Mary Beth Buchanan

Mary Beth Buchanan (Kotcella) is the former United States Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania.

She is a 1984 graduate of California University of Pennsylvania, and a 1987 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.

Her second husband, Thomas C. Buchanan, is the grandson of the founder of the Buchanan Ingersoll law firm.

The firm, in which he is a partner, is now called Buchanan, Ingersoll & Rooney.

Buchanan worked temporarily as an associate at Strassburger McKenna Gutnick & Potter after her 1987 law school graduation.

Buchanan is an active member of the Federalist Society.

She has spoken at many of the organization's conferences on various topics and has published two articles in the society's news magazine.

Buchanan joined the U.S. Attorney's Office as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in 1988.

From 1988 to 1992, she represented the United States in the office's Civil Division.

From 1992 until her appointment as U.S. Attorney, she served in the Criminal Division.

She was nominated by George W. Bush on September 5, 2001, and confirmed by the United States Senate on September 14, 2001.

Buchanan was the first woman and youngest person to be appointed to the position.

Buchanan was the United States Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania from 2001 to 2009.

She was nominated by George W. Bush on September 5, 2001, and confirmed by the United States Senate on September 14, 2001.

From February 2002 to 2004, she served on the Advisory Committee to the United States Sentencing Commission, which was established to study the effectiveness of the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

Between April 2003 and May 2004, Buchanan served as chair of Attorney General John Ashcroft's Advisory Committee of United States Attorneys.

This committee counsels the Attorney General on law enforcement issues and plays an integral role in setting Justice Department policy.

From June 2004 until June 2005, Buchanan served as Director of the Executive Office for United States Attorneys.

This Washington, D.C.-based office provides administrative support to the 94 United States Attorneys' Offices nationwide.

Buchanan held this post at the start of the period that relates to the Dismissal of U.S. attorneys controversy.

Buchanan hired Monica Goodling to work in the executive office.

From November 2006 through December 2007, Buchanan served as the Acting Director of the Department of Justice's Office on Violence Against Women.

This office, based in Washington, DC, administers financial and technical assistance to communities nationwide that are creating programs, policies, and practices aimed at ending domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking, and provides leadership in developing the nation's capacity to reduce violence against women through implementation of the Violence Against Women Act.

Buchanan oversaw Operation Pipe Dreams, which was a $12 million law enforcement operation targeted at individuals conducting online sales of water pipes and other devices that could be considered drug paraphernalia.

The investigation resulted in 55 individuals being charged, most notably comedian and actor Tommy Chong, who was charged for his role in the financing and promoting of Chong Glass/Nice Dreams, a company started by his son, Paris Chong.

Chong's case never went through a federal trial; instead he came to a settlement with Buchanan's office in which he admitted to distributing 7,500 bongs and water pipes via the Internet through Nice Dreams, a family company named for one of his movies.

Of the 55 individuals charged through the investigation, Tommy Chong was the only individual without a prior criminal history who received jail time.

Chong's jail time, the tactics utilized by the DEA agents during the investigation, and the investigation's focus on Tommy rather than Paris Chong (the company's CEO), raised concern among critics of selective prosecution.

When asked why the government had focused on Tommy Chong instead of the company's CEO, Paris, Buchanan responded that "Tommy Chong was the more responsible corporate officer because he financed and marketed the product."

When questioned on the disparity between sentences/fines that the other 54 individuals received compared to Tommy Chong, Buchanan stated, "He [Tommy Chong] wasn't the biggest supplier. He was a relatively new player, but he had the ability to market products like no other."

Chong was released from federal prison after nine months.

Under Attorneys General John Ashcroft and Alberto Gonzales, Buchanan held two key Justice Department posts, splitting time between Washington, D.C., and Pittsburgh up until her resignation as Acting Director of the Department of Justice's Office on Violence Against Women in December 2007.

On December 3, 2008, Buchanan released a statement to the press that she did not intend to step down or offer her letter of resignation to President-elect Barack Obama despite the ordinary practice that sitting U.S. Attorneys offer a new administration their resignations.

As an appointed position, U.S. Attorneys serve at the pleasure of the President.

Buchanan was slated to speak on "Warrantless Wiretapping, Wireless Tracking, and Law Enforcement" at the Boston University Student Chapter of the Federalist Society on January 28, 2009.

On October 29, 2009, Buchanan's office released a statement that she would step down from her post as U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania on November 16, 2009.

Buchanan concurrently served in more than one position within the Department of Justice.

These appointments were as follows:

In May 2010, Buchanan was a candidate for the United States House of Representatives for Pennsylvania's 4th congressional district, but was defeated in the Republican primary.

Buchanan is a native of suburban Roscoe, Pennsylvania.