Was there a split between John Brownlee's office and Main Justice over prosecution of Purdue?

This New York Times article suggests that there were some differences between the prosecutors in the Western District of Virginia and Justice Department official in Washington, D.C., over how far to go in prosecuting Purdue Pharma.

The article is interesting, particularly after reading, via the VLW blog, this detailed and disheartening account about how the criminal prosecution in the E.D. Va. aimed at individuals, including some lawyers, connected with the failure of the Reciprocal of America has petered out. Reciprocal of America was the parent of ANLIR, also in receivership in Tennessee, and which was formerly the legal malpractice carrier endorsed by the Virginia State Bar.