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News Release [printer friendly page] Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales Honors Employees and Others at The Department of Justice’s Annual Awards Ceremony Individuals Involved in Enron Trial Receive Top Awards SEP 12 -- WASHINGTON - More than 230 Justice Department employees – along with 42 other individuals, many of whom are federal employees and law enforcement officers – were honored today at the Department’s 54th Annual Awards Ceremony at Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. The Attorney General’s Annual Awards Ceremony provides an opportunity to recognize the extraordinary accomplishments of a number of U.S. Department of Justice employees as well as individuals from outside the Department. Deputy Attorney General Paul J. McNulty presented the Department’s highest award, the Attorney General’s Award for Exceptional Service, to the outstanding members of the investigative and trial team of the Enron Task Force, who were recognized for their exceptional service to the American public and the Department in the investigation and successful prosecution of the individuals who were most responsible for the Enron fraud. This hard-fought battle was won through the dedication of the team members, who devoted years of their professional lives to this effort and, in doing so, made significant personal sacrifices by living away from home for long periods of time and working under stressful conditions. The team’s unparalleled dedication and teamwork over a period of years has made a significant contribution to restoring confidence in the nation’s securities markets. “Today’s award recipients make me proud to be their colleague,” said Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales. “Their dedication and achievements remind me why it is an honor to serve at the Department of Justice.” The recipients of the Attorney General’s Award for Exceptional Service from this team include: From the Northern District of Illinois, Sean M. Berkowitz, Assistant U.S. Attorney; from the District of Columbia, Kathryn H. Ruemmler and Lisa O. Monaco, Assistant U.S. Attorneys; from the Central District of California, John C. Hueston, Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney, Robb C. Adkins and Andrew D. Stolper, Assistant U.S. Attorneys; from Northern District of California, J. Douglas Wilson, Assistant U.S. Attorney and Leslie R. Caldwell, Former Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney; from Northern District of Texas, Clifford B. Stricklin Special Assistant U.S. Attorney; from Eastern District of New York, Benton J. Campbell and Linda A. Lacewell, Assistant U.S. Attorneys, and Andrew Weissmann, former Assistant U.S. Attorney; from District of Massachusetts, David H. Hennessy, Assistant U.S. Attorney and Samuel W. Buell, Former Assistant U.S. Attorney. Also part of the team were members of the Criminal Division: John A. Drennan, Trial Attorney, Appellate Section; Leo J. Wise, Trial Attorney; Linda B. Walls, Lead Paralegal Specialist, Fraud Section; Matthew W. Friedrich, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General and Chief of Staff, Office of the Assistant Attornet General. The temaining team members are part of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Those being honored include Michael E. Anderson, Supervisory Special Agent; Raju S. Bhatia, David Michael Hays, Kendall L. Hopper, Jeffrey D. Jenson, Jill Odom, and Chad J. Nunez, Special Agents; Loren P. Feast, Susan K. Ridley, and Tonja K. Rose, Financial Analysts; Pamela Joan Jerding, Paralegal Specialist, Houston Division; David F. Reign, Supervisory Special Agent; Paul E. Holdeman, Paula L. Schanzle, Marc R. Diehl, Brian L. Crews, Jeffrey C. Dutton, and Gregory H. Bristol, Special Agents, Washington Field Office; and Anne Hopkins, Supervisory Special Agent, Security Division. The Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service is the Department’s second highest award for employee performance. The recipients of this award exemplify the highest commitment to the Department’s mission. Twelve Distinguished Service Awards were presented this year. