President Obama Names Seven to Serve as U.S. Marshals, 11/17/10

WASHINGTON- Today, President Obama nominated Charles Edward Andrews, Darrell James Bell, William Benedict Berger Sr., Russel Edwin Burger, Joseph Campbell Moore, Edwin Donovan Sloane, and Esteban Soto III to serve as U.S. Marshals.

“These dedicated public servants have shown an unwavering commitment to public service,” said President Obama.  “I am pleased to nominate them to serve and protect the American people as U.S. Marshals.”

Charles Edward Andrews:  Nominee for United States Marshal for the Southern District of Alabama
Charles Edward Andrews is the Chief of the Highway Patrol Division of the Alabama Department of Public Safety.  Andrews graduated from the University of Alabama in 1977 with a degree in Criminal Justice, and served as a Correctional Counselor for several years.  In 1980, he joined the Alabama Department of Public Safety, working his way up through the ranks, beginning as a Trooper, to the position of Major, a title that he still holds today.  During his tenure with the Alabama Department of Public Safety, Andrews served as its Director on an interim basis during 2002.

Darrell James Bell:  Nominee for United States Marshal for the District of Montana
Darrell James Bell currently serves as an Investigator with the Montana Department of Justice’s Gambling Investigation Bureau.  Bell has spent his entire professional career in Montana, beginning in 1974 with the Billings Police Department.  He rose through the ranks there eventually becoming a Deputy Chief of Police in 1999, a position he held until he was promoted to serve as the interim Chief of Police in 2005.  Bell is a graduate of Montana State University-Billings and the FBI National Academy.

William Benedict Berger Sr.:  Nominee for United States Marshal for the Middle District of Florida
William “Bill” Benedict Berger Sr. currently serves as the Chief of Police for City of Palm Bay, Florida. Chief Berger began his law enforcement career in 1974 with the City of Miami Police Department.  He worked his way through the ranks to become Police Captain before becoming Chief of the North Miami Beach Police Department until 2004.  Berger obtained undergraduate and graduate degrees from St. Thomas University in Miami, and earned a law degree from Nova Southeastern University’s Shepard Broad Law Center in 2003.

Russel Edwin Burger:  Nominee for United States Marshal for the District of Oregon
Russel Edwin Burger began his law enforcement career with the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Office in the late 1980s, and then joined the Oregon State Police in 1994.  In 2004, Burger was elected Sheriff of Lane County, Oregon, a position that he still holds.  He received his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Oregon State University.

Joseph Campbell Moore:  Nominee for United States Marshal for the District of Wyoming
Joseph Campbell Moore spent most of his professional career as a Special Agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).  He retired from the FBI’s Cheyenne, Wyoming office in 2000 after 32 years of service.  In 2003, he was appointed Director for the State of Wyoming’s Office of Homeland Security, a position that he still holds.  He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania.

Edwin Donovan Sloane:  Nominee for United States Marshal for the District of Columbia
Edwin Donovan Sloane was born and raised in Washington, D.C. and began his law enforcement career with the U.S. Capitol Police in 1986.  He then joined the U.S. Marshals Service in 1990, and has served in D.C. District Court, the Virgin Islands, and the Marshals Service’s headquarters division that is responsible for prisoner operations.  He currently serves as the Acting Marshal for the District of Columbia.  Sloane received his bachelor’s degree from American University.

Esteban Soto III:  Nominee for United States Marshal for the Superior Court for the District of Columbia
Esteban Soto III began his federal law enforcement service in 1979, and joined the Marshals Service in 1983 as a Deputy U.S. Marshal in the Southern District of Texas.  He rose through the ranks at the Marshals Service, including working in D.C. District Court as a Supervisory Criminal Investigator from 2002 to 2004.  After a stint with INTERPOL, Soto became U.S. Marshal for the District of Puerto Rico, a position that he held until 2009.  He currently teaches at South Texas College.  He obtained his bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Brownsville and a Masters of Public Administration from Strayer University.