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ATTORNEY GENERAL JANET RENO HONORS EMPLOYEES

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Justice Department employees who investigated and prosecuted the racially-motivated murder of James Byrd, Jr., and secured the largest global settlement ever in a health care fraud case were among more than 190 individuals honored by Attorney General Reno at the 48^th Annual Attorney General Awards Ceremony, held at Constitution Hall today in Washington, D.C.

The Attorney General's Award for Exceptional Service, the Department's top honor, was presented to two prosecution teams and the Department's highest-ranking career official.

The first prosecution team, a 14-member team of federal and state investigators and prosecutors, brought three defendants to justice for the racially motivated death of James Byrd, Jr. Within hours of the discovery of Byrd's body, a team of local and federal personnel began an exhaustive investigation which revealed that Byrd had been brutally murdered by three white supremacists who chained him by his ankles to the back of a pick-up truck, dragging him almost three miles to his death. The cooperative efforts of this team of investigators and prosecutors ultimately led to the conviction of all three defendants responsible for a crime that shocked the nation.

Award recipients include: Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorneys (AUSAs) John B. Stevens, Jr. and Robert James "Jim" Middleton and AUSA Brittian A. Featherston, of the Beaumont, Texas, U.S. Attorney's Office; Guy James Gray, Criminal District Attorney, Billy Rowles, Sheriff, Mike Wilson, Richard Drake, District Attorney Investigators, Jasper County Texas; Don K. Clark, Special Agent-in-Charge (retired), Robert B. Loosle, Supervisory Senior Resident Agent, Timothy P. Brewer, Mark C. Broome, Cynthia Brawley, Norman A. Townsend, Roel J. Carranza, Special Agents, FBI Houston Field Office; Clifton Orr, Detective Sergeant, Beaumont, Texas, Police Department. U.S. Attorney J. Michael Bradford also received special recognition.

A second team of investigators and prosecutors also received the Exceptional Service Award for their role in securing the largest ever global settlement in a health care fraud case. That investigation, which began in September 1994, resulted in a global settlement with Fresenius Medical Care North America, the largest provider of kidney dialysis services and products in the world. The prosecution resulted in guilty pleas by three different corporate entities, with a record-setting $101 million criminal fine; an aggregate civil settlement payment of $385 million; and the withdrawal by the company of more than $130 million in pending claims for reimbursement with the Medicare Program.

Award recipients include: Mark Pearlstein, Supervisory AUSA, Suzanne E. Durell, Deputy Chief, Civil Division, Michael K. Loucks, Supervisory AUSA, AUSAs Peter A. Mullin, Joshua S. Levy, Susan Winkler, Susan Hanson-Philbrick, Diane Freniere, Patricia M. Connolly, Special AUSA, Paul A. Rustigian, Auditor, U.S. Attorney's Office, Boston, MA; Mark A. Levine, AUSA, Miami, Florida; Maya Sabina Guerra, Trial Attorney, Lucy E. Eldridge, former Trial Attorney; Laurence J. Freedman, Assistant Director, Commercial Litigation Branch, Shannon Kelley, Paralegal, Civil Division, Main Justice.

"Today we honor the hard work, dedication to duty and litigation successes which have helped to improve the conditions of our society," Attorney General Reno said. "I am so very proud of these award recipients and of all our employees, who serve the American people so well."

Assistant Attorney General for Administration, Stephen R. Colgate, the highest ranking career civil servant in the Department, was also presented with an Exceptional Service Award for his outstanding dedication, leadership, and accomplishments during his more than 20 years of Federal career service. "Steve is recognized as an innovator and administrator of the highest accord," Attorney General Reno said. "He is a fine example of the highest values of public service."

The Department's second highest award, the Attorney General's Distinguished Service Award, was presented to 31 individuals this year. Investigators, agents, litigators, prosecutors, conciliation specialists and administrators working on a number of significant issues and cases around the country and the world were among today's award recipients.

Some of their award-wining activities included the prosecution of the second largest passenger airline in the world for reckless transportation of hazardous materials aboard passenger aircraft; the investigation and prosecution of those responsible for the collapse of the National Heritage Life Insurance Company; the relentless efforts to remove the corrupting influence of organized crime in the affairs of the Laborers' International Union of North America, AFL-CIO; the investigation and prosecution of an international cartel in the vitamins industry which resulted in a $500 million fine-the largest criminal fine ever obtained by the Justice Department; and the courageous actions of INS officers at the time of the bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi.

The Attorney General's Award for Exceptional Heroism was presented to three employees this year. Joseph Dubois, Special Agent in the San Antonio District Office of DEA, and Daniel Fuentes, Supervisory Special Agent, Houston Field Office of the FBI, were honored for their courageous actions when their vehicle was surrounded by 15 Mexican police and drug traffickers armed with submachine guns in Matamoros, Mexico. Although outnumbered and facing kidnaping and possible death, Special Agents Dubois and Fuentes refused the traffickers demands to surrender a cooperating source who was in the vehicle with the two agents. Because of their professionalism and courage, Dubois and Fuentes were able to safely leave Matamoros with the cooperating source. George L. Dysico, Special Agent in the Washington Field Office of the FBI, also received the Attorney General's Award for Exceptional Heroism for his extraordinary courage during a vehicle pursuit that prevented a fugitive, wanted for homicide, from approaching a nearby elementary school.

The William French Smith Award for Outstanding Contributions to Cooperative Law Enforcement was presented to Gary S. Penrod, Sheriff, San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department, and Paul J. Pfingst, District Attorney San Diego County, for their support of Department law enforcement efforts in the border region of Southern California.

Sheriff Penrod provided vitally needed detention bed space and prisoner transportation to the U.S. Marshals Service when the successful efforts of Operation Gatekeeper led to an unprecedented prisoner population growth in Southern California. Under Pfingst's leadership, the San Diego Country District Attorney's Office prosecuted nearly 7,000 cases involving the importation of marijuana from Mexico into the United States from 1995 through 1999. The U.S. Attorney and District Attorney partnership in San Diego contributed to a 41 percent drop in the crime rate in that region.

"The efforts of District Attorney Pfingst and Sheriff Penrod serve as a model for the nation of federal, state and local cooperation and demonstrate how such cooperation can lead to increased community safety," Attorney General Reno said.

The Attorney General's Award for Meritorious Public Service was presented to Irene Rinehamer for her bravery and total disregard for her own safety, when she managed to fight off an attacker, a fugitive serving 20 to 50 years for arson, and his accomplice, a fugitive serving a life sentence for two murder convictions, preventing them from obtaining her vehicle. Rinehamer made a positive identification of one of the escapees and provided a direction of flight which resulted in locating a small campsite and prison clothing. Because of Rinehamer's strong personal fortitude and clear-headed composure during the incident, crucial information was obtained which led to the capture of both escapees.

"Today's awards ceremony provides an opportunity to pay tribute to Department employees, our partners at the state and local level and citizens for their invaluable contributions to our law enforcement mission," Reno said. "The events of the past year have once again presented many challenges for the Justice Department, and I am proud of how we have responded to them."

In all, 61 awards, in 21 different categories, were presented to 198 recipients, including 173 Department employees and 25 others. More than 425 individuals were nominated.