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Combating Organized Crime

January 15, 2001

Vilnius, January 15-- The opening of a three-day "Seminar on Combating Organized Crime" will be launched on January 16 at the American Center.  The United States Department of Justice, Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Assistance, Development and Training is sponsoring the

conference.  Lithuanian prosecutors and investigators of organized crime as well as parliamentarians will have the opportunity listen to presentations by U.S. Department of Justice specialists and to participate in discussions focussing on the need for and methods of international and regional cooperation in fighting against organized crime. 

Mark McKeon, U.S. Department of Justice Resident Legal Advisor for the Baltic States, will introduce the topics to be covered during the three-day event.  Mr. McKeon will be joined by two organized crime experts from the United States -- Mark Vogel, Deputy Chief of the Organized Crime unit at the United States Attorney's Office in Chicago, Illinois, and Rick Hill, a Special Agent with the FBI's Organized Crime Section in Washington, D.C.  The U.S. Department of Justice also conducted the same seminar in Riga on Jan.10-13 where the content generated great interest in the audience. Sessions will include an overview of: the organized crime problem, organized crime investigation, the prosecution of criminal groups, taking the profit out of crime, techniques for investigating organized crime groups and ending with international issues.

This conference is part of a cooperative effort between the U.S. Department of Justice and the Baltic States in taking measures to fight international organized crime.