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Husband, Wife to Retire After Combined 81 Years at DOJ

By Andrew Ramonas

A husband-and-wife prosecution team involved with several high-profile cases will leave the Justice Department after serving decades in the San Antonio-based U.S. Attorney’s office, The Associated Press reported.

Ray Jahn speaks to reporters about the Whitewater trial in this 1996 photo. (Newscom)

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ray and LeRoy Jahn, who have worked a combined 81 years in the Western District of Texas U.S. Attorney’s office, handled the Whitewater investigation into allegations of an illegal land deal involving former President Bill Clinton and the successful prosecution of actor Woody Harrelson’s father, Charles Harrelson, who killed U.S. District Judge John H. Wood. They also successfully prosecuted several Branch Davidians, who were involved in the 1993 standoff with federal authorities in Waco, Texas.

The couple told the AP that the Branch Davidian case was their hardest prosecution “without a doubt.”

Ray and LeRoy, both 67, spent most of their time together, and are often referred to as “The Jahn,” according to the newswire.

“They’re a legend,” said Alan Brown, a veteran San Antonio criminal defense lawyer.

The Jahns rarely agreed to interviews during their careers, taking the advice of former U.S. Attorney William Sessions.

“The most important lesson we learned from Bill Sessions on how to deal with the press was, One, never screw up on a slow news day, and two, you can’t misquote no comment,’ ” Ray Jahn said.

The couple, who are grandparents, shared little about their future plans with the media.

“[We want] to do what we want to do if we want to do it, when we want to do it and how we want do it,” LeRoy told The AP.

Full post as published by Main Justice on September 02, 2010 (boomark / email).