Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
The Justice Department announced today that Attorney General Todd Blanche has selected Stephen V. Falanga to serve as Director of the U.S. Trustee Program (USTP) effective November 2.
“Congress created the U.S. Trustees Program to provide the critical role in ensuring Americans are free from fraud and abuse in our Nation’s federal bankruptcy system,” said Associate Attorney General Stanley E. Woodward Jr. “Mr. Falanga’s leadership will ensure the program operates accordingly to its statutory commands and is aimed at rooting out bad actors who seek to exploit our Nation’s programs for their own gain.”
Falanga is currently a partner at Walsh Pizzi O’Reilly Falanga LLP, a New Jersey-based law firm, where he leads the banking and financial services and bankruptcy, reorganization, and creditors’ rights practice groups. He has more than 30 years of experience representing financial institutions, corporations, insurers, real estate developers, landlords, and individuals in financial services matters, including significant work in all aspects of insolvency law.
In addition to representing debtors and creditors in bankruptcy, Falanga has also served as a chapter 11 trustee managing the debtors’ affairs in several corporate reorganization cases. He has an extensive record of professional and community service, including roles on the Supreme Court of New Jersey’s Committee on the Unauthorized Practice of Law and the board of trustees of ARC of Essex County Inc., a nonprofit serving the needs of individuals with intellectual disabilities.
Falanga earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and political science from Saint Peter’s University, a law degree from Boston College, and a Master of Legal Letters degree from Fordham University.
The USTP’s mission is to promote the integrity and efficiency of the bankruptcy system for the benefit of all stakeholders — debtors, creditors and the public. The USTP consists of 21 regions with 82 field offices nationwide and an Executive Office in Washington, D.C. Learn more about the USTP at www.justice.gov/ust.