Pennsylvania’s mostly recently confirmed U.S. Attorney plans to start his new job this week, The Times-Tribune of Scranton, Pa., reported.

Last week, the Senate confirmed Peter J. Smith as the new U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. Smith, who has been retired since April 2, 2009, previously was an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

The newspaper highlights the priority in the district of prosecuting white collar crime, which Smith has experience in. Read more about Smith’s background here.

Smith replaces Martin C. Carlson who resigned Aug. 10, 2009. The district’s current interim U.S. Attorney is Dennis C. Pfannenschmidt.

Peter J. Smith (King’s College, Georgetown University Law Center) is nominated to be U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. He would replace Martin C. Carlson, who resigned Aug. 10, 2009. The district’s current interim U.S. Attorney is Dennis C. Pfannenschmidt.

Smith’s vitals:

• Born in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., in 1940.
• Attended but did not earn degrees from the John F. Kennedy School of Government Program For State and Local Government Executives at Harvard University, Georgetown University and International Summer School at Oxford University.
• Has been retired since April 2, 2009.
• Was the deputy state treasurer for audits and investigation at the Pennsylvania Treasury Department in Harrisburg, Pa., from 2005 to 2009.
• Worked as the deputy auditor general for performance audits at the Pennsylvania Department of the Auditor General in Harrisburg from 2003 to 2005. Was the director of the Office of Special Investigations from 1997  to 2005.
• Was the assistant chief of the Environmental Crimes Section, Environment and Natural Resources Division, at Justice Department headquarters in Washington, D.C.,  from 1994 to 1997.
• Worked as an associate at Vaira and Associates PC in Philadelphia from 1992 to 1994.
• Was an associate at Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC in Philadelphia from 1991 to 1992.
• Was the Pennsylvania Inspector General in Harrisburg from 1987 to 1991.
• Worked in the U.S. Attorney’s office in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania from 1976 to 1987. Was First Assistant U.S. Attorney from 1986 to 1987, chief of the criminal division from 1985 to 1986 and an Assistant U.S. Attorney from 1976 to 1985.
• Was a Pennsylvania assistant attorney general in Philadelphia in 1976.
• Worked as a staff enforcement attorney for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Philadelphia from 1973  to 1976.
• Was an assistant district attorney in Philadelphia from 1971 to 1973.
• Worked as a part-time research assistant at Georgetown University Law School from 1969 to 1971.
• Was a management intern at the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare (Now Health & Human Services) in Washington, D.C., from July 1967 to August 1968.
• Worked as a part-time office clerk for AT&T Co. in Washington, D.C., from September 1966 to June 1967.
• Served in the Navy from 1962 to 1966. Was honorably discharged at the rank of Lieutenant junior grade.
• Has tried approximately 15 cases to verdict, judgment or final decision, serving as sole or chief counsel in most of the cases.

Click here for his full Senate Judiciary Committee questionnaire.

UPDATE: On his Senate Judiciary financial disclosure Smith reported assets valued at 1.8 million, mostly from his pensions, and $104,000 in liabilities, mostly from a mortgage on his personal residence, for a net worth of $1.7 million.

Dennis Pfannenschmidt (DOJ)

The federal district court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania on Monday made interim U.S. Attorney Dennis Pfannenschmidt’s position permanent, the Associated Press reports.

Attorney General Eric Holder appointed Pfannenschmidt as the interim chief in August after the resignation of Martin C. Carlson, a Bush administration appointee who’d run the office since May 2001. Carlson left to become a U.S. magistrate judge in Harrisburg, Pa.

Pfannenschmidt in August said he wasn’t looking for a permanent appointment to head the Harrisburg, Pa.,-based office. But interim appointments are effective for just 120 days.

President Obama has yet to nominate a U.S. Attorney for the district. Two people reportedly under consideration are Peter J. Smith, an ex-Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, and Gerard Karam, a former chief public defender for Lackawanna County, Pa.