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, many Department employees responded to assist those most impacted. The first award was presented to employees whom prioritized the needs of others and service to the public above their personal needs. Members of the team includes, from the Drug Enforcement Administration, Kevin C. Harrison, Assistant Special Agent in Charge; Joseph Ruggerio, Retired Group Supervisor, New Orleans Field Division; Jack H. Schumacher, Group Supervisor, Hoston Field Division; Benjamin F. Hafer, Special Agent Pilot, Aviation Division, South Central Aviation Office; Daniel R. Salter, Assistant Special Agent in Charge, Dallas Field Division. From the U.S. Marshals Service, Roxanna L. Irwin, Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal, Eastern District of Louisianna. From the Federal Burau of Investigatuion, Michael J. Wolf, Special Agent in Charge and Todd B. Cox, Supervisory Special Agent, New Orleans Field Office. From Office of Legal Counsel, Rosemary A. Hart, Special Counsel. From the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Exploseives, Elizabeth D. Chatelain, Division Council, New Orleans Field Division of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; from the Eastern District of Louisianna, U.S. Attorney James B. Letten; and from the Middle District of Louisianna, U.S. Attorney David R. Dugas. Among the above recipients for distinguished service, a team of Drug Enforcement Administration special agents assembled and assisted with security patrols, ultimately rescuing hundreds of civilians, including 90 abandoned elderly residents at a flooded nursing home. Another honoree, Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal Roxanna L. Irwin, directed her district’s recovery while ensuring that not one of the district’s more than 400 prisoners was lost and by providing full protection for the district’s Federal judges. The Attorney General’s Medallion was presented to James B. Letter and David R. Douglass, both U.S. Attorneys of Louisiana, for their leadership in support of response and recovery efforts in the aftermath of the storm. The second Award for Distinguished Service was presented to Brain R. Beckwith, Training Academy Chief with the U.S. Marshall’s Service. Notable acts of service include assistance in the investigations of the first World Trade Center bombing, and leadership of a deployment in the aftermath of the September 11th terrorist attacks to secure La Guardia and Kennedy airports. After Hurricane Katrina led a team to the Gulf Coast and relieved beleaguered police forces, identified and located registered sex offenders, and rounded-up fugitives responsible for the spike in crimes after the storm. The third Distinguished Service Award was presented to the members of the Southeast Bomb Task Force, who pursued domestic terrorist Eric Rudolph for nine years after he attempted to disrupt the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia, by detonating one of the largest pipe bombs ever in the United States. Recipients of the award included: from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, John D. Behnke, John R. Cronier, James W. Cross, Jr., Danial P. Sindall, and Darin C. Werking, Special Agents; Velda L. North, Support Services Technician; Linda R. Urheim, Intelligence Analyst, Atlanta Division; Alexander Borzym II, Special Agent, Detroit Field Office; H. Joseph Ronisisvalle, Special Agent, Birmingham Field Office; Todd P. Letcher, and Tracey A. North; Special Assistants to the Deputy Director, Office of the Deputy Director and Thomas J. Mohnal, Supervisory Special Agent, Laboratory Division. Also awarded, from the Federal Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Joseph R. Kennedy, Supervisory Special Agent, Chattanooga Field Office. Distinguished Service Awards were presented to John J. Connors, senior Attorney, Office of Intelligence Policy and Review, for his exceptional dedication and efforts involving the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance court; Nora R. Dannehy, Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of Connecticut, for her prosecution of significant public corruption matters, including Governor John Rowland and Connecticut Treasurer Paul Silvester; and Blane K. Dessy, Director, Library Staff, Justice Management Division for advancing the Department’s library system. Additional Awards for Distinguished Service went to Assistant U.S. Trustees: John P. Fitzgerald, Region 1; Henry G. Hobbs, Jr., Region 7; Mark A. Neal, Region 5; Cynthia A. Burnette, Region 21; and Patricia D. Fahey, Region 12. All five successfully and swiftly implemented, on a national basis, the new credit counseling and financial education requirements contained in the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005. Other Distinguished Service Awards were received by employees that spearheaded the Department’s efforts in the appellate courts and Supreme Court in successfully defending the constitutionality of the Solomon Amendment, Rumsfeld v. FAIR. Award ecipients from the Solicitor General Office include Edwin S. Kneedler, Deputy Solicitor General and Irving L. Gornstein, Assistant to the Solicitor General. From the Civil Dvision, those honored included Douglas N. Letter, Appellate Litigation Counsel; Scott R. McIntosh, Special Counsel, Appellate Staff; Joseph