MACON, Ga. (WRBL) — U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary announces three Assistant U.S. Attorneys have been promoted to leadership positions within the Middle District of Georgia.

Bowen Reichert Shoemaker is the first female non-interim Civil Chief in office history. Will Keyes is now the Deputy Criminal Chief and Elizabeth “Beth” Howard is the new Senior Litigation Counsel (SLC) for the Criminal Division.

“It is crucial to assemble a team of top-tier and diverse attorneys to pursue vigorous justice on behalf of the citizens now and in the years to come,” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary.

Shoemaker joined the U.S. Attorney’s office in 2018. Since then, she has specialized in high-exposure tort claims and cases brought under the False Claims Act on behalf of the citizens. Civil Chief Shoemaker is highly involved in the Macon community. She was named a “40 Under 40” by the UGA Alumni Association in 2021.

Keyes joined the office in 2018. He has prosecuted a broad range of federal criminal cases, including drug trafficking organizations, violent crime and offenses related to terrorism. Before joining the office, he was on active duty in the U.S. Army prosecuting members of Al-Qaeda in military commissions in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Howard joined the office as a criminal prosecutor in 2014, and she has prosecuted a broad range of crimes, including complex white-collar fraud and public corruption, child exploitation, human trafficking, violent crime, and wiretap prosecutions. Born and raised in Florida, SLC Howard has resided in the Middle District of Georgia for 18 years.

The Middle District of Georgia encompasses 70 of Georgia’s 159 counties and includes Albany, Athens, Columbus, Macon and Valdosta with a population of approximately 2,045,000 people. The office is responsible for prosecuting federal crimes in the District.