The U.S. Department of Justice has appointed David Kelley, a former U.S. Attorney, as an independent monitor of Toyota’s vehicle safety efforts.

The appointment is part of the automaker’s settlement with the DOJ, following a federal investigation into the unintended-acceleration recalls. The deferred-prosecution agreement was announced in March, after federal investigators concluded the company had issued misleading statements over safety recalls.

Kelley is a partner at Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP, a law firm in New York. He acts as a senior advisor to public companies, boards of directors, audit committees, and officers and directors in investigations and prosecutions. The law firm announced Kelley's new appointment on its website. 

From 2003-2005, Kelley served as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. While in that role, he oversaw a number of high-profile investigations and prosecutions involving white-collar crime. His office won convictions against such famous defendants as former WorldCom CEO Bernie Ebbers for accounting fraud and Martha Stewart for insider trading.

As Toyota’s independent safety monitor, Kelley will review, assess and report on the company’s safety compliance and communications in the U.S. Kelley will file reports with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in New York.