Marcos Daniel Jiménez is the new United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida. He gave his first interview to the Miami Business Review, published here.

The budget for the district is $45 million.

"There are about 225 Assistant U.S. Attorneys and 205 support personnel in a district that sprawls from Key West north to Sebastian and west to Sebring. Another 40 "special" AUSAs employed by a variety of federal agencies, including the SEC and the IRS, report to Jiménez."

"It is one of the three or four biggest federal prosecutor's offices in the nation, and the district is among the busiest. Last year, more federal trials were held in South Florida than anywhere else."

Jimenez discussed how he intends to direct his office's $45 million in annual resources.

"In his view, the unequivocal top priority in South Florida since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks is anti-terrorism enforcement....'Fifteen of the 19 hijackers lived here, you don't have to say much more than that,' Jiménez says."

One big increase expected is in the number of money laundering prosecutions. Miami already leads the country in the number of such cases, largely due to drug crimes, but now it will go after terror cases the same way. Jimenez plans to use the new provisions in the Patriot Act to step up the effort.

Jimenez says his office will also continue to be aggressive in prosecuting drug crimes, health care and medicare fraud, guns and violent crimes.

Sounds like defense lawyers will be in big demand in Florida, if anyone's looking for work. Just make sure you don't take your fees in cash, or you'll likely end up being a defendant too.