Sullivan Reacts to DOJ’s Decision to Deny Investigation of Bill Allen

WASHINGTON, DC – Senator Sullivan (R-AK) released the following statement today after the Department of Justice (DOJ) chose to deny Alaska Attorney General Craig Richard’s request to pursue charges against Bill Allen for alleged Mann Act violations:

“I find it incredibly frustrating that it took the threat of violating a new federal law for the Department of Justice to finally and directly answer a question that Alaskans have been asking for years. There was ample evidence in this case to allow the state to investigate and prosecute Bill Allen. But the Attorney General of the United States is saying that doing so would undermine the administration of justice – claiming that because the DOJ previously decided not to cross-designate the state, the DOJ was required to deny the state again. Such circular reasoning obscures what this case was about in the first place.

“The real victims here are those in Alaska and nationwide who have been exploited and sexually abused. In this case, justice continues to be denied. Victims of human trafficking need to know that their government is working for them. And perpetrators need to know that prosecutors won’t rest until they are brought to justice. I will continue to work for victims to fight the scourge of sexual assault and domestic violence in our state and our country and I’m confident that other states’ attorneys general will use this new law to do so.”

The letter from the Department of Justice to Alaska Attorney General Richards is available here. 

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