard Bureau. He is a veteran of the war in Iraq.
He and his wife Sheri, an elementary school teacher for Columbia County where they make their home, have two daughters and one son. He plans to return to private practice in Augusta.
Leaders in the law enforcement community offered accolades regarding Christine’s service.
“I want to thank U.S. Attorney Bobby Christine on behalf of FBI Atlanta and our resident agencies in the Southern District of Georgia for his dedication and partnership in our efforts to protect and serve the citizens of his district,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “His commitment and accomplishments are something Georgians and all Americans can be proud of. It has been an honor and privilege to work with him and we wish him well in his future endeavors.”
“I have known Bobby Christine for more than 20 years in his capacity as prosecutor/judge and consider him a great friend,” said Richmond County Sheriff Richard Roundtree. “U.S. Attorney Christine has been a consummate professional in every position that he has ever held, and I look forward to what the future has in store for him. We all know that he will continue to be a great advocate for law enforcement and the justice system. Again, I want to thank U.S. Attorney Christine for his many contributions.”
