Sea of Greed

Doug McCullough is currently a N.C. Court of Appeals Judge. Prior to this, he spent 30-plus years in law, serving on both sides of the bench. During the 1980’s, McCullough was a federal prosecutor in Raleigh, N.C., back when drug smuggling off the N.C. coast was at its height. The book Sea of Greed, is the account of the drug seizures that eventually led to the takedown of Panama’s notorious dictator, Manuel Noriega.

EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND:

1970 – The University of South Carolina – JD, Columbia, South Carolina; Managing Editor, Law Review; Honor Council

1967 – The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill – AB History, Chapel Hill, North Carolina

1963 – Swansboro High School, Swansboro, North Carolina

PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND:

02/09/01 to Present: Associate Judge of the North Carolina Court of Appeals

11/96 to 02/09/01: Stubbs & Perdue,
PA Concentrated in the area of litigation, both civil and criminal,
in State and Federal Courts.

09/81 to 10/96: US Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of North Carolina

09/81 to 09/87: First Assistant, US Attorney

09/87 to 04/88: Acting US Attorney

04/88 to 12/93: Senior Litigation Counsel

12/93 to 02/94: Acting US Attorney

02/94 to 10/96: Senior Litigation Counsel

While serving in the US Attorney’s Office, supervised both Criminal and Civil Divisions. Personally tried in excess of 100 criminal jury trials. Prosecutions have included public corruption, narcotics, conspiracies, fraud, regulatory, health, safety and environmental violations.

12/77 to 09/81: Counsel, United States Senate

12/77 to 10/79: Counsel, Senate Ethics Committee

10/79 to 09/81: Legislative Counsel and Staff Director,
Senator Harrison Schmitt (R – New Mexico)

While counsel to Senate Ethics Committee, served as staff counsel on investigations of Senator Edward Brooke and Senator Herman Talmadge. As legislative counsel to Senator Schmitt, a former astronaut, coordinated a legislative policy staff of 5-20 people covering virtually every area of legislative interest.

02/74 to 12/77: Philadelphia Strike Force,
Organized Crime and Racketeering Section,
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

11/70 to 02/74: Active Duty, US Marine Corps & Adjunct Professor, UNC School of Law

PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS:

Bar of U.S. Supreme Court
North Carolina State Bar
Bar of the District of Columbia
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of North Carolina
Bar of the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals
North Carolina Bar Association
Wake County Bar Association
Member, N.C. Sentencing Commission (2003-date)
Eastern North Carolina Inns of Court
Military Officers of America
Marine Corps Intelligence Association
Marine Corps Reserve Association

PERSONAL INFORMATION:

Married to Lucci McCullough.
Two daughters, Sarah 30, and Lauren, 24.
Members of the Methodist Church.

HOBBIES:

Jogging, sailing and outdoor sports

MILITARY SERVICE:

11/70 to 10/98 – Colonel, US Marine Corps Reserves (Ret.)

Col. John D. (Doug) McCullough was commissioned in August, 1968 upon completion of Officer Candidates School. He was then released to pursue his law degree at the University of South Carolina, returning to active duty as a 1st Lt. on November, 1970 when he entered The Basic School.

Following graduation from The Basic School and Naval Justice School in Newport, RI where he was an honor graduate, Col. McCullough was assigned to MCRD, Parris Island. There he served as both trial and defense counsel, earning a Certificate of Commendation upon his re-transfer to Naval Justice School where he was an instructor in military law until his release from active duty on February, 1974.

Col. McCullough’s first reserve unit was Golf Battery, 3rd Bn., 14th Marines in Trenton, N.J. He transferred to the 12th Counterintelligence Team, Washington, D.C. in the spring of 1978, later assuming the command of the 10th Counterintelligence Team upon his promotion to Major. While with the Teams, he earned his 0202 MOS attending the Amphibious Intelligence course at LFTCLANT where he was an honor graduate.

After service with the 4th CAG, Col. McCullough assumed command of Supply Co. (-), 4th Supply Bn., in Raleigh, N.C. from September, 1982 to March, 1985 earning his second Certificate of Commendation from the CG, 4th FSSG while his unit won the Cates Award. He then joined the FMFLANT IMA Detachment as a newly promoted Lt. Col. where he held a series of billets in the intelligence section, culminating with that of G-2 during Operation Desert Storm. He was awarded the Navy Commendation Medal for this period of service and was promoted to Colonel on November 10, 1989.

Colonel McCullough next reported to HQMC Intelligence IMA Det. where he served as a Liaison Officer to the Naval Reserve Intelligence Command from April, 1002 until October 1st, 1995 when he transferred to NMITC as the OIC of the IMA Detachment. His decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal, Navy Commendation Medal, and Meritorious Unit Citation.