H. Hunt, Director of the Federal Programs Branch and Vincent M. Garvey, Deputy Director of the Federal Programs Branch; and Gregory G. Katsas, Deputy Assistant Attorney General. Also included was Mark T. Quinlivan, Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of Massachusetts Three trial attorneys from the San Francisco Field Office of the Antitrust Division were also presented with Distinguished Service Awards. Niall E. Lynch, Assistant Chief; Nathanael M. Cousins and May Y. Lee, Trial Attornetys, San Francisco Field Office. The team was responsible for significant criminal antitrust cartel prosecutions. These cases have broken up an international price-fixing cartel involving a crucial component, dynamic random access memory–DRAM–in a huge, critically important, U.S. high-technology industry. From the Justice Management Division, Melinda B. Morgan, Director and Marcia K. Paull, Deputy Director of Finance Staff, were rewarded for providing effective leadership and direction to the Department’s financial audit community. Award recipient Barbara Rowland, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, resolved two significant civil fraud cases in the pharmaceutical arena, recapturing $261.5 million for Federal health care programs. Her efforts resulted in passing the benefit of the lowest price available in the marketplace to Medicaid beneficiaries. Another honored recipient, Bryan Sierra, Public Affairs Specialist, has expertly managed media relations for complex and high profile cases, including the Padilla case, Enron, and the Moussaoui trial. His efforts to explain to the public the important work of the Department are extraordinary–he consistently goes beyond the call of duty, even accepting the dangerous mission of traveling with the Attorney General to Iraq in July, 2005. In recognition of outstanding professional achievements by law enforcement officers, four Excellence in Law Enforcement Awards were presented this year. Special Agents David P. Biddiscombe and James Langtry, New York Division, Federal Bureau of Investigation and Detective Robert J. Brzeski, Detective, Nassau County Police Department, New York, were honored for dismantling the Velt Gangsta Lanes set of the Bloods gang in Roosevelt, New York, as part of the joint federal and local Operation Streetsweeper. Their efforts resulted in the apprehension and conviction of 22 Bloods gang members on racketeering charges involving narcotics trafficking, assaults with firearms and incendiary devices, murder and attempted murder. The second award for Excellence in Law Enforcement was presented to Christopher M. Garay, an Emergency Medical Technician from the Federal Correctional Complex in Tucson, Az, part of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, who fought his way out of a housing unit overtaken by inmates. His concern for fellow staff members after the disturbance was noted. Another distinguished group was awarded for their contributions in the investigation of former New York City Police Department detectives Louis Eppolito and Stephen Caracappa, who exploited their law enforcement positions to perpetrate a broad range of racketeering acts on behalf of the Luchese organized crime family. Honorees included, from the Drug Enforcement Administration, John M. Peluso, Assistant Special Agent in Charge; and Special Agents Mark Z. Manko, John E. Perfetti, John P. Francolla, Geraldine A. Hart, and David J. Wolf , all from the New York Field Division. Those honored from the Federal Bureau of Investigation included Geraldine A. Hart and David J. Wolf, Special Agents in the New York Division. The Award for Excellence in Law Enforcement was also presented to members of an agency task force who conducted a 22 month investigation to catch a serial arsonist. The arsonist was responsible for the deaths of two people within the Washington Metropolitan Area. All individuals honored serve in the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. The list included Theresa R. Stoop, Special Agent in Charge; David L. McCain, Assistant Special Agent in Charge; William J. Stringer, Group Supervisor; Thomas R. Daley, Scott R. Fulkerson, Tijuana N. Patty, Special Agents, Baltimore Field Division; and Joseph M. Riehl, Chief, Arson and Explosives Programs Division. The Attorney General’s Award for Excellence in Furthering the Interests of U.S. National Security was presented to the trial team involved with the Moussaoui case. Members of the team overcame numerous obstacles in what was an extremely complex and extended national security case. Ultimately, they were able to uphold the Department’s goal–the prevention of terrorist attacks and the protection of national security–by securing the guilty plea of an avowed al Qaeda terrorist, and