A former federal prosecutor and an ex-public defender have emerged as possible candidates to be the next Middle District of Pennsylvania U.S. Attorney, The Times Leader in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., reported today.

Gerard Karam (Mazzoni & Karam)

Peter J. Smith, an ex-Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, and Gerard Karam, former chief public defender for Lackawanna County, Pa., are being considered for the post, “several legal sources” told the newspaper. A screening panel — created by Democratic Pennsylvania Sens. Bob Casey and Arlen Specter — started interviewing U.S. Attorney candidates for the Eastern, Middle and Western districts in July. Casey told The Times-Tribune in Scranton that he and Specter will make their recommendations to President Obama soon.

Smith appears to be the leading candidate for the post, according to The Times-Tribune. He has close ties to Casey, having worked for Casey when he was Pennsylvania’s treasurer and auditor general. Smith was also inspector general for Casey’s father, Bob Casey Sr., when he was Pennsylvania governor.

Karam is also a strong contender for the position, according to The Times Leader. He is a partner at Scranton law firm Mazzoni & Karam.

Dennis Pfannenschmidt (DOJ)

We previously reported that Middle District interim U.S. Attorney Dennis Pfannenschmidt was not looking for a permanent appointment. He replaced Martin C. Carlson, a Bush administration appointee who stepped down last month to become a U.S. magistrate judge in Harrisburg, Pa.

Dennis Pfannenschmidt

Dennis Pfannenschmidt, the interim U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, isn’t looking for a permanent appointment, he told The Cumberland Sentinel this week.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder appointed Pfannenschmidt earlier this month after the resignation of Martin C. Carlson, a Bush administration appointee who’d run the office since May 2001. Carlson left to become a U.S. magistrate judge in Harrisburg, Pa.

Pfannenschmidt was an Assistant U.S. Attorney from October 1988 to August. He also served as chief of the office’s civil division from 2002 through 2009. Before joining the office, Pfannenschmidt was a senior deputy attorney general for the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General in the criminal law division. He also worked as an assistant district attorney in Centre County, Pa. The Pittsburgh native attended Dickinson School of Law, the newspaper said.

There’s no word yet on who President Obama intends to nominate as head of the Scranton-based district.

Dennis Pfannenschmidt became the interim U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania after Martin C. Carlson resigned Saturday, according to a news release from the office today.

Carlson, a Bush holdover, began as interim U.S. Attorney for the office in May 2001. He is leaving to become a U.S. magistrate judge in Harrisburg, Pa., The Times Leader reported.

Carlson oversaw a corruption probe in Luzerne County that led to charges against two former county judges for taking millions of dollars in kickbacks to sentence youth offenders to a for-profit rehabilitation center. The probe also snared two high-ranking county court officials, a prominent attorney, three public school officials and a sewer authority employee.

Pfannenschmidt is a 20-year veteran of the office. He has held numerous leadership positions in the office, serving most recently as the civil division chief.

Pfannenschmidt will serve until the Senate confirms a replacement nominated by President Obama. A Pennsylvania nominating commission has reached an agreement on several U.S. Attorney candidates for Sens. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) and Bob Casey (D-Pa.) to recommend to the White House. But the panel hasn’t divulged names yet. Read our previous report here.

A Pennsylvania nominating commission has reached an agreement on several candidates to replace the state’s U.S. Attorneys but a panel co-chair refused to divulge any names, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported today.

Tom Kline (Kline & Specter)

Committee chair Tom Kline told the newspaper that his committee settled on  a number of “qualified candidates” to succeed Eastern District Interim U.S. Attorney Michael Levy, Middle District U.S. Attorney Martin C. Carlson and Western District U.S. Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan.

Kline, a lawyer with Philadelphia personal injury law firm Kline & Specter, co-chairs the 16-member panel with colleague Shanin Specter, the son of Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.). Last week, the committee interviewed more than 40 candidates for the different posts. Read our previous post here.

Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) and Arlen Specter will submit U.S. Attorney recommendations to the White House once they receive the panel’s finalists.