| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 21, 2009 WWW.USDOJ.GOV/USAO/CAN |
WASHINGTON — Six Assistant United States Attorneys and a Paralegal Specialist from the Northern District of California each received The Attorney General’s Award for distinguished service today for their work on United States v. Pavel Lazarenko. Attorney General Eric Holder recognized AUSAs Peter Axelrod, Patricia Kenney, Stephanie Hinds and Hartley West; former AUSAs Jonathan Howden and Martha Boersch; and Paralegal Specialist Christine Ying Tian at the 57th Attorney General Awards Ceremony.
“These individuals represent the epitome of excellence in the legal profession,” said David Anderson, First Assistant United States Attorney for the Northern District of California. “It is no surprise to me that they were honored. Their dedication to the United States Attorney’s Office, the Department of Justice and the United States of America is evident in the countless hours they spend each and every day to help ensure justice is served.”
During the awards ceremony, Attorney General Holder recognized 247 Department of Justice employees for their distinguished public service. 39 other individuals outside of the department also were honored for their work. Held at Constitution Hall, this annual ceremony recognizes both department employees and others for their dedication to carrying out the Department of Justice’s mission.
“It is my privilege to honor these recipients for their outstanding service and commitment to our country,” Attorney General Holder said. “Each of these dedicated servants has carried out the important mission of the Department of Justice and has done so with excellence and distinction. Their varied accomplishments have advanced the interests of justice on behalf of the American people, and I’m proud to call them my colleagues.”
United States v. Pavel Lazarenko was the first prosecution of a foreign political leader for laundering the proceeds of foreign crimes involving political corruption, fraud and extortion through financial institutions in the United States.
The Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service is the Justice Department’s second highest award for employee performance. The recipients of this award exemplify the highest commitment to the department’s mission. Seventeen Distinguished Service Awards were presented this year to individuals or teams of people.
Further Information:
A copy of this press release may be found on the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s website at www.usdoj.gov/usao/can.
Electronic court filings and further procedural and docket information are available at https://ecf.cand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
Judges’ calendars with schedules for upcoming court hearings can be viewed on the court’s website at www.cand.uscourts.gov.
All press inquiries to the U.S. Attorney’s Office should be directed to Joshua Eaton at (415) 436-6958 or by email at Josh.Eaton@usdoj.gov.
This site does not contain all press releases or court filings and is not an official record of proceedings. Please contact the Clerk of Courts for the United States District Court for official copies of documents and public information.