seeing that he spends the rest of his days in prison. Members of the team included, from the Ceriminal Division, John W. Van Lonkhuyzen, Trial Attorney; Gregory A. Miller, Counterterrorism Support Specialist and Security Officer; Suzette R. Buttram, Former Paralegal Specialist, Counterterrorism Section. Awarded from the Eastern District of Virginia were David J. Novak, Senior Litigation Counsel; Karen M. Spinks, Victim Witness Coordinator; Aaron M. Zebley, Assistant U.S. Attorney; Nancy J. Kramp, Lynn H. Johnson and Sheila A. Lee, Paralegal Specialists; Debra C. Vainio, Lead Legal Assistant; Pamela A. Benson and Michael J. Tesar, Intelligence Research Specialists; Crystal A. Griego, Victim Witness Specialist; and Robert A. Spencer, Former Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney. Those honored from the Southern District of New York included David A. Raskin, Assistant U.S. Attorney; Henry J. Brady, Jr., Intelligence Research Specialist; Gerard C. Francisco, Legal Administration Specialist; and Wendy Olsen Clancy, Victim Witness Specialist. Members of the team from the Civil Rights Division include Kevin Gingras, Trial Attorney, Criminal Section. Hose from the FBI include James M. Fitzgerald, Brian L. Getson, Lisa M. Rich, and Matthew M. Gutierrez, Special Agents; Joan-Marie Turchiano, Supervisory Special Agent; Brenda Holley, Technical Information Specialist, New York Division; Jacqueline Maguire and Matthew G. Walsh, Special Agents, Washington Field Office; Lisa B. Eie, Special Agent, San Diego Field Office. From the Justice Management Division, the team included Christine E. Gunning, Security Specialist, Security and Emergency Planning Staff. Also awarded was Raymond A. Guidetti, Detective Sergeant First Class, New Jersey State Police; and from the Central Intelligence Agency, Jonathan H. Ferry and John L. McPherson, Agents. The Mary C. Lawton Lifetime Service Award went to David Margolis, Associate Deputy Attorney General, Office of the Deputy Attorney General. Throughout his career, David Margolis has exemplified the dedicated public service, leadership, and integrity demonstrated by Mary C. Lawton. The contributions that Mr. Margolis has made to the Department are not simply characterized by length of service. His impact on the Department’s policy and practices, his integrity and reliability, and his dedication to the cause of justice are hallmarks of his character. A number of other awards also were presented: THE ATTORNEY GENERAL’S AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN MANAGEMENT Frank V. Hall THE ATTORNEY GENERAL’S AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY Catherine M. Harnett Greg D. Kesner Wayne E. Towson THE ATTORNEY GENERAL’S AWARD FOR EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY Alice H. Roberson THE ATTORNEY GENERAL’S AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN LEGAL SUPPORT PARALEGAL CATEGORY Leeodie F. Cox Deidre Williams LEGAL SUPPORT CATEGORY Brian Allen Barker THE ATTORNEY GENERAL’S AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT ADMINISTRATIVE CATEGORY Eva M. Gilbert Diane M. Raney SECRETARIAL CATEGORY Karen A. Hanson Cameo D. Hoey THE JOHN MARSHALL AWARD TRIAL OF LITIGATION Todd J. Cochran Amy Jeffress PARTICIPATION IN LITIGATION David H. Laufman Sally Quinn Yates SUPPORT OF LITIGATION Kevin M. Cassidy Scott J. Glick HANDLING OF APPEALS Alisa B. Klein David B. Salmons PROVIDING LEGAL ADVICE Michael J. Elston ASSET FORFEITURE Sharon Cohen Levin ALTERNATIVE DISPUTE RESOLUTION Elizabeth L. Bacon INTERAGENCY COOPERATION IN SUPPORT OF LITIGATION Brian R. Howe THE ATTORNEY GENERAL’S AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING SERVICE IN FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT ADMINISTRATION J. Brian Ferrel THE ATTORNEY GENERAL’S AWARD FOR FRAUD PREVENTION Salvador R. Perricone THE ATTORNEY GENERAL’S AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTIONS TO COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS FOR PUBLIC SAFETY Peter J. Elliott THE CUBBY DORSEY AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTIONS BY A WAGE GRADE SYSTEM EMPLOYEE Joseph Lewis Sawyer THE ATTORNEY GENERAL’S AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTIONS BY A NEW EMPLOYEE Mark R. Freeman Allison P. Gioia Monsita Lecaroz-Arribas Jeffrey M. Tapick EDWARD H. LEVI AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING PROFESSIONALISM AND EXEMPLARY INTEGRITY John C. Keeney THE ATTORNEY GENERAL’S AWARD FOR MERITORIOUS PUBLIC SERVICE Phillip Nicholas
Chapman THE WILLIAM FRENCH SMITH AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTIONS TO COOPERATIVE LAW ENFORCEMENT Robert M. Luckett THE ATTORNEY GENERAL’S AWARD FOR EXCEPTIONAL HEROISM William A. Sentner
(Posthumous) ### 06-612 |
