Deputy Attorney General Recognizes Eastern District Of N.Y. Assistant U.S. Attorneys At Director’s Awards Ceremony

WASHINGTON – Assistant United States Attorneys James D. Gatta, Nathan D. Reilly, Richard M. Tucker and Una A. Dean of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York were four of 179 members of the Department of Justice recognized by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, and Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys (EOUSA) Director Monty Wilkinson at the 33rd Director’s Awards Ceremony today in Washington D.C.

The Eastern District of New York was one of 35 districts represented at the ceremony which was held in the Great Hall at the Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice Building.
 

In his prepared remarks, Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein told the awardees, “These 179 award recipients embody the best of the Department of Justice. Today’s honorees have earned the esteem of their colleagues. But most importantly, you have earned the gratitude of your fellow citizens — whose communities you have made safer, whose lives you have improved, and whose trust you have rewarded.”

Criminal Division Chief James D. Gatta and Public Integrity Section Deputy Chief Nathan D. Reilly received the award for Superior Performance as an AUSA-Criminal for their outstanding accomplishments in securing the conviction of former United States Congressman Michael Grimm for tax fraud. Grimm was brought to justice for his schemes to underreport nearly $1 million in sales from his Manhattan restaurant and deprive federal and state authorities of hundreds of thousands of dollars, as well as his obstruction of justice while a member of Congress. One week after he pleaded guilty, Grimm resigned his Congressional seat representing New York’s 11^th Congressional District. Grimm was sentenced to eight months in prison and required to pay $148,907 in restitution to federal and state tax authorities.

National Security & Cybercrime Section Deputy Chief Richard M. Tucker and Assistant United States Attorney Una A. Dean received the award for Superior Performance as an AUSA-Criminal for their outstanding achievement in securing convictions against eight defendants charged with exporting more than $30 million worth of microelectronics to Russia for use by the Russian military in advanced weapon systems and next-generation fighter aircraft. The defendants were employees of ARC Electronics in Houston, Texas, that operated an extensive proliferation network that provided controlled U.S. technology to the Russian government, including military and intelligence agencies, yet ARC never obtained the requisite license and covered up its illegal activity by using front companies, shell entities, fake end users and other tradecraft to send the technology to Russia. Five defendants pleaded guilty, including the lead defendant, Alexander Fishenko who pleaded guilty to the entire indictment, and was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment. The three remaining defendants were convicted after trial.
 

"In the great tradition of our Office, these four Assistant United States Attorneys successfully carried out complex investigations in the prosecution of a then-sitting congressman, and the protection of our homeland by holding accountable those who illegally exported sensitive military technology,” stated Acting United States Attorney Rohde. “Their achievements are deserving of the Director’s Award and our gratitude for their public service.”

EOUSA provides oversight, general executive assistance, and direction to the 94 United States Attorneys’ offices around the country. For more information on EOUSA and its mission, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao.