Marc Larkins speaks after Gov. Chris Christie announces his nomination. (gov)

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has named Marc Larkins to be the executive director of the New Jersey School Development Authority Board, according to a news release.

Larkins is an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey who has held a number of positions in the office since he joined in 2003. He has served as Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney, Acting First Assistant U.S. Attorney, Acting Executive U.S. Attorney and council. In addition, he has been the chief of the government fraud unit.

Before joining the U.S. Attorney’s office, Larkins was a trial attorney in the Justice Department’s Civil Division from 1999 to March 2003. Simultaneously, from February 2000 to March 2002, Larkins was Special Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia.

Christie, who was U.S. Attorney for New Jersey from 2002-2008, had already named eight of his former colleagues from the U.S. Attorney’s office to serve in his administration. They are:

• Robert Hanna to be the director of the Division of Law in the Attorney General’s office.
• Stephen Taylor to be the director of Criminal Justice in the AG’s office.
• Deborah Gramiccioni to be director of the Authorities Unit in the AG’s office.
• Jeffrey S. Chiesa to be Christie’s chief counsel.
• Kevin M. O’Dowd to be deputy chief counsel.
• Charles McKenna to be head of the state’s Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness.
• Michele Brown to be appointments counsel.
• Lee Solomon to be the president of the board of public utilities.

New Jersey Gov.-elect Chris Christie (R) today announced that he will name he will name several more staffers from his U.S. Attorney’s office to his cabinet, NewJerseyNewsroom.com reports.

Robert Hanna (Gibbons P.C.)

Christie has tapped Robert Hanna to be the director of the Division of Law in the Attorney General’s office. Hanna, the director of the Newark, N.J. law-firm, Gibbons PC, previously was an Assistant U.S. Attorney for 16 years.

Stephen Taylor (Taylor, Colicchio & Silverman, LLP)

In addition, Stephen Taylor will be the director of Criminal Justice in the AG’s office. Taylor, who has worked in the Essex County prosecutor’s office, also has worked in the U.S. Attorney’s office in Newark, N.J. He has served as chief of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force and as chief of the Terrorism Unit.

Deborah Gramiccioni (gov)

The governor-elect also has selected Deborah Gramiccioni to be director of the Authorities Unit in the AG’s office.  Gramiccioni, who is the outgoing state Criminal Justice director, previously was the assistant chief of the fraud section in the criminal division and chief of the Commercial Crimes United in the U.S. Attorney’s office in Newark, N.J.

Christie has already tapped three of his former subordinates from the U.S. Attorney’s office for his administration – Jeffrey S. Chiesa, who will be Christie’s chief counsel; Kevin M. O’Dowd, who will be deputy chief counsel; and Charles McKenna, who will head the state’s Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness.

Chris Christie (Gov)

New Jersey Gov.-elect Chris Christie (R) this afternoon plans to announce that he will name another former colleague from his U.S. Attorney’s office to his cabinet, The Star-Ledger of New Jersey reports. Christie has already tapped two of his former subordinates from the U.S. Attorney’s office for his administration – Jeffrey S. Chiesa, who will be Christie’s chief counsel, and Kevin M. O’Dowd, who will be deputy chief counsel.

Christie has selected Senior Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles McKenna to head the state’s Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness, The Star-Ledger reports. The position does not require state Senate confirmation. McKenna currently is the chief of the criminal division in the New Jersey’s U.S. Attorney’s office and served as Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney for much of Christie’s tenure as U.S. Attorney from 2002 to 2008.

Christie will be sworn in as governor on Jan. 19.

Gov.-elect Chris Christie (R)

If New Jersey Gov.-elect Chris Christie (R) in fact had been considering appointing his controversial ally from the U.S. Attorney’s office in New Jersey, Ralph Marra, to be state attorney general, as previous reports indicated, he’s decided against it.

Christie will name Essex County, N.J., prosecutor Paula Dow (D) to the post today, The Associated Press reports. The New Jersey attorney general is an appointed position, not elected, but requires confirmation by the state Senate, which is controlled by Democrats.

Ralph Marra (Getty Images)

Marra recently returned to his First Assistant U.S. Attorney position after serving as acting U.S. Attorney, a post he assumed in December when Christie resigned to run for governor. Yesterday, Obama administration appointee Paul Fishman was sworn in as the state’s new U.S. Attorney.

During the campaign, Marra’s office was criticized by Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine’s campaign for foot-dragging on Freedom of Information Act requests about Christie’s tenure. In addition, the Justice Department launched an ethics probe of Marra for remarks he made at a news conference about a major public corruption sweep Chrthat Democrats said were intended to boost Christie politically.

Paula Dow (gov)

Dow previously worked with Christie in the U.S. Attorney’s office, serving as counsel to the U.S. Attorney and working in the special prosecutions division and the criminal division. She was in the office from 1994 to 2003. Before joining the New Jersey U.S. Attorney’s office, Dow worked in the Southern District of New York’s office from 1987 to 1994 and for Exxon for seven years.

Christie has already tapped two of his former subordinates from the U.S. Attorney’s office for his administration - Jeffrey S. Chiesa, who will be Christie’s chief counsel, and Kevin M. O’Dowd, who will be deputy chief counsel.

PolitickerNJ reports the former New Jersey U.S. Attorney will also appoint three other prosecutors to top posts. They are:

- Phillip Kwon, a deputy chief of the criminal division in the U.S. Attorney’s Office, as first assistant attorney general

- Marc Ferzan, a deputy chief of the criminal division in the U.S. Attorney’s office, as executive assistant attorney general

- Carolyn Murray, first assistant prosecutor in Essex County, N.J., as counsel to the attorney general.

UPDATE:  Christie during a noontime press conference made the nominations official, The Star-Ledger of New Jersey reports. In addition, the newspaper reports that Lt. Gov.-elect Kim Guadagno will also serve as secretary of state in the Christie administration. The lieutenant governor, which is a new position in New Jersey, may serve in duel roles in the administration except for attorney general. Guadagno was the deputy chief of the corruption unit for the U.S. Attorney’s Office from 1990 to 1998.

Chris Christie (Gov)

New Jersey Gov.-elect Chris Christie (R) has tapped two of his former subordinates from the U.S. Attorney’s office for his administration, a New Jersey newspaper reports. Christie on Thursday announced four senior staff members including Jeffrey S. Chiesa, who will be Christie’s chief counsel, and Kevin M. O’Dowd, who will be deputy chief counsel.

Jeffrey S. Chiesa (Wolff & Samson)

Chiesa worked in the New Jersey U.S. Attorney’s office from 2002 until earlier this year, when he left to join Wolff & Samson in New York. While in the office, headed by Christie, Chiesa served in multiple roles including the Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney and chief of the public protection unit. O’Dowd is currently working as a prosecutor in the office, according to The Courier-Post newspaper of South New Jersey.

Ralph Marra (Getty Images)

Also, although Christie has not made an official announcement, another former U.S. Attorney’s Office colleague, Ralph Marra, reportedly is his pick for attorney general. The New Jersey attorney general is an appointed position, not elected. Christie’s controversial ally Marra recently returned to his First Assistant U.S. Attorney position after serving as acting U.S. Attorney, a post he assumed in December 2008 when Christie resigned to run for governor.

Also due to join the Christie administration when he is sworn in next January will be former state Assemblyman Richard H. Bagger as chief of staff and Christie campaign manager Bill Stepien as deputy chief of staff, the newspaper reports.