Press Release
ATTORNEY GENERAL MUKASEY HONORS PADILLA TRIAL TEAM AND MEDICARE STRIKE FORCE ATTORNEYS AT THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE'S ANNUAL AWARDS CEREMONY
October 28, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Today in Washington, D.C., Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey and Deputy Attorney General Mark R. Filip presented the Attorney General's Award for Exceptional Service to members of the South Florida prosecution team responsible for the prosecution of United States v. Padilla, et. al. The Attorney General's Award for Exceptional Service is the Department of Justice's highest award. In addition, members of the South Florida Medicare Fraud Strike Force received The Attorney General's Award for Distinguished Service.
"The achievements of the people we honor today span the globe, and are as broad as the mission of the Department: To enforce the law and defend the interests of the United States according to the law," said Attorney General Mukasey. "We all serve that mission in different ways, but what all of these award recipients have in common is that they have reached the highest level of accomplishment in the work that they do."
The Attorney General's Award for Exceptional Service was presented to the team that investigated and prosecuted Jose Padilla, Adham Hassoun and Kifah Jayyousi for supporting Al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations engaged in murder, kidnapping and maiming persons overseas. Their unprecedented determination and courage in pursuing this unique and highly complex prosecution for five years, brought an end to the terrorist activities of a network of Islamic extremists committed to damaging the national security of the United States. This trial team cemented a new prosecutorial model in terrorism cases and set the standard for others to follow.
The recipients of the Attorney General's Award for Exceptional Service include, from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Russell R. Killinger, Brian K. Frazier, John C. Shipley Jr., Lisa Tobin Rubio, Anne R. Schultz and Robert K. Senior; Eileen C. Stafford, Legal Administrative Specialist; Angel L. Martinez, Intelligence Specialist; and Hanif K. Ali, Computer Specialist; from the Office of the Deputy Attorney General, Stephanie K. Pell, Counsel to the Deputy Attorney General; from the FBI Miami Division, Special Agents Kent T. Hukill and John T. Kavanaugh Jr.
U.S. Attorney R. Alexander Acosta, of the Southern District of Florida, said, "We are very proud of the work of these talented and dedicated public servants. They have served their nation and furthered the cause of justice through personal sacrifice, devotion to duty, and a steadfast commitment to protecting our national security and interests. They are most worthy of today's award."
In addition, The Attorney General's Award for Distinguished Service was also awarded to employees from the Fraud Section of the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice, Deputy Chief J. Kirk Ogrosky; Trial Attorneys John S. Darden and Harold B. Walther; and Senior Program Analyst Steven G. Shandy; from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida, Assistant U.S. Attorney Randall D. Katz; former Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew I. Menchel; and Nurse Investigator Edith M. Sposato; from the FBI Miami Division, Supervisory Special Agents Randall C. Culp and Timothy P. Donovan; Special Agents Susan E. Devereaux, Scott P. Neville, Shaun P. O'Neil and Brian Waterman; and from the Office of the Inspector General, Office of Investigations, Department of Health and Human Services, Assistant Special Agent in Charge Bernardo Rodriguez; Special Agents Manuel Hernandez, Julie Rivera and Ariel Rodriguez. The team received the award for their tireless efforts to fight and deter Medicare fraud. During a seven-month period from March through October of 2007, the team indicted 74 cases and 120 defendants. Their efforts contributed to a drop in Medicare Part B billing of $1.4 billion when compared to the prior year. The tireless work, innovation and initiative of these award recipients to fight Medicare fraud exemplify the Department's commitment to fraud prevention.
In total, 250 DOJ employees and 22 other individuals were honored today at the Department's 56th 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.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
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