Nine Assistant U.S. Attorneys from the EDNY receive Attorney General Awards

Nine Assistant U.S. Attorneys who practice in the Eastern District of New York courthouses of Brooklyn (pictured) and Central Islip were honored with Attorney General Awards. Eagle file photo by Rob Abruzzese.

By Rob Abruzzese

Nine Assistant U.S. Attorneys from the Eastern District of New York, which covers Queens, Brooklyn, Staten Island and Long Island, were among the 244 department employees to be recognized at the 66th annual Attorney General Awards Ceremony.

The annual ceremony is meant to recognize employees and individuals who have, "demonstrated exceptional achievements, leadership and service to the Department of Justice and the American people."

“Service in the Department of Justice is more than a normal job; it is a calling to the highest standards of professionalism,” Attorney General Jeff Sessions said. “That is true for all of the 115,000 Department of Justice employees. But it is especially true for these award winners. And so I want to thank them and their families for their exemplary service to this Department and to the American people. They have made this Department proud.”

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Keith D. Edelman, Kaitlin T. Farrell, M. Kristin Mace, Brian D. Morris and Samuel P. Nitze, were honored for their work involving the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) That case was the first to use the RICO and wire fraud statutes to attack corruption in sports.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael J. Castiglione, Evan P. Lestelle and John Vagelatos were honored for their role in the 2018 national Elder Fraud Sweep.

Senior Litigation Counsel Andrea Goldbarg and a team of trial attorneys an AUSAs were also honored for their role in "Operation Fallen Hero" which prosecuted Los Zetas Mexcian Cartel Members.

U.S. Marshal Senior Inspector Basilio S. Perez, Jr. was also honored for "exceptional heroism" during this year's awards ceremony for his actions to aid victims of the mass shooting in Las Vegas, Nevada on Oct. 1, 2017.

“The outstanding work of EDNY prosecutors, working in conjunction with our law enforcement partners, exposed an international culture of corruption within organized soccer, dismantled a fraud scheme that victimized the elderly and held responsible the brutal killers of a heroic federal agent,” stated U.S. Attorney for the EDNY Richard P. Donoghue. “The wide scope of the achievements recognized today demonstrates that this Office will pursue justice for the people of the Eastern District of New York wherever the evidence takes us.”