Memphis, TN – Edward L. Stanton III, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of
Tennessee, has announced his resignation, effective February 28, 2017. U.S. Attorney
Stanton has served in office since August 2010.
“Nearly six and a half years ago I was provided the professional honor of a lifetime,” U.S.
“Nearly six and a half years ago I was provided the professional honor of a lifetime,” U.S.
Attorney Stanton said. “To be able to serve the district where I was born, raised and
educated, and for which I have tremendous love and respect, was a remarkable
experience. I am tremendously grateful to President Obama, Senators Lamar Alexander
and Bob Corker and Congressman Steve Cohen for placing their trust in me. I am
confident the extraordinary professionals of the U.S. Attorney’s Office will remain
tirelessly devoted to the unwavering cause of justice on behalf of the citizens of West
Tennessee and our great nation. I am proud of the work we have accomplished in and out
of the courtroom, including building meaningful bonds of trust with the community we
serve. As I step away from this esteemed post, I remain committed to being actively
engaged in serving our great community.”
One of Mr. Stanton’s highlights during his tenure as U.S. Attorney was the creation of a
dedicated Civil Rights Unit in 2011. The Unit, which has earned national acclaim, is
responsible for prosecuting individuals who commit federal civil rights crimes, such as
human trafficking, law enforcement corruption, excessive force, official misconduct, hate
crimes, predatory lending, unfair housing, and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
violations.
Mr. Stanton has served on the Gulf Coast High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA)
Board. The program was recently awarded the U.S. Attorney’s Office funding to
implement a federal initiative that exclusively targets crimes involving heroin and
prescription opioids. He is also a founding member of the Multi-Agency Gang Unit,
which is comprised of federal, state and local law enforcement officials, with a common
goal of combating criminal gang activity.
Prosecutorial highlights during Mr. Stanton’s tenure include:
• Chastain Montgomery, Sr., was sentenced to consecutive life sentences in federal
prison for the murders of United States Postal Service employees Paula Robinson
and Judy Spray during a robbery of the establishment. Mr. Stanton served as cocounsel
on the trial team.
• Ricky Lee Stewart, III was sentenced to life in federal prison for fatally shooting
Henderson Police Department Captain Dennis Cagle during an attempted robbery
of a Henderson, Tennessee Save-A-Lot. Stewart’s wife, Cheryl Freeman Stewart,
was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for her role in the attempted robbery.
• Orlando Garcia was sentenced to life in federal prison for his role in the murder of
Tennessee State Trooper Calvin Wayne Jenks, who was fatally shot while
conducting a traffic stop in Tipton County.
• Dale Mardis was sentenced to life in federal prison for the racially-motivated
killing of a Shelby County Code Enforcement Officer. Mr. Stanton served as cocounsel
on the trial team.
• Craig Petties, a leader of one of the largest drug trafficking organizations in the
Mid-South, was sentenced to nine life sentences in federal prison. More than 40
additional people were also prosecuted for their roles within this violent and
lucrative criminal enterprise.
• Clarence Mumford, Sr., the ringleader of a two-decade-long teacher certification
testing scam, was sentenced to 60 months in federal prison. Thirteen other
participants in the scheme were also prosecuted, and an additional 40 reached
diversion agreements that resulted in the loss of their teaching licenses.
• Justin Shawn Baker was sentenced to federal prison for violating the civil rights of
students and faculty of the Margolin Hebrew Academy. Baker defaced a Torah and
religious prayer books, which the students and faculty used for a worship service
conducted at the Doubletree Hotel in Jackson.
• Terrence Yarbrough, aka “T-Rex,” was sentenced to more than 40 years in federal
prison for sex trafficking at least 10 female victims, some underage teens. To coerce
the victims into prostituting for him, he beat them with belts, wooden coat hangers,
crowbars, padlocks attached to belts, and dog chains.
• Amos Patton, a former soldier, was sentenced to 50 years in federal prison for
assault with intent to murder four soldiers at the Millington Army National Guard
Recruiting Center.
• Terrence Milam was sentenced to 170 years in federal prison for producing child
pornography and engaging in sexually explicit conduct with two prepubescent
female minors between October 2013 and late January 2015.
• Christopher T. Crawford and Jordan West were sentenced to federal imprisonment
for their roles in a lucrative shipping theft scheme that defrauded FedEx and
wireless carriers of more than $1.8 million.
• Remark Chism was sentenced to federal prison for masterminding a federal benefit
fraud scheme that cost the government approximately $2.8 million. His brother,
Ray Chism III, was sentenced in a separate case for executing a federal benefit
fraud scheme that defrauded the government of $400,000.
Between 2010 and 2016, the U.S. Attorney’s Office collected more than $50 million in
civil and criminal actions.
Mr. Stanton, a native Memphian, is a graduate of Central High School, the University of
Memphis and the University of Memphis Law School. Prior to serving as U.S. Attorney,
Mr. Stanton served as Senior Counsel with Federal Express Corporation. He also served
as an Assistant City Attorney for the City of Memphis and in private practice with two
Memphis law firms.
